1

The Philippine
Justice System
 The Philippine Justice System

The Independence and Impartiality of the

Judiciary and Human Rights from 1986 till 1997

Jan W illem B akker

‘You shall appoint judges and officers in ail your towns which the Lord your
God gives you, according to your tribes. You shall not pervert justice; you shall
not show partiality; you shall not take a bribe; for a bribe blinds the eyes of
the wise and subverts the cause of the righteous. Justice, and only justice, you
shall follow, that you may live and inherit the land which the Lord your God
gives you’ (The Holy Bible, Deuteronomy 16: 18-20).
ISBN 90-71042-97-9

© pio o m , 1997
c/o LISWO, Leiden University
Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK Leiden, the Netherlands
Phone: +31-71-527 3861, fax: +31-71-527 3788/3619

© Centre for the Independence of Judges and Lawyers, 1997

P.O. Box 216, 81A, avenue de Châtelaine, CH-1219 Châtelaine/Geneva, Switzerland
Phone: +41-22-979 3800, fax: +41-22-979 3801

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by print, photoprint, microfilm
or any other means without the prior written permission from the publisher.
 Table of Contents

Acknowledgements iii

Map of the Philippines vii

Préfacé ix

Foreword xv

Chapter 1. Main Features of the Nation and People 1

Geography, People, and Economie Situation 1
Socio-Cultural Features of the Country 3
Political Structure of the Country 6
The Structure and Hierarchy of the Légal Sector 7

Chapter 2. Political History of the Country 15

The Period until Independence in 1946 and its Lasting Legacy 15
Philippine Democracy after Independence 17
The Marcos Dictatorship 20
The Changing of the Tide and the EDSA Revoit 23
The EDSA Aftermath and the Marcos Legacy 25
The Transition from Aquino to Ramos 34

Chapter 3. Human Rights and Due Process in the Philippines 43

Human Rights Concerns after EDSA 43
The Supreme Court, Human Rights and Survival Tactics during the
Aquino Administration 52
The Lower Courts and Politically-Inspired Human Rights Violations 60
Crime and Due Process 63
Summary and Considérations 75

C hapter 4. Politics and the Independence of the Judiciary and the B ar 83

Fiscal Autonomy and Administrative Supervision of the Courts 83
The Appointment of Judges and Justices 87
The Economie and Political Power of the Judiciary 93
Politicians and Judicial Décisions 101
The Independence of the Bar 103
Summary and Considérations 106

Chapter 5. Challenges to Judicial Independence, Impartiality and

Credibility from Non-Political Actors 113
Personalistic Pressures on Judges and Justices 113
Corruption and Perceptions of Corruption 118
Judicial Corruption and Income 121
Corruption, Status, Nepotism and Ethics 127
Supervision and Discipline 131
The Press and Judicial Credibility 137
The Press and the ‘Judicial Cdsis’ (1992-1993) 142
The Press and a Second ‘Judicial Crisis’ (1996) 146
Summary and Considérations 149

Chapter 6. Fair and Speedy Justice for ail Citizens 157

Backlog and Court Delay 157
Causes of Backlog and Court Delay 158
Lawyers and Court Delay 162
Measures to Reduce Backlog 166
The Work Load of the Supreme Court 174
Social Distribution of Justice 177
Access to Justice for Religious and Ethnie Minorities 185
Summary and Considérations 187

Chapter 7. Main Conclusions 195

Introduction 195
Human Rights Problems and Issues after the EDSA Revoit 195
Judicial Problems and Economie Factors 197
Judicial Problems and Organizational Factors 199
Judicial Problems and Political Factors 203
Judicial Problems and Socio-Cultural Factors 206
Final Comments 209

Selected Bibliography 211

 Acknowledgements

First of ail I would like to express my gratitude to four important people who have read
and commented on an earlier draft of this book: Justice Abraham F. Sarmiento, retired
Justice of the Supreme Court and vétéran human rights advocate; Atty. Haydee B. Yorac,
private practitioner, human rights advocate, former member of the Comelec and Professor
of Law; Atty. Rene V. Sarmiento, private practitioner, human rights advocate and
member of the Constitutional Commission of 1986; and Atty. Johannes L. Ignacio,
Director Alterlaw and member of the Judicial Reorganization Committee of 1986.

