EDITORIAL - Hypocrisy and unfairness abound

There are many things wrong with this country and assailing a decision of the Supreme Court just because it doesn't jibe with our preconceived notion is one of them. The Supreme Court is there as a final arbiter and we must respect that, whether we agree with its decisions or not.

The repercussions of losing that respect are simply dangerous and staggering and it is disconcerting to find people like Winnie Monsod out in the streets protesting, as if the chaos that can ensue is more acceptable than swallowing a decision she happens to disagree with.

It is understandable that many people like Monsod are very uncomfortable with the fact that virtually everybody in the Supreme Court is now an appointee of President Arroyo. But that is not the fault of either Arroyo or the justices.

Anyone who brings up that uncomfortable fact ought to be bound by the rules of fairness and put the situation into context by underscoring another fact --- that the appointments were made because Arroyo had no choice but to make them.

It is not as if Arroyo fired justices indiscriminately in order to create vacancies she can fill with her own choices. The vacancies occurred naturally after justices reached retirement age. Arroyo would be criminally remiss if she did not appoint any replacements.

Filling those vacancies with her choices, from a list not of her making, is a prerogative of her office. Filipinos may hold Arroyo with the highest disdain but it is expected of citizens, to see beyond their biases and respect processes inherent in our political system.

There is a reason why the Supreme Court is made up of 15 individuals voting separately, and that is to ensure the highest sense of independence, integrity, and credibility in all its decisions.

But even if, after all these safeguards, some people still cannot seem to agree with a Supreme Court decision, then there must be something wrong with these people, not with the Supreme Court.

To assail the independence, integrity, and credibility of the justices just because of the circumstantial fact that they are Arroyo appointees is to be grossly unfair and malicious. Let's stop being hypocrites. At one time or another we have all been appointees, Monsod included.