THE President’s livid response to the Chief Justice’s speech on Monday displays how he has swept away the checks and balances so necessary for democracies to function.
An irate President said he would personally ensure the Chief Justice’s ouster from the Supreme Court: “I will egg (Solicitor General) Calida to do his best. Ako na mismo maglakad, magkalaban sa ‘yo.”
He also said he would ask Congress to “go into the impeachment right away” and “to ask Speaker Alvarez now, kindly fast track the impeachment of (Chief Justice Maria Lourdes) Sereno.”
Directly addressing Sereno, President Duterte said: “Sige ka diyan, daldal nang daldal, sige, upakan kita. I will help any investigator, talagang upakan kita. I am putting you on notice na I am now your enemy and you have to be out of the Supreme Court.”
In declaring himself an enemy of the Chief Justice and guaranteeing her ouster from the Supreme Court, the President also declared war on a Constitution that clearly stipulates the co-equal status of the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government.
Likewise, his brusque order for the House of Representatives to fast-track an impeachment process his solicitor general has tried to derail gives lie to his efforts to wash his hands off this case.
Alvarez’s swift assurance that his lord’s order be done only cements the reputation of the House of Representatives as a chamber of servile, venal politicians who have reduced Congress to a rubber stamp of Malacañang.
Can the Supreme Court justices pull back from the brink? To they have the balls to tell Malacañang there are lines you cannot cross?
