Decisive reform
S U P R E M E CO U R T
positions and opened up posi- the Administrative Services and the Deputy Court Administrator for Mindanao were also named —Ma. Carina Cunanan and Leo Madrazo, respectively.
“I want the de Castro court to be remembered as the court that restored collegiality in the Supreme Court, the court which was able to institute several reforms in the judicial processes and I think we can do that, in such a way that the processes in the judiciary becomes more expeditious, less costly and more accessible to the general public,” she said.
“We should all move on and work together for the good of our judiciary. Let’s put the past behind us, but we should not forget the lessons that we learned in the history of the judiciary.”
With Leonardo de Castro’s retirement, more changes will surely be implemented by the next chief justice.
The Supreme Court, sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, is in the middle of hearing subject of public contempt in 2013 amid revelations that some senators were involved in kickbacks from priority development assistance funds or the so-called pork barrel, over a decade-long period, through bogus non- government organizations set up by businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles.
Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada and Ramon Bong Revilla Jr. were arrested and jailed, although Enrile and Estrada were later allowed to post bail.
Kicking off the Senate centennial celebrations in 2015, Senate President Franklin Drilon said: “This great institution is not a stranger to spirit-breaking challenges.”
“There were periods in our nation’s history when arrows of controversy were shot at the Senate’s ramparts. But never for a second did these vicious attacks diminish the institution’s zeal to serve our country and people,” he added.
“Acknowledged as a bastion of democracy, the Senate has produced a legion of lawmakers who held the nation in awe because of their intellectual brilliance and boundless love for the motherland. Until now, the Filipino people have not forgotten the wit, eloquence, intellect and nationalism of Claro M. Recto, Jovito Salonga, Lorenzo Tañada to name a few.”
Good satisfaction, approval ratings
Despite numerous controversies, quarterly polls by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) and Pulse Asia have consistently found the highest satisfaction and approval ratings for the Senate.
The June 2018 SWS survey found net satisfaction with the Senate at +41; the House of Representatives, +25; the Supreme Court, +19; and the Cabinet, +25.
Out of 1,200 respondents, 57 percent were
the performance of the Senate; 45 percent the House of Representatives; 43 percent were former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo; Loren Legarda against former Vice President Noli De Castro and former senator Mar Roxas against Vice President Jejomar Binay.
But whoever will be appointed as the next chief justice, the Supreme Court will continue to perform its judicial functions— tackle petitions for certiorari, prohibition, mandamus, quo warranto, and habeas corpus; review decisions of lower courts and decide on the validity or constitutionality of treaties, agreements, laws or presidential orders.
No matter who will sit as chief magistrate, the high tribunal will
the Senate, which got the highest rating at 63 percent.
“These institutions’ disapproval ratings range only from 7 percent for the Senate to 10 percent for the Supreme Court while indecision toward their performance is most manifest in the case of the Supreme Court (38 percent) and least pronounced toward the Senate (29 percent),” Pulse Asia said in its report.
Balancing force
Robert John Robas, professorial lecturer in political science at Arellano University, told TheManilaTimes Filipinos continue to see the Senate as a relevant institution “despite the issues within the chamber leadership.”
He attributed the high satisfaction and approval ratings not to the Senate’s lawmaking,
the probe into the botched Mamasapano counter-terror operation and clash with rogue
Makati City Hall Annex, the Duterte government’s anti-drug war, and the entry of P6.4 billion worth of shabu under the noses of the
Robas described the Senate as a “balancing force,” projecting itself as a somewhat independent institution that could serve as an effective check to other branches of government, namely Malacañang and the judiciary.
“They (senators) are able to capture issues relevant to the needs and sensitivity of public. That’s why the Senate enjoys high ratings,” he said.
Jazztin Manalo, a political science lecturer at the University of Santo Tomas, said the in-
high popularity ratings of President Rodrigo Duterte, especially with the Senate majority aligned with the administration.
Summing up the Senate’s accomplishments during its centennial celebration in 2016, then Senate President Aquilino Pimentel 3rd said the Philippine Senate has lasted long because
“The Senate has enacted relevant laws. The Senate has checked abuses. The Senate has always upheld democratic ideals. The Sen-