I would like to thank the following people for supplying me with relevant documentation:
Hon. Ernani Cruz Pano, Court Administrator at the Supreme Court; Atty. Thelma C.
Bahia of the Office of the Court Administrator of the Supreme Court; Atty. Percival O.
Flores, head of the législative staff of the office of Senator Roco; Atty. Antonio H.
Dujua, Executive Secretary at the Department of Justice; Atty. Jacqueline V. Meja of
the Commission on Human Rights; Professor Myma S. Feliciano, Director of the Institute
of Judicial Administration of the University of the Philippines; Atty. Carmelo A. Tubal,
private practitioner and consultant to the Committee on Justice and Human Rights of the
Philippine Congress, Elnora C. Romero, Napoléon Impérial and Leni Magalit from
NEDA.

I am further most grateful to those who allowed me to discuss with them personally their
views on various issues regarding human rights and the légal system. In alphabetical
order they include:
- Hon. Salvador S. Abad Santos, RTC judge;
- Hon. Bemardo P. Abesamis, Deputy Court Administrator, former Président of the
Philippine Judges Association;
- Atty. Ferdinand R. Abesamis, Senior State Prosecutor of the Presidential Anti-Crime
Commission;
- Professor Froilan M. Bacungan, former Dean of the UP College of Law and private
practitioner;
- Dr. Ilka Bailey-Wiebecke, former Editor of the Philippine Human Rights FORUM;
- Atty. Milabel Christobal, private practitioner and human rights advocate;
- Mercedes V. Contreras, Commissioner at the Commission on Human Rights;
- Hon. Ernani Cruz Pano, Court Administrator;
- Justice Irene R. Cortez, retired Justice of the Supreme Court;
- Hon. Marino M. de la Cruz, RTC judge;
- Ma. Socorro Diokno, General-Secretary of the Free Légal Assistance Group;
- Atty. Antonio H. Dujua, Executive Secretary at the Department of Justice;
- Atty. Mervin G. Encanto, Senior Vice-President Légal Services Division of the
UNCPB, former Président of the IBP;
- Atty. Ramon S. Esguerra, private practitioner, former Undersecretary at the Department
of Justice;
iv Acknowledgements

- Atty. Fulgencio S. Factoran, private practitioner, former Minister of the Environment

and human rights advocate;
- Justice Marcelo B. Fernan, Senator and former Chief Justice;
- Professor Perfecto V. Fernandez, Professor of Law, UP Law Center;
- Tessy Gapas, CARITAS Manila;
- Atty. Ramon Garcia, Assistant Chief State-Prosecutor;
- Marietta P. Goco, Director of the Moral Recovery Program;
- Raul I. Goco, former Solicitor-General;
- Atty. José A. Grapilon, former National Executive Director of the IBP;
- Hon. Félix M. de Guzman, RTC judge and Secretary, Philippine Judges Association;
- Atty. Johannes L. Ignacio, Director Alterlaw and member of the Judicial
Réorganisation Committee of 1986.
- Florinda T. Juarez, Executive Director, Institute for Studies in Asia Church and
Culture;
- Justice Santiago M. Kapunan, former Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeals
(presently Associate Justice of the Supreme Court);
- Atty. Glenda T. Litong, Deputy Director for Légal Aid of the IBP;
- Justice Ramon Mabutas, Associate Justice of the Court of Appeals;
- Dr. Melba P. Maggay, Président of the Institute for Asian Church and Culture;
- Atty. Hesiquio R. Malillin, private practitioner, former Commissioner of the Commis­
sion on Human Rights;
- Resurreccione L. Manalo, Executive Director of the Philippine Human Rights Informa­
tion Center;
- Atty. Samuel Manutog, private practitioner, Board Member, Protestant Lawyers
League;
- Atty. Carlos P. Medina, Jr., former Executive Director of the Human Rights Center
of Ateneo Law School;
- Atty. Ruben Mendoza, private practitioner;
- Atty. Orlando B. Medrano, private practitioner;
- Walter Oostenbos, Second Secretary of the Royal Netherlands Embassy;
- Amb. Sedfrey A. Ordonez, former Chairman of the Commission on Human Rights,
former Minister of Justice, former Sollicitor-General and former Ambassador to the
United Nations;
- Raul J. Palabrica, head of the légal division of the PLDT, Professor of Law and
newspaper columnist;
- Justice Cecilia M. Palma, retired Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, Président
of the Constitutional Commission of 1986;
- Hon. Ruben T. Reyes, RTC judge (presently Associate Justice of the Court of Ap­
peals);
- Justice Jainal D. Rasul, Associate Justice of the Court of Appeals;
- Justice Florenz D. Regalado, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court;
- Senator Raul S. Roco;
- Atty. Rene A.V. Saguisag, private practitioner, human rights advocate, former Senator
and former assistant of Président Aquino;
Acknowledgements v

