Selective justice

Noynoy Aquino should be ashamed of himself. If it is wrong for Renato Corona to accept perks from Philippine Airlines, why is it all right for Cristino Naguiat Jr. to accept perks from a company putting up huge casino investments in the Philippines?

The difference could not be that Corona is chief justice while Naguiat is just the Pagcor chairman because we were made to understand that “daang matuwid” applies to everyone if we are to rid this country at all of corruption.

In fact, to underscore the point that “daang matuwid” applies to one and all, Noynoy made such an inordinately big fuss about how a lowly government clerk in Davao got fired for cheating on his SALN, the implication being that all the more must Corona be removed.

What Noynoy refuses to see is that it is really no skin off anyone’s back if Corona is removed from office, for as long as he is proven guilty first, in a process that respects all his rights and allows him to enjoy presumption of innocence.

No wonder some people think Noynoy is unhinged. He was the one who orchestrated Corona’s impeachment. Now he refuses to respect that process and has taken his puerile tantrums out in the streets, where it can send dangerous signals to those with anarchic tendencies.

What a shame that no less than the president of the republic himself, the executor of the laws of the land, should choose to wage war against his “corrupt” enemies outside legal processes and yet shamelessly lead in blatantly defending the “corrupt” practices of his friends.

Corona accepting perks from PAL is absolutely the same as Naguiat enjoying perks from a casino owner. The only difference is that Corona is a political enemy Noynoy has sworn to remove while Naguiat is a close friend from Ateneo he is obligated to protect.

Noynoy threatened the Senate with electoral retribution if it does not find Corona guilty even as the process he himself initiated is still going on. But with Naguiat, he says the Pagcor chief is innocent until proven guilty, the perks he enjoyed being industry practice. 

Selective justice is what the presidency of Noynoy is all about. It is the unadulterated truth that is there for everyone to see. The only ones who cannot see the truth are those loudly proclaiming their moral ascendancy with eyes yellowed from the jaundice of hypocrisy.

If Naguiat’s perks being defended by Noynoy as industry practice is not a glaring example of selective justice, or treating the public to a charade over the indiscretions of pirated DVD king Ronald Llamas, how about the Korean grocery store of Grace Lee’s?

Grace Lee is the Korean TV host who is reputed to be the current flame of the country’s king of short-lived romances. Her mother operates a grocery allegedly in violation of Philippine retail laws. Yet Noynoy personally pleaded with the public to leave her alone.

I will not delve into that grocery because I personally do not know the details. But I can direct you to Rappler.com which posted an article by Magtanggol dela Cruz entitled: “What do Grace Lee and the Pagcor chief have in common?”

Rappler.com is not a propaganda machine out to discredit Noynoy, which is how the Yellow Army invariably calls those who take a critical view of the president. Judging by the people who are behind the website, I think it Rappler.com means serious business.

Rappler.com is headed by Maria Ressa as CEO and executive editor. Its managing editor is Glenda Gloria while Che-Che Lazaro and Marites Vitug are editors-at-large. If those names ring a bell, it is because they belong to some of the most objective and respected journalists around.

Between Maria Ressa, Glenda Gloria, Che-Che Lazaro and Marites Vitug on one hand, and Edwin Lacierda, Abigail Valte, Ricky Carandang, with Miro Quimbo, Niel Tupas, Rey “small lady” Umali and Jorge “golden gate” Banal thrown in on the other, where the truth lies is a no-brainer.