IMPEACHED OMBUDSMAN ON 'TRIAL BY TWITTER'
MANILA, APRIL 3, 2011 (INQUIRER.NET) By Christian V. Esguerra Philippine Daily Inquirer - In an age of instantaneous public responses and social networking sites, Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez will probably need to do more than just convince senator-judges that she should keep her post and retire with dignity next year.
Even before the Senate could officially hear the complaints against her, Gutierrez has been subjected to a "trial by Twitter" as could be gleaned from angry and insulting remarks against her in the popular site during the proceedings at the House of Representatives.
Senator Gregorio Honasan acknowledged on Saturday that he and his colleagues would have to deal – if not, contend – with a stream of public reactions made available by Twitter and other Internet site in deciding the fate of Gutierrez, who stands accused of betrayal of public trust.
Honasan, himself an active Twitter user, noted that a similar information vehicle – text brigade – played a key role in the impeachment trial, and later, ouster, of President Joseph Estrada in 2001. Rightly or wrongly, sentiments against Estrada through text messages affected public perception and probably influenced the conduct of the trial.
"During the time of Erap [Estrada's nickname], we conceded to this so-called text brigade and we paid dearly for that," he told the Philippine Daily Inquirer, pointing out that the trial was never resolved owing to the walkout of prosecutors.
Honasan, who was among the senator-judges who voted against the opening of the so-called "second envelope" that trigged the walkout, is optimistic that the Senate has learned its lesson and would do its duty regardless of what the public says on Twitter or Facebook.
"Kahit bugbugin mo sarado ng Twitter, sagasaan mo ng Facebook," he said, "I am confident that the Senate as an institution will rise to the occasion and do its duty."
Honasan recognized the changing dynamics of information dissemination, largely because of the popularity of Twitter and Facebook even among policy makers. But he said senators would have to remain focused on what he called the "core components" of the impeachment trial – determine if there was indeed a betrayal of public trust and "do justice to every man."
"This is a golden opportunity to restore confidence in our judicial system, which has suffered losses in credibility," he said.
Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III on Friday admitted that the fate of Gutierrez would also be decided based on public opinion. "In my experience in the last impeachment trial, it was not ideal to view it purely from the judicial perspective, although we were proven right later," he said.
Honasan said senator-judges would have to stick to the facts of the case and decide on the merits, despite public pressure, especially one coursed through ubiquitous social networking sites. "If we continue to calibrate and recalibrate our moral compass," he said, "then these things would not be a factor."
The senator lamented predictions being made by media and supposed political analysts on which senator-judge would vote for or against the ouster of Gutierrez. Much of this "headcount" is based on a senator's political affiliation, a factor which members of the chamber have repeatedly dismissed.
A recent survey by Social Weather Stations showed that 52 percent of Filipinos agreed with the Supreme Court decision allowing the House of Representatives to continue with the impeachment proceedings against Gutierrez. The Ombudsman later asked congressmen to allow her to finish her term, which will expire next year.
Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago cautioned her colleagues, including members of the prosecution and defense, against talking in public about the merits of the impeachment complaint, especially once trial has begun. Her warning covered comments made on Twitter and similar sites.
Senator Francis Escudero said: "Senators will decide based on evidence. But we are also representatives of the people and we have to make sure that their voices are heard. How to balance [both interests] will be up to the individual senators to determine."
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Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
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