- Atty. Jovito Salonga, former Senator and famous Marcos opponent;

- Justice Abraham F. Sarmiento, retired Justice of the Supreme Court and vétéran human
rights advocate;
- Atty. Rene V. Sarmiento, private practitioner, human rights advocate and member of
the Constitutional Commission of 1986;
- Atty. Sereno, State Prosecutor;
- Senator Leticia R. Shahani;
- Paulynn P. Sicam, former Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights;
- Atty. Wigberto Tanada, Member of Congress, former Senator; and
- Atty. Haydee B. Yorac, private practitioner, human rights advocate, former member
of the Comelec and Professor of Law.

I also want to thank Mona Rishmawi, Director of the Center for the Independence of
Judges and Lawyers of the International Commission of Jurists at Geneva, and Professor
Alex Schmid, Research Director of the Interdisciplinary Research Program into the Root
Causes of Human Rights Violations of Leiden University, for their advice. I would like
to thank Professor Peter R. Baehr from Utrecht University, Professor Théo van Boven
and Professor Cornelis Flinterman, both from the University of Maastricht, for their
feedback. I also want to thank the Directorate-General of the Dutch Foreign Ministry for
their kind financial support, in particular Martin de la Bey. I would like to thank Gerda
Filippo and Jaap Oppedijk, as well as Ron Roetman and Thérèse van der Tuin, for their
secretarial assistance, and Josephine G. Lopez for her logistic support in Manila. I would
like to thank Mr. Dennis Claggett from Geneva for refining the text in the final stages
of the book, and for making it more readable.

Most of ail I would like to thank my wife Corazon Evasco for her invaluable assistance,
including editing, and feedback at every stage of the préparation of this study.
I am solely responsible for the statements made in this book.

Jan Willem A. Bakker

Leiden, 3 September 1997
Map of
Map of the Philippines
Philippines

•"' il

Indonesia f
'
 Préfacé

The relation of the judiciary to human rights is fundamental. The respect for the various
human rights and fundamental freedoms that are specified in authoritative international
texts depends to a significant degree on the quality of the judiciary and the judicial
process. The Universal Déclaration o f Human Rights emphasizes that every human being
has the right of 'equaüty before the law’, ‘presumption of innocence’ and ‘the right to
a fair and public hearing by a competent, independent and impartial tribunal established
by law’.1 These rights and freedoms are also guaranteed and further specified by the
International Covenant on Civil andPoliticalRights, in particular through the Covenant’s
important additional underlining of the right of everyone ‘to be tried without undue
delay’.2 In other words, according to authoritative instruments from United Nations
bodies, the protection of human rights is closely linked to the functioning of a fair,
legitimate and effective justice system. A competent, independent and impartial judiciary
forms a central aspect of such a fair and effective légal system.
The relevance of an independent, impartial and competent judiciary, however, is not
restricted to the spécifié rights mentioned above. The rôle of the judiciary is important
in relation to ail human rights, since the judiciary is ultimately the instrument from which
human rights victims can seek redress for the injustice they have suffered, particularly
if other channels of seeking such redress have failed. This importance is indicated by
Article 8 of the Universal Déclaration and Article 2.3 of the ICCPR. Both of these imply
that factors influencing the fairness and effectiveness of the justice system - and particu­
larly the independence, impartiality and compétence of judges - also significantly
influence respect for and promotion of human rights in a country.
The importance of an independent, impartial and competent judiciary has been
underlined by various authoritative texts from UN bodies. The most important of these
are the United Nations Basic Principles on the Independence o f the Judiciary, which were
endorsed by the UN General Assembly in 1985, and the Procédures for the Effective
Implementation o f the Basic Principles on the Independence o f the Judiciary, which were
endorsed by the General Assembly in 1989.3
Though an independent and impartial functioning of the judiciary forms a central
aspect of any fair and effective justice system, other actors are nevertheless also impor­
tant in determining the quality of the system as a whole. The importance of lawyers has
been explicitly recognized in the United Nations Basic Principles on the Rôle o f Lawyers,
which were ‘welcomed’ by the General Assembly in 1990.4 Another important text
concerning the rôle of both judges and lawyers is the Draft Universal Déclaration on
the Independence o f Justice, which is also referred to as the Singhvi Déclaration.5

