The Rule of Law

When the highest court of the land i.e the Supreme Court blocks the Senate from questioning Romulo Neri regarding the ZTE-NBN scandal, there must be something terribly wrong and, dare I say, hopeless with this country. These are the 3 questions that the Supreme Court ruled not to be asked during the Senate hearing:

Did GMA follow up with you on the ZTE contract?

Did she tell you to prioritize the ZTE contract?

Despite knowing the flaws of the contract did she tell you to approve it?

What’s so terribly wrong with the court’s ruling. First, what is the point of investigation when these substantial questions cannot be imposed on Neri. So you can ask Neri anything regarding the ZTE contract and yet you cannot ask if Gloria has something to do with it? Aren’t these 3 questions the main reasons why there is such an investigation? If the Senate cannot ask these, then what’s the point of conducting such a hearing? Second, I do not agree with the Supreme Court’s reasoning that such questions when answered could “endanger the country’s diplomatic relations.” How so? How will it specifically compromise our national security? Third, this ruling not only encourages further corruption but it teaches us that you can do anything you want and not be held accountable for it. Lastly, which is more important: our “diplomatic relations”or the rule of law?

Clearly it all boils down to this. Have we totally lost our basic sense of right and wrong? What I find hopeless in this case is that the judiciary is the last great bulwark of our democracy or so it seems. And when it forgets the meaning of justice and the principle of the rule of law, then we are indeed in an abyssal crisis.