“Sara Duterte not only faces two impeachment cases that could remove her from her position as Vice President, but also a disbarment case before the Supreme Court”
WHAT did President Bongbong Marcos really mean when he said in a leaked memo to members of the House of Representatives that they ought not to pursue an impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte since she is “unimportant” and therefore not worth bothering about?
Instead, he urged members of Congress to address economic issues and ensure that the lives of ordinary Filipinos would take a turn for the better in the months and years ahead.
I did a double-take on the description of the mercurial Vice President as “unimportant” and wondered whether that was a diplomatic or tactful way of dismissing the second highest elective official and his potential successor in case he passed on to the Great Beyond, became incapacitated or unable to continue discharging the duties of his high office.
What I did later was to validate whether the term “unimportant” was an apt one and meant exactly to convey the impression of the Chief Executive taking a somewhat aloof stand on Sara’s recent profanity-laden diatribe where she threatened to have him liquidated by an assassin along with the First Lady and the House Speaker if she was killed.
What I found was that “unimportant” could have so many meanings, thanks to Dr. Peter Mark Roget who has been my constant and trusty writing companion over the years.
In fact, BBM unleashed quite a mouthful with that word “unimportant.”
Roget’s Thesaurus enumerates its various meanings. It also means inconsequential, insignificant, insubstantial, ineffectual, uninfluential, of no great weight, of no consequence.
Also: irrelevant, expendable, unnecessary, weak, puny, small, petty, trifling, flimsy, paltry, wretched, miserable, count for nothing, pitiful, pathetic, contemptible, low-level, mediocre, overrated, beneath notice,
There’s more: tinpot, inferior, small-time, venial, parish-pump, two-penny, not worth a thought, nondescript, forgettable, second-rate, third-rate, rubbishy, trashy, valueless, useless.
And finally, there’s probably the ultimate put-down: worthless.
Two impeachment complaints against Sara came just a few days after the President’s earnest appeal to legislators to cease and desist from doing so. Did those two complaints indicate disrespect for the Chief Executive’s plea for lawmakers to leave the VP alone?
What those impeachment cases against Sara tell us is that civil society groups and the Makabayan bloc in Congress do not consider her as unimportant but a clear, present and grave danger to Philippine democracy who should not be allowed anymore to hold any public position of trust and responsibility.
There’s enough evidence already unearthed by the House quadcomm on VP Sara Duterte’s mishandling of confidential funds as Vice President and Education Secretary that could warrant her removal from office for culpable violation of the Constitution, bribery, graft and corruption and betrayal of public trust.
Sara Duterte is a lawyer. But she appears to have forgotten the Code of Ethics for lawyers. As the Supreme Court has emphasized to lawyers, the existence of a free and an independent society depends upon the recognition of the concept that justice is based on the rule of law.
Here’s what the High Tribunal expects of all lawyers.
As a guardian of the rule of law, every lawyer owes allegiance to the Constitution and the laws of the land. As a member of the legal profession, every lawyer is bound by its ethical standards in both private and professional matters.
An ethical lawyer is a lawyer possessed of integrity. Integrity is the sum total of all the ethical values that every lawyer must embody and exhibit. A lawyer with integrity, therefore, acts with independence, propriety, competence, diligence, equality and accountability.
By taking the Lawyer’s Oath, a lawyer becomes a guardian of the law and an administrator of justice. As such, all lawyers should observe the highest degree of morality, adhere to rigid standards of mental fitness, and faithfully comply with the rules of the legal profession.
A lawyer shall, at all times, act with propriety and maintain the appearance of propriety in personal and professional dealings, observe honesty, respect and courtesy, and uphold the dignity of the legal profession consistent with the highest standards of ethical behavior.
It is a lawyer’s duty to uphold the rule of law, to assist in the administration of justice, and to do so with full devotion, genuine interest, and zeal in the pursuit of truth and justice.
Sara Duterte not only faces two impeachment cases that could remove her from her position as Vice President, but also a disbarment case before the Supreme Court that, if favorably acted upon by the magistrates, would disallow her from the practice of law. And let’s not forget that she could even be brought before our justice system to face an avalanche of criminal charges for graft and corruption.
(Email: ernhil@yahoo.com)