Using Merci to force open a can of worms

MIDAS LOSING TOUCH: The Supreme Court might want to rethink Jose Midas Marquez’s being its spokesman. Meantime, he should be told to shut up before he complicates further the already complex situation in the premises.

Way back, I was taken aback the first time I heard Marquez explaining to media a ruling of the Court. A decision of the Supreme Court speaks for itself. Those who want to know what the decision is must read the decision itself — what else?

For Marquez, who is not even an SC justice, to give his extended opinion is fraught with danger. There is always the possibility that his explanation might fall short or overshoot the sense of the ruling. He might inadvertently end up creating new issues or sowing confusion.

His being the SC administrator supervising 2,000 judges and 25,000 court personnel all over the country is big enough a job for any man. He can drop the spokesman part.

Marquez may safely hand out press releases about court calendars, appointments, personal bio-data, and such peripheral matters. He should never attempt to interpret all over again the Supreme Court’s final interpretation of the law.

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‘GO GET HER!’: We assume that President Noynoy Aquino was aware of the implications of his giving marching orders to his Liberal partymates to go all-out to impeach Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez.

While his “Go get her!” instruction helped galvanize his congressmen in the House into swift concerted action against Gutierrez, such an order may have disturbed the impeachment train in the Senate.

After the LP titular head cracked the whip and made ousting Gutierrez a party matter, it has become crystal clear that the impeachment process is a political squeeze play.

More and more, the President appears to be moving according to a game plan.

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SOLONS ON THE SPOT: What if the respondent now asks for the inhibition of Liberal senators on the ground that they, as staunch partymen, had taken a position on her fate even before the impeachment papers reached the Senate?

The President’s open-fire orders have put in question the fairness of LP lawmakers. No wonder, some Liberal senators have started claiming that they were not consulted about taking a party stand.

Still, some incredulous observers said it was unthinkable for the President to have defined a party position on such a weighty issue without consulting LP stalwarts in the Senate.

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CORRUPTION: Another view is that the battle in the Congress to kick out Gutierrez could be part of a wider and deeper war for reforms as promised by the President.

Now on its ninth month of casting around, the Aquino administration must land soon a big fish to convince the skeptics and the indifferent that its avowed campaign against corruption is for real.

It is noteworthy, however, that while the Ombudsman may be big fish, not even a hint of corruption has been thrown at her. Gutierrez may be accused of being slow, selective, or even incompetent, but nary a hair of corruption is found on her.

If this impeachment battle targeting the Ombudsman is not about corruption, what is it?

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CAN-OPENER: I see Gutierrez as being used as a can opener — to blast open a bigger can of worms.

She is an obstacle in the Yellow Army march to drive out all Arroyo stragglers, not so much because they are corrupt but because they are appointees of the previous president.

Gutierrez’s one mortal sin, a culpable violation in the eyes of some partisans, is that she is a classmate of former First Gentleman Mike Arroyo and an appointee of then President Arroyo.

By the undue process of guilt by association, Gutierrez must go.

The theory seems to be that after the Ombudsman and similar big blocks are removed, a slew of other key players of the previous regime – maybe even Gloria Arroyo herself – would follow down the drain.

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SHARING: At this point, let me share this note from our friend Eddie Alinea, a sportswriter of note:

“In September 2007, my son, Wendell Rupert Alinea, was diagnosed with the very rare Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia. He had undergone three cycles of chemotherapy and finished his two-year maintenance therapy in December 2010. Me, my wife Annie and the family were so relieved that his medications were finally over and were excited for him to start 2011 with a new beginning.

“Then he started having coughs, colds and eventually high fevers. We thought it was just a simple viral infection. He was in and out of the hospital, underwent every test possible, all with the same result — negative. His doctor performed another Bone Marrow Biopsy. A week later, we were told he had a relapse. His leukemia was back.

“His doctor advised him to undergo another cycle of chemotherapy or he could try using Arsenic Trioxide, the standard care in relapsed APL. This is less toxic than chemo and he will probably be the first Filipino to ever try it.

“However, this drug is not available in the Philippines or anywhere near. It is very expensive and getting it requires a prescription from a licensed doctor in the US or UK. He will need 30 vials, one for each day. He will stay in Bone Marrow Transplant unit for a month. Then his doctor will prepare him for his Bone Marrow Transplant. He will go through chemotherapy just before his transplant and be confined for five or more weeks.

“My son is a good, very talented man and still loves to live. He is fighting and will never give up. Please help him. He needs all kinds of support, especially prayers.”

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