Noynoy’s efforts to put back in jail his conjured nemesis of the straight path, Gloria, seems to contrast with the inability of his appointed state lawyers to file the appropriate cases, if not their total incompetence in handling plunder charges.
What can be more pathetic than Noynoy sending his errand boys from one agency to another needing to apply pressure to do his behest because the case actually cannot hold in court as was the plunder case involving Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) funds filed against Gloria.
Gloria was granted bail and Noynoy was venting his steam on the court judge saying in effect he has a weak appreciation of the arguments the government has presented to prevent Gloria from being released.
Keeping Gloria in jail would be a preoccupation of Noynoy since his only claim to achievement during his lackluster two-year presidency is that he had strengthened government efforts against corruption and, like a broken record, keeps on reciting his straight path mantra. These all crumble down without Gloria in detention, as he believes.
It turned out that the filing of the plunder case against Gloria was also fast-tracked and now even the Sandiganbayan has to be coaxed into admitting the plunder case despite the fact that the case filed against Gloria can only support technical malversation charges. Plunder is a non-bailable offense, although even in non-bailable offenses, bail can still be availed of by the accused if the evidence against one is weak, as it was in the electoral sabotage case against Gloria.
It seems that all his claim to fame is backfiring, Noynoy instigated the ouster of Chief Justice Renato Corona and for more than two months now there exists a vacuum in the Supreme Court because of the absence of a head.
The process in the selection of the new Chief Justice seems to be heading the same way as the impeachment of Corona which was to create a rift between the branches of government. But this time around, the Noynoy Court and the Palace are together against the legislature over the composition of the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC).
The rift is expected to further delay the drafting of the list from which Noynoy will annoint the head of his reclaimed for himself SC with Congress expecting to challenge a shortlist for the chief justice post without its concurrence.
Noynoy should heed the process provided for under the law and discard his mentality that the yellow way is the only right path that should be pursued against all odds.
Gloria is facing court charges and like any other citizen, has the right to avail herself of what is guaranteed under the Constitution. It would be up to her accusers to prove to the court that Gloria’s temporary release poses danger to the society.
The political reality is that without those two episodes in his two-year term, the arrest of Gloria and the ouster of Corona, Noynoy had little else to show in his two years in power.
Gloria out of detention will be bad for his public rating which now seems to be on a permanent downtrend.
It will also reflect on the chances of his candidates in the elections next year with the symbolism of Noynoy’s straight path also on the campaign trail.
The “lucky bitch” as one of her supporters once called Gloria, still seems to have that streak of ladyluck in her in that Noynoy is the one running the government.
Noynoy had invested all his two years on running after Gloria and her cabal and with her out on bail, this is equivalent to his few achievements down the drain.
How does one define incompetence?
It’s spelled N-o-y-n-o-y.