The objective of the present study is to analyze the factors that influenced the quality
of the justice system in the Philippines and respect for human rights there between 1986
and 1997. This study on the Philippines has been written within the framework of the
project Déterminants o f the Independence and Impartiality o f the Judiciary, which also
involved the conduct of similar research in India, Sri Lanka and Burkina Faso (West
Africa). The overall objective of this wider project has been to generate sound scientific
X Préfacé

knowledge concerning the factors that affect the functioning of judicial systems and to
articulate recommendations for their improvement. The present study is particularly
directed to policy makers in the légal system in the Philippines, and to academic institu­
tions, légal scholars and practitioners of law in général. The project uses the authoritative
international texts on human rights and on the independence of judges and lawyers
mentioned earlier in this préfacé as the standard against which to measure situations in
the countries being researched.6 The project Déterminants o f the Independence and
Impartiality o f the Judiciary is coordinated by the Interdisciplinary Research Program
on Root Causes of Human Rights Violations (PIOOM, an independent organization that
conducts and coordinates research into the root causes of human rights violations).
PIOOM is presently connected to the Faculty of Social Science of the National University
of Leiden, The Netherlands. The project is solely funded by the Directorate-General for
Development Coopération of the Dutch Foreign Ministry.

The case of the Philippines is particularly interesting for the focus and objective of this
project. In 1986, the Philippines attempted to break with the legacy of a dictatorship that
had been ousted through a popular revoit. This legacy consisted, amongst other things,
of massive human rights violations which formed a deliberate aspect of an oppressive
state policy and of judicial subordination to the dictatorship. The new démocratie order
attempted to change this legacy drastically through new législation on human rights and
the judiciary, as well as through a judicial reorganization and continuing reforms of the
justice system. On the one hand, this resulted in Creative and promising steps toward
improvement of the judiciary and the overall human rights situation in the country. On
the other hand, ail of the steps undertaken have met with significant frustrations and
involve both drawbacks and novel challenges.
The present study is based on eight months research conducted in the Philippines from
April 21 to December 24, 1993, the results of which were updated through two working
visits in 1995 and 1996 and through consultation with more recent documentation. It has
not been the objective of this study to give an exhaustive account of ail the events and
developments that have influenced the légal system and human rights in the Philippines
between 1986 and 1997. A sériés of important and - in the author’s opinion - représenta­
tive events and developments has been selected to substantiate and illustrate the analysis
of the various factors that influenced the quality of the justice system and respect for
human rights. Most of the study reflects developments through June 20, 1996, though
events of particular importance between June 1996 and June 1997 have still been
incorporated. These predominantly concern issues of judicial power and amendments to
the 1987 Constitution.
The research in the Philippines has been conducted by Dr. Jan Willem Bakker of
PIOOM, who also acted as the coordinator of the project. With the assistance of Mrs.
Corazon Evasco-Bakker, a librarian and English editor and graduate of the University
of the Philippines, he conducted interviews with key informants from the judiciary,
government agencies, the bar, universities and the NGO sector. In order to maximize the
reliability of the research findings, the sample of interviewees was restricted to infor­
mants who by the nature of their profession are knowledgeable about the judiciary and/or
Préfacé xi

human rights. The interviews were semi-structured: a short list of global topics was used,
but ample opportunity was given to the interviewees to provide spécifié illustrations from
their own experience and to bring up relevant topics that had not yet been anticipated
by the interviewers. Mr. Bakker also studied documentation from légal organizations and
government agencies, as well as secondary literature pertaining to the subject matter. He
further analyzed the wide publicity the judiciary was subjected to in the Philippine press
during the time of the pilot study, and personally observed individual court cases and
court facilities. These various methods were used in mutual interaction: data acquired
through one method was complemented and corrected by data acquired through others.
The study distinguishes four major types of factors: organizational, political, economic
and socio-cultural.
Organizational factors are defined here as factors that formally structure and regulate
the judicial system and that demarcate it as a distinctive subsystem within wider society.
These factors include for example: the training of judges and lawyers; procédures for
recruiting judges; the number of judges available; the case load of judges; and the
jurisdiction of courts.
Political factors concern issues of government and power in a country. In relation to
the judiciary important examples include: légal provisions guaranteeing the autonomy
of the judiciary; the influence of politicians on the recruitment, promotion and supervision
of judges; and the potential influence politicians may exercise on specific judicial
verdicts.
Economic factors involve issues of production, consumption and distribution as well
as organization of goods and services. Examples in the context of this study include: the
influence of the général level of the economy in the country; the adequacy of the budget
for the judiciary; salaries, retirement provisions and other fringe benefits.
Socio-cultural factors include historically developed ideas as well as normative and
aesthetic values. Such ideas and values both inspire and regulate the thoughts, feelings
and conduct of specific groups of people. Especially important in this context are
religious and philosophical notions of what is fair and just in a particular country. Socio-
cultural factors further concern the patterns and forms of social interaction. An important
example of these are social classifications according to caste or tribal or régional
background. Another example might involve important forms of personal networks and
social obligations.7
The study also applies a distinction between inhibiting and facilitating factors. Inhibit-
ing factors are factors that frustrate trends and measures toward establishment of a fair
and effective justice system and respect for human rights, whereas facilitating factors
are factors that encourage such trends and measures.
A final distinction applied in this study is between manipulable and non-manipulable
factors. The former are factors which can be easily changed in a relatively short term
through human intervention, whereas the latter are factors which are quite résistant to
short-term change through such intervention. This distinction is particularly important
to consider in the articulation of short-term recommendations toward the improvement
of the judiciary.
Xll Préfacé

