JDF: What if the SC claims good faith?

I am aghast at the ease and willingness with which the attack dogs of Noynoy Aquino can place their master's interests above and beyond that of the nation. Two of them, Niel Tupas and Rodolfo Farinas, are now leading the charge against the Supreme Court, totally oblivious of the fact that they are bringing the country to the brink of a constitutional crisis from which it may never be able to recover.

Tupas and Farinas are two of the congressmen who helped lead the attack against then chief justice Renato Corona. Corona was impeached and removed from office in a farce of a trial best remembered for the suspicious way evidences were obtained and the bribing of senator judges to obtain a guilty verdict, using millions upon millions of pesos in unconstitutionally acquired savings as determined later by the Supreme Court.

That Corona was truly guilty of failing to properly declare all his assets does not in any way remove the stench that has since characterized the trial. It was a trial that was remarkable not for any extraordinary heights to which justice and fair play soared but for all the illegal and questionable means by which the guilty verdict was relentlessly pursued.

One can almost puke listening to Tupas and Farinas describe their case against the Supreme Court, which they accuse of misappropriating judicial development funds. I wonder what their constituencies have done to deserve representations who can shamelessly defend Noynoy for misappropriating funds through unconstitutional means such as the Disbursement Acceleration Program or DAP and then vigorously attack the Supreme Court for allegedly doing exactly the same thing.

I say allegedly because we only have the word of Tupas and Farinas that the Supreme Court misappropriated its JDF. This is in stark contrast to Noynoy's use of the DAP, which he not only admitted but relentlessly justified and defended, to the extent that he would attack the Supreme Court at every opportunity and at every forum.

But let us grant, for the sake of argument, that Tupas and Farinas are correct. What if the Supreme Court did indeed use some of the JDF for purposes outside that which had been specified? That would still place Tupas and Farinas on queer street if the Supreme Court invoked good faith just like their master Noynoy did to justify his hijacking of savings for use as DAP.

I truly wish the Supreme Court would own up to Tupas and Farinas and then invoke good faith. I would love to see the look on their faces. But I have no doubt that the two can wiggle out of any bind. When you can attack and defend exactly the same thing with equal ferocity and conviction, you must be really good at what you do. You deserve nothing less than the full trust and confidence of a president, especially one with dictatorial tendencies.

It is important for a president with dictatorial tendencies to have people like Tupas and Farinas, who can attack and defend without distinction, who can attack one thing one day and then defend exactly the same thing the next. For a president with dictatorial tendencies can like one thing in a person and hate it in another. Such a president needs to live by his own rules, which he makes as he goes along.

A president who abides by the law pursues each and every law-breaker, regardless of who that law-breaker might be. Friend or foe does not matter to him. All he cares about is the majesty of the law. A president with dictatorial tendencies like Noynoy is good only in talking. Noynoy can talk for hours about the corruption he sees in others but grows combative in defense of the corruption among his friends.

But Noynoy cannot do all the fighting by himself. That is why he needs the services of attack dogs like Tupas and Farinas who can pounce at a moment's notice even without being told, who can take the cue even when none is given. When Noynoy started openly attacking the Supreme Court, Tupas and Farinas knew immediately what was required of them.

One thing I can say about Tupas and Farinas -- they truly have the gift of gab. The arguments with which they try to build their case against the Supreme Court can almost move those who do not know any better to tears. Those who hear them for the first time might be tempted to believe that the Philippines is extremely lucky to have public servants who can vigorously defend the public interest, even against something as mighty as the highest court of the land.

Such delusions are bound to be shortlived, however, once people eventually find out that the very things they accuse the Supreme Court of doing are exactly the same things they defended when Noynoy was the one doing them. And when the people find out, they cannot feel anything but contempt for the betrayal. For it is nothing short of betrayal when you raise the hopes of people on one thing and then disappoint them later over the same thing.

Unfortunately for all of us, such is the lot we have ordained for ourselves. We have allowed naiveté to get the better of us. We were too presumptuous to place all our eggs in Noynoy's basket. We let emotions rule our capacity to decide. Despite all the danger signs and red flags back in 2010, we took a leap of faith and now we are reaping the fruits of that folly.

But the worst cut of all is the insult being added to the injury. Even this late in the game, even when the jig is up and we now know exactly where Noynoy is taking us, he and his hounds continue to bark out the deception, deluding us with promises of good faith where none exists. Good faith is by itself apparent. When somebody proclaims it, you know he is lying.