Hayskul grad convicts Supreme Court judge

LETTERS FROM THE AGNO

March L. Fianza

“Bilang high school graduate po, marahil iniisip ng ati  gmga kababayan: Anong sasabihin ni Lito Lapid na hind imarunong mag-ingles, na hind inaalam sa batas? Ano kaya ang magiging desisyon? Didisisyunan po ang kataas-taasang hukom ng isang high school graduate lang at taga-probinsyang Pampanga.”

These were lifted from Senator LitoLapid’s explanation of his “guilty” vote during the last day of the historical impeachment trial of Mr. Renato C. Corona on May 29, 2012. Just like anybody who heard him and comparing his simple speech to that of Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago, I say that Lito’s piece stood for many things.

The words were spoken by a sincere tongue. His words represented men of low degree but with high morals. Lito’s speech knew not the legality but the morality. Comparing his role as Senator-Judge to Miriam who practiced law full throttle and bragged about her being an RTC judge, Lito’s presentation was far better. This time, Lito did not act out a script for the reel, he did something real that day – becoming the “tunay na senadorng masa.”

Sen. Lapid said he heard the defense counsels explain their side and he appreciated how they would look intelligent to students of law. At the same time he said, he would praise the prosecution for trying hard to look for evidence, especially Cong. Farinas who presented something that clearly convinced him that CJ Corona violated the law.

He couldn’t explain it, but LitoLapid knew that for Corona to interpret the law according to his fashion, if acquitted by the impeachment court, would indiscriminately provide precedence for future thieves in government. The senator from Pampanga said, it was Corona himself who admitted that he had $2.4 million and P80 million in the bank. And because it was him who admitted it, then it could be the truth, he said. Lito’s reasoning was based on common sense.

“Nagpiprisinta po ako ditto hind ibilang abugasya. Hindi po ako pwedeng magsalitang Republic Act dahil hindi maniniwalaang tao sa akin. Hindi po ako nag mamarunong dito. Ang ginagamit ko lang po ay konsensya. Representante akong masa na hindi nakapag-aral, hindi marunong mag-ingles, walang alam sa batas,” Sen. Lapid said in his statement. The high school grad senator said he thought Corona was telling the truth, but no. “Mas pinaniwalaanko pa si Cong. Farinas noong nag power point dito,” he said.

Corona said, “it is not true that I have 82 bank accounts.” Lito’s interpretation about this was practical. He said, “siguro kung ako, ang pagbabasehan ko: Kung isandaang basong tubig, nailagay sa apat na drum lang ang kanyang account…” For him, his basis would be: there are a hundred glasses of water, but these were kept in just four drums. For all we know, Sen. Lapid may be correct: Corona had 82 separate accounts but these were kept in just four banks. From among the 23 senator-judges, only Lito Lapid analyzed it that way.

In that historical proceeding, Corona and Miriam exchanged roles with Lapid. The way I looked at it, when Corona was placed on the witness stand, he did nothing or say nothing good other than act out a prepared script. He was acting and shedding crocodile tears and talking lies about his “poor and simple life” that, according to lawyers, did not prove anything. Then he walked out, maybe thinking that people inside the courtroom were affected by his perfume-thin emotions, and would pity him anyway.

For her part, Senator Miriam for the nth time became what she would always be every time she stood in front of a mic and rostrum. Certainly, in many moments during her speech, she forgot that she was a senator especially when she repeated the terms “mgagago.” Her explanations of the laws were not clear also, hence, not understood by millions of LitoLapids. Then she walked out of the senate impeachment court, maybe thinking that nobody would mind because anyway she was the most intelligent and know-all senator among them.

On the other hand, Lito Lapid became the opposite of Corona and Miriam. He did not prepare a script, a written speech or anything. He spoke his piece in Tagalog, he admitted that he knew nothing of the republic acts of Miriam and Corona, he did not cry, he did not have to shout “mga gago,” and most of all, he forgot that he was an actor. That moment, he was the real person that he is. He did not walk out. He just went back to his seat after his part and the world saw that his colleagues in the senate were congratulating him, shaking his hand and patting his shoulders, not because he voted “guilty,” but because he was the real senator of the masses at that moment. I would love to shake his hand one of these days.

I never voted for Lito Lapid in the two elections that he ran and won as senator. My reasons were that: he was associated with GMA, he would not be able to discuss the bill being proposed as he was a mere high school graduate, and because he was an actor for the movies. But his dialogue during the impeachment trial’s final moments changed all that. Next time he runs again, I will vote for him, your honor. – marchfianza777@yahoo.com