Tuesday, March 18, 2008 Seares: 'Thou shalt not bear false witness' By Pachico A. Seares News Sense
NOT every witness tells the truth. Not every witness who tells the truth gives evidence of wrongdoing. Not every witness who gives evidence of wrongdoing is believed as having told the truth.
Not every convicted accused is guilty. Not every cleared accused is innocent.
Blame the system’s flaws. Thousands of convicts in or out of jail swear to heaven they did no wrong.
Former president Erap Estrada says he’s innocent of plunder but the court says he’s guilty as sin. It’s apparent he has a warped concept of pardon.
Did witnesses lie? Were documents tampered? Erap doesn’t assail witnesses or documents. He says (1) the court was rigged and (2) most Filipinos believe he’s innocent. But the first has no value without proof and the second has no link to actual guilt.
The ninth commandment “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor” (Exodus 20:16) hasn’t stopped fabricated or distorted testimonies.
Perjury
There’s profit in playing whistleblower: patriot’s money and public adulation. Senate witness Rodolfo Lozada Jr. couldn’t imagine being regarded as hero when, like the scoundrels he accuses, he is himself, by public confession, a scoundrel.
Perjury is no serious threat. No one has stayed long enough in jail to strike fear in would-be perjurers. And the way they are prosecuted, witnesses can lie big and stay free.
No wonder that Jun’s star gleams despite the tarnish of sins past. Now he wears his halo with a swagger.
But Jun’s testimony is not hard evidence of crime and his countryside tours won’t upgrade its courtroom worth.
