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Friday, September 27, 2002
ESPINOZA: Following Davide’s example
By Fred C. Espinoza
REBOUND SEEN. Given the gloomy outlook for the global economy for the rest of the year, what President Arroyo can do now is to put the house in order in preparation for future foreign investments.
A good cue for Malacañang would be the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad) World Investment Report 2002. The report has indicated that a rebound in foreign direct investment is not expected this year.
Once the global economy recovers and there is a rebound in major exports, it is likely that the Philippines will once again become attractive to export-oriented domestic and foreign investments. But the way Unctad sees it, “the Philippines must undertake structural reforms and promote existing locational advantages to improve its status.”
Last week, the Philippines was named by Unctad as one of 42 “underperforming” countries that have failed to improve their respective climates in 1998 to 2000, resulting in their failure to obtain targeted capital inflows. The Philippines joins Mali, Tanzania, Nepal, Myanmar and Kenya in the report’s “poor countries” list.
Despite this, however, Fitch Ratings, one of the influential foreign credit firms, has assured the Philippine economic leaders that it is not planning to downgrade the country’s credibility rating or withdraw the “stable outlook it had restored during the early days of the Macapagal administration from the negative outlook it had handed down during the last days of the Estrada regime.”
Let’s hope Malacañang will not let this rare opportunity pass. People expect both the executive and the legislative branches of government to start revving up the structural reform machinery to replicate the fine examples set by the judiciary under the leadership of Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. The Davide Supreme Court finally undertook a “revolutionary “reform measure that that not only involves members of the Bench but also of the Bar simultaneously, Businessworld Columnist Oscar Villadolid said in his column.
... the Supreme Court has adopted a new rule … that would eliminate dishonesty, immorality, incompetence, inefficiency and any form of conduct unbecoming of those in both the judiciary and the legal profession,” the Supreme Court chief justice said during Law Day celebrations at the Philippine Bar Association over the weekend.
In an unprecedented move, starting Oct. 1, judges and the courts’ lawyer-employees will be held liable for disbarment even for administrative cases against them. This will be “automatic” and may result “simultaneously” in their dismissal from their posts and their disbarment.
What is striking about the reform measure is its scope. Except for the justices of the Supreme Court who could be removed only by impeachment, it will cover justices of the Court of Appeals, the Sandiganbayan, judges of the trial court and personnel who are lawyers, and lawyers in general because they are officers of the court.
Davide had smarted from past accusations that the high tribunal had failed to take a strong proactive hand in sweeping the courts of corrupt officials and misfits. Davide reacted to a public accusation of US Ambassador Ricciardone that American businessmen had complained of alleged corruption among judges even from higher courts. Davide challenged the American envoy to document these alleged cases so the Supreme Court could be guided accordingly in prosecuting or disciplining those involved.
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