The present study is divided into seven chapters. In chapter 1 some relevant général data
on the Philippines is provided, including an outline of the structure of the judiciary.
Chapter 2 contains a discussion of socio-political developments in the Philippines from
1986 to 1996 which form the context for discussion of the remainder of the study.
Chapter 3 focuses on the main human rights concerns in the Philippines during the
period from 1986 to 1996. Spécial attention is paid to politically-inspired human rights
violations as well as the tension between measures to fight crime and the right to a fair
and public hearing by a competent, independent and impartial tribunal established by law,
i.e. due process.
Chapter 4 discusses the relation between the judiciary and politicians from both the
executive and législative branches. Judicial review, the procédures involved in recruitment
of judges and lawyers and mechanisms of interference in spécifié judicial décisions are
ail important issues in this chapter. Chapter 5 addresses challenges from non-political
actors to judicial independence, impartiality and credibility. Important issues in this
regard include: misconduct on the part of judges, lawyers and prosecutors and allégations
of such conduct; judicial supervision and discipline; and the influence of the press on
the judicial process and on the public perception of the judiciary.
Chapter 6 discusses the problem of access to speedy justice for ail Filipinos. Important
issues in this chapter include: backlog and court delay; the influence of the costs of
litigation to speedy justice; and access to justice for ethnie or religious minorities.
Chapter 7 summarizes the main conclusions of the study, as well as the impact of
organizational, économie, political and socio-cultural factors on the vatious issues that
have been discussed in the previous chapters. This chapter also provides practical
recommendations and anticipâtes future developments in the Philippine justice system
based on the extrapolation of current trends.

Notes

1. Articles 7,10 and 11, of the Universal Déclaration o f Human Rights are particularly important
in this respect.
2. Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights is particularly relevant.
3. The Basic Principles were adopted by the Seventh UN Congress on the Prévention of
Crime and Torture in Milan, ïtaly, held from 26 August to 6 September 1985, and endorsed
by the General Assembly on 29 November 1985 (A/RES/40/32, 29 November 1985). Later
these principles were specifically ‘welcomed’ by the General Assembly, which invited
govemments ‘to respect them and to take them into account within the framework of their
national législation and practice’ (A/RES/40/146, 13 December 1985). The Procédures for
the Effective Implementation o f the Basic Principles on the Independence of the Judiciary were
adopted by the UN Economie and Social Council in Resolution 1989/60 and endorsed by the
General Assembly in Resolution 44/162 of 15 December 1989.
4. The Eighth United Nations Congress on the Prévention of Crime and the Treatment of
Offenders, which was held in Havana, Cuba, from 27 August to 7 September 1990, adopted
these principles by consensus. In its resolution 45/121 of 14 December 1990, the General
Assembly ‘welcomed’ the instruments adopted by the Congress and invited ‘Govemments
to be guided by them in the formulation of appropriate législation and policy directives and
Préfacé xiii

