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Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Lopez: The proper course of action
By Angelo O. Lopez III
REMOVING an incumbent President of the Philippines from office through extra-constitutional means - like the so-called "people power" which was used to topple former President Ferdinand E. Marcos in 1986 and former President Joseph E. Estrada in 2001 - should neither be supported nor encouraged anymore. We should never resort to it again. This holds true whether there are existing grounds which would justify his or her removal from office.
Any means employed to remove an incumbent President of the Philippines from office outside the bounds of the Constitution will do our country more harm than good. It will only exacerbate the political and economic crisis we are facing, to the detriment of the already suffering Filipino people.
Moreover, by removing from office an incumbent President of the Philippines through extra-constitutional means, we will be creating a negative image of our country in the eyes of the international community. In this way, instead of saving our country from falling into pieces - which, I presume, is what every Filipino, whether Kapampangan or not, wishes to achieve - we are actually participating either as principals or as accomplices to its total collapse - a clear act of betrayal to our beloved country.
If, indeed, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (PGMA) committed any act or acts which may properly fall under any of the grounds for impeachment inscribed in our Constitution, then, the proper course of action is by filing an impeachment complaint against her, and not by forcibly removing her from office, which is an attack against the democratic measures provided for by the Constitution, designed primarily to remove from office an erring President of the Philippines. This holds true even if there are scores of strong evidences pointing to her guilt.
The President of the Philippines, under Section 2, Article XI of the 1987 Constitution, may be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of, culpable violation of the Constitution, treason, bribery, graft and corruption, other high crimes, or betrayal of public trust. The procedure for an impeachment case is outlined in Section 3, Article XI of the 1987 Constitution.
We should never use force or violence in removing an incumbent President of the Philippines from office. We should never resort to any means outside the bounds of the Constitution, because, by doing so, we are actually committing, and, we are, in fact, encouraging lawlessness and illegality, which is definitely not good for our country.
We can not hold someone accountable for a wrong done by committing another wrong. This can never be justified. As the saying goes, "The end does not justify the means."
While the opposition and some sectors will argue that there are strong evidence pointing to PGMA's guilt, we should, nevertheless, accord her a chance to avail of her right to due process of law - a sacred right of every Filipino people guaranteed and protected by no less than our Constitution - in the same way that we have accorded former President Joseph E. Estrada the same chance during his time.
If we were to do otherwise, we will be sowing the seeds of injustice. It will be a case of persecution, where we condemn first before we listen, instead of a case of prosecution, where we listen first before we condemn. This is not the way our legal system works.
Let us not forget - and I hope that this would serve as a reminder for everyone, including those who are bent on ousting PGMA through the use of extra-constitutional means - that the Constitution is a reflection of the will of the Filipino people, which I believe we are all in agreement with. Consequently, whenever we disregard the Constitution, we also disregard the will of the Filipino people.
(July 13, 2005 issue)
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