Now that impeachment proceedings have begun against Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona, PNoy’s detractors are now saying that he will place his own Chief Justice should Corona be successfully ousted. They ominously warn that PNoy will be establishing an Aquino court which will be no different than an Arroyo court.

There’s really nothing wrong with PNoy appointing his own justices. That is the prerogative of every sitting President. It makes governing easier. It becomes wrong under the following circumstances:

1. When the appointed justices are “midnight appointees.”
2. When the justices favor a person over the Constitution.
3. If PNoy commits a crime and expects the justices to get him off the hook.
4. When the Chief Justice begins carrying an umbrella over a relative (perhaps a wife?) of the President.

Now, PNoy’s detractors are calling him a despot and hungry for power.

A despot? Has he:

1. Dissolved Congress and the Supreme Court?
2. Closed down media establishments?
3. Imprisoned media personalities and his critics?
4. Had people kidnapped or killed?
5. Cheated massively in the elections?
6. Declared martial law?

I’m not a PNoy fan, but he is the President. Thus, as a Filipino I’ll continue to give him the benefit of the doubt and support his governance as best as I can.

If somehow he turns out to be a criminal or despot or both, then he should taste the same medicine as his government is giving Gloria Arroyo and Renato Corona.

By Electric Ignition (formerly known as Eleutario Ignacio)

Don’t talk to me ’bout Manila
Don’t even mention ’bout Tondo
I live in Californ-i-a
Near the Chicanos of East LA
I’m now a ‘zen of the U S of A

Wanna tear out my black hair
Scrape out my brown skin
Gouge out my black eyes
Give me blonde, white and blue
I’m now a ‘zen of the U S of A

So I dyed my hair a diff’rent hue
And I wear contacts of blue
but damn this skin of brown
I’ll just say I’m tanned from the sun
I’m now a ‘zen of the U S of A

Won’t read of PNoy news
Nor even of corrupt GMA
I only like American strips
of stuff like wiener-showing Wiener
I’m now a ‘zen of the U S of A

Don’t wanna hear ’bout the Sayyaf
Or dead Pinoy marines
I just care ’bout my GIs
blown up in the Middle East
I’m now a ‘zen of the U S of A

I sing Stars and Stripes Forever
just like idol Josh Groban
and mangle Bayang Magiliw
as Martin Nievera does
I’m now a ‘zen of the U S of A

I could go on and on
Don’t care whatever you think
I may be short and brown like you
But I’m totally not like you
I’m now a ‘zen of the U S of A

It’s difficult not to sympathize with Lauro Vizconde. I am a widower myself, although my wife succumbed to cancer. It’s not so much that I miss her, but what could have been had she lived longer. I feel there could have still been much to do and that I have not known her that well yet to lose her so suddenly. So much in my home reminds me of her.

Lauro Vizconde lost more and in the most tragic way. I am quite sure, in his home, he is reminded not only of one loss but three. He continues to live alone, albeit in the company of house help who keep to themselves.

It’s easy to continue to hate Hubert Webb when you see pictures of him flashing a wide grin being surrounded by his family. The Supreme Court may have freed him, but this doesn’t mean he’s innocent. He was freed because the prosecution did a piss-poor job. He will now merrily spend Christmas with his parents and four siblings.

Lauro Vizconde will most likely spend Christmas alone still seeking justice for the murder of his family.

Now, Hubert Webb along with his co-accused are asking payback from the woman whose testimony sent them to jail 15 years ago. They want to send her to jail for giving false testimony. Perhaps it would be better for them to spend their energy and money in helping to find the murderers of the Vizconde family.

Maybe they don’t want to do this. The trail might lead back to them.

Once again the Vizconde Massacre is front page news. The Supreme Court is deliberating whether or not to uphold a court of appeals ruling to send Hubert Webb and others to a life sentence for the murder of Estrellita Vizconde and her daughters Carmela, 18, and Jennifer, 7, in June 1991.

Lauro Vizconde, the husband who was out of the country during that time, is now claiming that an associate justice is lobbying his peers for acquittal. Meanwhile, supporters of Hubert Webb have put up a Facebook page declaring his innocence.

It is good that the Supreme Court had asked for more time to review the case. If Hubert Webb and his co-accused are guilty, then by all means they deserve a life sentence many times over. But if they are innocent, there is nothing more terrible than sending the innocent to prison.

We sympathize with Lauro Vizconde. It is difficult to comprehend the pain he went through in discovering the murder of his family. Yet, it would be equally painful for the Webb family if Hubert where to go to prison an innocent man.

Thus, the Supreme Court must be given the trust to deliberate this sensitive case without trying to preempt a decision. Emotions must be kept at bay and public utterances be stilled.

Otherwise we may not see justice but the massacre of truth.

Doubt no more!

Multi-millionaire-guess-where-he-got-his-millions Mikey Arroyo is now officially party-list representative of marginalized security guards.

This even if the Supreme Court said in Banat v. Comelec that "it is not necessary that the party-list organization’s nominee ‘wallow in poverty, destitution and infirmity’ as there is no financial status required in the law. It is enough that the nominee of the sectoral party/organization/coalition belongs to the marginalized and underrepresented sectors, that is, if the nominee represents the fisherfolk, he or she must be a fisherfolk, or if the nominee represents the senior citizens, he or she must be a senior citizen."

So, pray tell me, when was Mikey Arroyo ever a security guard?

Yet, Comelec commissioner Nicodemo Ferrer and four of his ilk chose to disregard the Supreme Court ruling and approved of Mikey Arroyo’s representation. Conclusion: he must have received "millions" of other reasons to be stupid.

When you’re bribed, it’s easy to turn a deaf ear to criticisms. Who cares what people are saying when you can become millions of pesos richer?

Editors, columnists, constitutionalists and the ordinary man in the street have spoken against this irregularity, but Ferrer has turned a deaf ear and is probably laughing all the way to the bank.

Meanwhile, guess who’s pointing a middle finger at the Filipinos?