to make efforts to implement the principles contained therein ... in accordance with the
economic, social, légal, cultural and political circumstances of each country.’ In resolution
45/166 of December 1990, the General Assembly welcomed the Basic Principles in particular,
inviting Govemments ‘to respect them and to take them into account within the framework
of their national législation and practice’.
5. By its Décision 1980/124, the UN Economic and Social Council authorized the UN Sub-
Commission on Prévention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities to entrust Dr. L.M.
Singhvi (India) with the préparation of a report on the independence and impartiality of the
judiciary, jurors, assessors, and the independence of lawyers. By Resolution 1989/32 the UN
Commission on Human Rights, invited governments to take into account the principles set
forths in Dr. Singhvi’s final Draft Déclaration in implementing the UN Basic Principles on
the Independence o f the Judiciary.
6. In this context I have relied significantly the Center for the Independence of Judges and
Lawyers of the International Commission of Jurists Bulletin No. 25-26, a spécial issue devoted
to The Independence o f Judges and Lawyers: A Compilation of International Standards
(Geneva, April-October 1990).
7. For the purpose of this study I have not found it relevant to distinguish between cultural and
socio-structural factors, because of their substantial overlap. Both cultural and socio-structural
factors are combined here in socio-cultural factors.
 Foreword

On 19 August 1995, twenty Asian Chief Justices, including the Honorable Justice Andres
R. Narvasa, the Chief Justice of the Philippines, adopted the Beijing Statement o f
Principles o f the Independence o f the Judiciary. This Statement affirmed that the objec­
tive and functions of the judiciary include ensuring that ail persons are able to live
securely under the Rule of Law, and the promotion of the observance and attainment of
human rights. It further stressed that judges should administer the law ‘impartially
amongst persons and between persons and the State’.
The Beijing Statement was recently reaffirmed by the Asian Chief Justices who met
in August this year in Manila, the Philippines, under the auspices of LAWASIA. It is
now endorsed by twenty seven chief justices in addition to other senior judges. The fact
that the Beijing Statement was drafted by the judges themselves, rather than govemments,
gives it additional meaning.
It is significant that the highest ranking judges in Asia recognize the link between
judicial functions and human rights. Judges should not only pay attachment to laws on
the books. They should focus on the laws in action. A textualist approach to law hinders
the process of justice. In resolving conflicts, they should be forward looking. They keep
in mind not only the case at hand but also the interest of entire society in advancing
justice and preserving human rights.
It is in this context that safeguarding the independence of the judiciary is essential.
This independence then serves as a useful value, even a conceptual tool, to enhance better
checks and balances between State powers. The independence of the judiciary is hence,
not only about questions of direct or indirect interference in the judicial process. It is
eventually about the rôle of the judiciary in preserving justice and human rights.
This is the significant of this study on the independence and impartiality of the
Philippines’ judiciary. The study does not only deal with traditional questions concerning
the independence of the judiciary that relate to the qualifications, selection, training,
promotion, discipline, and removal of judges in the Philippines, it also considers concerns
such as the efficiency and accessibility of the justice system. The study also looks into
the relationship between the judiciary and the bar.
Most importantly, the study addresses how the judiciary deals with past and current
human rights challenges in the country. This is particularly important in the context of
a country, such as the Philippines, that went through a legacy of massive human rights
violations, where individuals were killed, forced to disappear and tortured.
The study takes an inter-disciplinary approach to a topic that is traditionally handled
by lawyers. Being an anthropologist, rather than a lawyer, the author of this study, Mr.
Jan Willem A. Bakker, brings a new perspective to the question of judicial independence.
Courts after ail affect the life of ail members of society. Their rôle should be examined
from several perspectives, not only légal. An anthropological approach to courts and law,
differs from a légal approach. A ‘différent’ approach to this légal topic adds a dimension
that could only enhance the comprehensive understanding of the rôle of key individuals
and institutions, such as judges and lawyers, in determining not only current issues, but
also the future direction of their entire society.
XVI Foreword

The Centre for the Independence of Judges and Lawyers (CIJL) was pleased to cooperate
with PIOOM in this project. Established by the International Commission of Jurists in
1978, the CIJL is devoted to upholding the independence of the judiciary and the légal
profession throughout the world. It also organizes support for judges and lawyers who
are harassed or persecuted.
The CIJL served as consultant in this project. In such a capacity, the CIJL endeavored
to bring to this work its own légal expertise on conceptual and operational questions
related to the independence of the judiciary. It has been an educational exercise for CIJL
to tackle the central question of its mandate from an approach which is not entirely légal.
This inter-disciplinary perspective does not mean, however, that the study does not pay
due regard to law. As is mentioned in the Préfacé, the study uses as a légal framework
the 1985 UN Basic Principles on the Independence o f the Judiciary and the 1990 UN
Basic Principles on the Rôle o f Lawyers. Through shedding light on problems related
to the independence and impartiality of the judiciary in the Philippines, we hope that the
study will help policy-makers, judges, lawyers, as well as members of civil society in
the effort to enhance the rôle of the judiciary in preserving and advancing justice.

