TRIAL
MANILA, JANUARY 26, 2012 (STAR) FIRST PERSON
By Alex Magno - They no longer make them like they used to.
Perhaps the only edifying aspect of the otherwise tedious Senate impeachment
trial is the demeanor of two senior gentlemen playing large roles in these
proceedings: Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and former justice Serafin
Cuevas.
Observe how these two true gentlemen of the old school conduct themselves
under the cruel glare of an intensely observed process.
Their choice of words is always exact. Their mental faculties, advanced age
notwithstanding, are constantly acute. Their knowledge of the law is exceedingly
evident. Their capacity for politeness and humility, despite their stature, is
inspiring.
I am amazed at how these two gentlemen are able to muster the stamina to do
what they do. Routinely, after each exhausting session, they make themselves
available for interviews, always unflappable whatever question is thrown them.
Neither of the two gentlemen have, so far, lost their cool under intense
pressure nor produced a gaffe of any notable proportion. They hold their poise
with remarkable discipline.
Sen. Enrile has so far presided over the trial with a firm hand, setting a
very high standard of statesmanship for the chamber without stifling his
colleagues. His opening statement is a classic.
A lesser statesman might have said lesser things and this delicate process
might have been doomed from the start. Well into the trial, he has been
universally praised for demonstrating fairness and even-handedness.
We are fortunate to have him as Senate President during this unseemly season.
A lesser mind and a porous personality leading the chamber at this time might
have allowed the Senate to crumble under the intense pressure bearing in from
all sides.
Enrile understands fully well that this unprecedented impeachment of the head
of a co-equal branch of government needs to be credible above all, regardless of
the outcome. If the chamber is overrun by partisanship, then all is lost. All
our institutions will equally fall into disrepute and the mobs will rule our
lives.
Serafin Cuevas, we all know, is a lawyer's lawyer. The man has a long and
brilliant record at both bar and bench. He is both professor and practitioner.
His mind is quick and his knowledge vast.
Through all these years, it is clear the man has not lost his touch. He is
eloquent as he is patient, taking the time to explain the complex issues to
laymen.
His mind is powerful and his enthusiasm inexhaustible. Each time he speaks,
it is an educational experience for all who listen.
There are few like him who manages to intimidate even before he speaks.
Those puny characters at the prosecution panel, the punks who so casually
lend themselves to disrespect when they are out of court, are clearly terrified
by his presence at the venue of trial.
They are trying to find a way to disqualify him on the ground that, as a
retired justice receiving a pension, he should not extend his services to one
supposedly accused by The People.
If they had their way, administration propagandists might have gone to town
attempting to drag Cuevas to the mud as they have done to his principal.
They are, after all, in the daily business of nailing to the cross anyone who
speaks an independent mind and nurses an adverse opinion.
But even the feeble-minded apparatchiks of the mammoth administration
propaganda apparatus realize that Cuevas is a man of solid reputation and
sterling record.
Prosecution spokesman Miro Quimbo once tried to be cute during a TV interview
and described the lead defense counsel as one experienced in defending
criminals, mocking a slip of the tongue. Viewer reaction at that utterly cheap
shot was swift and angry.
Quimbo merely succeeded in demeaning himself in the public eye. If he thinks
he is smart, he should try tangling with Cuevas on the floor and within the
strict parameters of legal argument.
For his part, Cuevas realizes he is not just defending a man. He is defending
an institution.
The very survival of the rule of law in our society relies a lot on his
ability to forestall the lynching mob: those who signed articles of impeachment
without reading them, who besmirched the Chief Justice without evidence on hand,
and who now use the trial as a means to fish for derogatory information of any
sort.
Because of the circumstances, this is the trial of Serafin Cuevas' long and
illustrious life. The master of the law must now also be the champion for the
rule of law. He has a heroic role to play here and it is clear he relishes the
chance to do so. We can only wish him a long life.
Enrile and Cuevas, most gentlemen of the old school, are equally a pleasure
to observe through this tedious trial.
They are accomplished men of equal caliber carrying on their tireless
shoulders the task of upholding the highest standards of statesmanship at a time
when philistines run amuck.
For both of them, at the dusk of their colorful careers, this trial is their
last great chance to be true patriots. There can be no more glorious motive for
them to carry on with their respective tasks with aplomb.
The exceeding qualities of these two gentlemen are only underscored by the
utter lack of quality of most of those who compose the prosecution panel.
Those charged with prosecuting haphazardly railroaded articles of impeachment
distress us with their utter lack of preparation, their ineloquence, their crude
demeanor and by their overpowering disdain for the basic rules of fairness,
honesty and respect.
We can only hope their crudeness does not represent an entire generation,
only a particular political fashion.
Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE
HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
All rights reserved
PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS
ONLINE [PHNO] WEBSITE
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------
Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/phnotweet
This is the PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE (PHNO) Mailing List.
To stop receiving our news items, please send a blank e-mail addressed to: phno-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
Please visit our homepage at: http://www.newsflash.org/
(c) Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
-------------------------------------------------------------Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/phno/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/phno/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
phno-digest@yahoogroups.com
phno-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
phno-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
