“Enough of the legal and political theatrics”
Define “forthwith.” Now, define “clamor.”
The Supreme Court is now being asked to differentiate the meaning of “forthwith” as per Merriam-Webster and Roget’s thesaurus as against Black’s Law dictionary, or even come out with its own interpretation of what “forthwith” means in the Philippine context.
In short, Chiz Escudero versus Koko Pimentel, Frank Drilon, Colmenares et al. with retired Justices Carpio and Azcuna as amicus curiae, if the high tribunal needs any.
Now Davao has added another knot the Supreme Court has to cut: Was the signing of the articles of impeachment hurriedly by the 215 congressmen legally correct to begin with? And since the rush to sign the fourth complaint was done in Feb. of 2025, while the first three complaints were filed in December, does this violate the one-year impeachment rule?
The issue of timing, that is, June 2 to convene the impeachment court and July 28 to begin trial versus convening “Now Na!” even as the campaign season has officially begun is also being debated both in the traditional and social media.
As usual, everybody has an opinion, even those with neither legal expertise or brains to begin with.
To this conundrum, a new word has to be defined — “clamor.”
In response to a journalist’s question addressed to the Senate President in a recent press conference, Escudero asked “where is the clamor?”
And forthwith (used here per Merriam-Webster) Escudero said the Senate will not move according to whether there is a clamor or not, but according to its rules and its own appreciation of time.
Enter Koko, the gentleman from Cagayan de Oro who is running for congressman in Marikina City as his term limits have been reached. He will write a second letter to Escudero and ask that the Senate be convened into a court immediately, as in March, to try the Vice-President based on the charges brought forth by 215 congressmen.
If we go by numbers in measuring clamor, pray tell me: how do we define the clamor of the leftists, the social activists, the yellow-pinks, and the newbie congressmen who sashay into TV and Youtube screens to parade their “erudition” versus the 1.8 million or so Iglesia ni Cristo members who trooped to the Luneta and parts beyond?
Why is there so much bloodlust among these “activists” to destroy the Dutertes once and for all, and deny them their soapbox come 2028?
Is it because they weep for the victims of Duterte the father’s war on drugs? Or because a Duterte daughter in 2028 would mean a new version of “tokhang” this time upon them?
“Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, nor hell a fury like a woman scorned”.
That line from William Congreve’s play “The Mourning Bride” might as well describe what is happening to our politics, where Inday Sara’s “love” for the Uniteam has turned into hatred.
Better to “kill” her, “Now Na!” than keep her alive till 2028, when hell hath no fury than a woman scorned?
I can see where the leftists and the yellow-pinks are coming from.
Duterte the father has made them near irrelevant in the political map, at least for another nine years. And Duterte the daughter can extend that to 15 more, where political resurrection may come only by 2040, when most of us shall have been gone from this benighted land.
It is now a turf war between the Marcos-Romualdez et al. dynasty versus the Duterte dynasty, and the “others” mere “saling-pusa.”
They hope that by destroying one now, and the other later, they can have the wind blowing beneath their wings for whoever they would parade as the new “savior” three years hence. Good luck to them.
This writer asks, in paraphrase of the movie’s Achilles in Troy, “is there no one else?”
Can we not instead say a “pox on all your dynastic houses”– old, new, resurrected and whatever, and bring forth (not forthwith) a new order, a new era, led by a new knight in shining armor?
That is what most of us should be clamoring for.
Meanwhile, enough of the legal and political theatrics.
Most of our people are worried about the next meal, the next electric bill, the next tuition fee deadline, and the mounting hospital bills of our sick, unable to dream even of a sturdy roof above their heads.
Let us clamor for better and not the lesser among evils for the sake of the saling-lahi.