Mona Rishmawi
CIJL Director
September 1997
 Chapter 1

Main Features of the Nation and People

Geography, People, and Economie Situation

The Philippines is a nation of approximately 71 million people, with a land area of some
300,000 square kilometers.1 The climate is tropical, including a wet season, in which rain
falls abundantly, and a dry season. The country is formed by an archipelago of 7,107
islands, with the eleven largest islands accounting for almost 95% of the land and
population. The geographical fragmentation of the country is reinforced by the fact that
many islands are subdivided by mountain ranges, woods and other natural factors. This
geographical condition poses problems for effective transportation and communication
throughout the country and facilitâtes social and political fragmentation. Most of the
population is of Malay and Polynesian stock, with considérable Chinese and some
Spanish influence.2
The Metro-Manila area constitûtes the uncontested center of the country. The presiden-
tial palace, the buildings of the national government, the Houses of Congress, as well
as the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals are ail located in this area. Offices of
large companies are also concentrated there, as well as the major law firms. Metro-
Manila consists of the capital Manila and several other cities and municipalities around
it. Its population has rapidly increased during recent years and now totals more than 10
million people. Despite the fact that urbanization has been rapid, the vast majority of the
Philippine population still lives in small towns and rural villages. The second largest
urban conglomerate, Metro-Davao, numbers slightly more than 1 million people, while
the population of other urban conglomérâtes is even smaller.
The economy reflects the still predominantly rural orientation of the country. Unlike
in other parts of Asia, no mass industrialization has taken place in the Philippines in the
recent past. Both agriculture - e.g. the cultivation of wet rice and fruits on plantations
- and agro-industry - primarily the processing of fruits - have remained central back-
bones of the Philippine economy.
The economic performance of the country during the latter years of the Marcos regime
was very poor. After initial improvement, the economic performance sharply declined
again during the final years of the Aquino administration. For instance, the growth rate
in 1992, the year the Ramos administration took office, has been estimated at merely
0.6% with a simultaneous population increase of 2.4% per year, one of the highest such
rates in the world.3 The Gross National Product had been 727,1 billion pesos and the per
capita income 11,184 pesos, with the value of the peso fluctuating between 27 and 27.5
pesos to a US dollar.4
The Philippines suffers from widespread poverty and a poor distribution of wealth.
According to an authoritative source, 39.9% of Filipino families lived below the poverty
threshold in 1991. In 1994 this figure was down to 35.7%. The poverty threshold was
estimated at 8,969 per capita nationwide in 1994, and at 11,312 per capita in Métro-
2 Main Features of the Nation and People

Manila.5 Another source estimated that in 1993, the médian poverty level was 4,000
pesos nationwide and 6,000 pesos in Metro-Manila monthly for a family of four.6 More
than half of the country’s total income flows to the richest 20% of the nation.7 Poverty
and wealth inequity characterize both rural and urban areas. In the countryside, much
of the land is owned by traditional landed elites, with sharecroppers and landless laborers
concentrated at the bottom of the hierarchy. Land reform has been the subject of political
debate for decades. Spécifié land reform plans were proposed by the Aquino administra­
tion, as well as by the Marcos Government prior to 1986. Yet both création and imple-
mentation of these plans met with political backbiting and obstruction by vested interests.
During the last few decades, urban poverty has become increasingly dramatic. Accord-
ing to official statistics, 13.2% of the families in Metro-Manila lived below the poverty
line in 1991. In 1994 the figure had decreased to 8.5%.8 However, it remains an open
question how accurately official statistics reflect socio-economic realities in the Philip­
pines. For instance, there has been a frequent complaint that the officially announced
inflation rate is inconsistent with the experience of common Filipinos regarding the
tremendous increase in prices.
In addition, according to unofficial estimâtes, in 1993, up to 40% of the population
in Metro-Manila may have lived in shacks constructed of scrap iron and wood, which
are built on unused - or not yet used - public and private lands. The slums lack basic
services such as running water, sanitation and electricity, though in many cases illégal
taps are conducted on the electrical and téléphoné systems. Such illégal taps, as well as
many shacks themselves, are sold or rented out to urban poor by organized syndicates.
The slums are fertile breeding grounds for crime and disease. On the other hand, the
population living in the slums does not merely consist of people whose income is below
the poverty line. A substantial number of people with modest jobs can only afford to live
in slums while spending their money on matters other than housing. This is one way in
which people cope with deteriorating standards of living.
A more popular way of coping with economic hardship in the Philippines has been
to find a job abroad. Several million Filipinos have emigrated over recent decades, most
of them to the United States. Among these, medically or paramedically trained profes-
sionals have been particularly successful. Other persons have sought temporary jobs
abroad which often require them to leave their family behind. Several hundreds of
thousands of Filipinos have worked in the construction business in the Middle-East.
Numerous women have left the country to become nannies or domestic workers for
affluent families elsewhere. Among these are well-educated women who nevertheless
can earn considerably more as a domestic abroad than, for instance, as a teacher back
home. The frequent exploitation of migrant workers have become a source of intense
embarrassment in the Philippines. This embarrassment is further reinforced by the
awareness that in the mid-sixties the Philippines was second only to Japan in Asia
economically. At the moment it has been relegated to the lower levels of the region’s
economic hierarchy. An analysis of this economic stagnation or détérioration is beyond
the scope of the present study, but clearly economic mismanagement under Marcos and
political instability under Aquino have been significant contributing factors. The country
Main Features o f the Nation and People 3

