Chief Justice Davide's "Never a Marcos again"

The pride of Cebu, especially of southern Cebu, Chief Justice Hilario G. Davide, Jr., has issued a manifesto titled "Never Again a Marcos as President". It has become viral and reached more than a million Filipinos in more than 100 countries all over the world. This writer talked to the good chief justice last Sunday and I am sharing with you the salient points raised by one of the greatest Cebuanos who ever lived.

First, let us remember that CJ Noy Jun, as we from Argao love to call him, is a former associate justice and later, chief justice of the Supreme Court, former Commission on Elections chairman, a delegate to both the 1972 Constitutional Convention and the 1986 Constitutional Commission, a duly-elected member of the interim and regular Batasang Pambansa, and before his retirement, was appointed and assumed as Philippines' permanent representative to the United Nations, with the rank of ambassador extraordinary plenipotentiary. He is a Ramon Magsaysay awardee for Public Service. No other Cebuano has achieved all these. His words therefore, carry tremendous weight and credibility.

In his magnum opus, the chief justice declared that Bongbong Marcos is not fit for the presidency. He needs to purify himself before he faces the people to ask for their votes. First, he must apologize to the hundreds of thousands of victims of martial law. Second, he must ask for forgiveness for the evils, atrocities, and inequities committed by his father. Third, he must return to the people whatever remains of their ill-gotten wealth. Fourth, he must pay for all the money judgments and taxes adjudged against them by various courts. All these are backed up by the chief justice with figures and dates.

CJ Davide said that voting for Bongbong Marcos is both an act of disloyalty to the republic and a great disservice to our people. He said that voting for Bongbong would then be tantamount to approving all the evils, atrocities, and inequities of martial law and issuing a guarantee that all those despicable affronts would be repeated by Bongbong. Chief justice Davide stressed that a vote for Bongbong would render the EDSA Revolution meaningless, and thus erase the great sacrifices that accompanied the revolution of 1986.

The chief justice reminded us that Bongbong already declared (rather arrogantly, I should add) that if elected, he would not allow the International Court of Justice to proceed with the investigation on alleged violations of human rights. Thus, it would put our country to shame before the United Nations and, I must hasten to interject, the Philippines would virtually become a pariah among the community of civilized countries. He also added that the election of Bongbong would mark the country's surrender of the West Philippine Sea, to the great prejudice to our national integrity and the dignity of our people.

I have pledged to CJ Noy Jun that I am going to translate his "obra maestra" to our Bisaya language, and hopefully, also to Tagalog so as to be better understood by all of the sovereign Filipino people. This masterpiece could become our own counterpart to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, and President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. It is a must-read for all Filipinos who value freedom, democracy, and the truth. You are missing a lot if you have not read it. Contact me and I will gladly send you a copy. I have already sent it to our Overseas Filipino Workers all over the world.