has also been severely affected by ecological dégradation, particularly due to massive
légal and illégal deforestation.

The Ramos Government has been implementing a plan for economic take-off, referred
to under the slogan ‘Philippines 2000’. Industrialization, major improvements in infra­
structure, privatization, stimulation of exports, long-term fiscal stability and the création
of a level playing field - including the breaking of monopolies and encouragement of
foreign investments - are important keywords in the advancement of this project.
Amongst other things, the plan targets 10% economic growth in 1998.
After a poor start in which it had to struggle under a severe energy shortage, the
Ramos administration’s efforts are beginning to produce successes. In 1994, the economic
growth of the country jumped to 5.1%. The growth rate was 5.5% in 1995 and 7.1% in
1996. Investment increased by over 16% in 1996 while the inflation rate stood at between
11 and 12%.9 The per capita income is estimated to have passed the 1,000 dollar per
year level in early 1996 and subsequently increased to 1,184 dollars, with the exchange
rate standing at 26.2 pesos to a dollar.10 However, after the dépréciation of 11 July, 1997,
the exchange rate changed to over 28 pesos to a dollar. Increasing political stability,
active economic policies and the position of the Philippines as a country within a
booming région account for the recent economic improvement. Moderate optimism about
the country’s economic future has begun to develop. Nevertheless, it will take quite some
time and considérable effort before the economic situation of the majority of the Filipino
people dramatically improves. Some authoritative sources have estimated, for example,
that by the end of 1996, more than 40% of the population were still unable to meet basic
nutritional and other needs, whereas the richest 10% of families continued to receive 36%
of aggregate personal income.11
The Philippines has a high rate of literacy. In 1990 this rate was estimated at 93.5%.
Life expectancy between 1990 and 1995 was projected as 63.58 for maies and 68.83 for
females, while the official estimate for the Infant Mortality Rate in 1995 was 57.0 per
1,000 live births.

Socio-Cultural Features of the Country

In the Philippines, a great variety of local dialects and régional languages are spoken.
The dominant language is Tagalog. A variant of Tagalog has been institutionalized as
the national language and is called Filipino. Though its status is not beyond controversy,
Filipino is spoken and understood to some extent by most people in the Philippines.
Movies and télévision programs in Tagalog have disseminated knowledge of this
language extensively. However, the language of the government, of most institutions of
higher éducation and of the country’s major newspapers is still English, which is also
the official language of the courts.
The Filipino socio-cultural system is composed of a mixture of indigenously Asian
traits and traits introduced by the Spanish and, to a lesser extent, by the Americans. A
very important Spanish introduction has been Catholicism to which about 85% of the
4 Main Features o f the Nation and People

population still daim s adherence. However, Catholic beliefs in the Philippines are often
mixed with animistic and magical beliefs and practices. On the other hand, both Protes-
tantism and Catholic renewal tendencies such as the charismatic Catholic movement have
been clearly on the rise during recent decades. Muslims form a distinctive minority,
living mainly in the south but also forming substantial communities in Metro-Manila.
Islam was originally introduced by Arab traders in the pre-Spanish period. Muslims now
constitute about 5% of the population.
Apart from the Christian and Islamic Polynesian-Malay population, there are also a
number of small ethnie groups who live in tribal settings in outlying areas such as
mountain ranges and former jungles. Traditionally these groups have had a marginal place
in Filipino society. They are generally animists, though some groups have been converted
to Islam or to Christianity.
The variety of sources of Filipino culture and the trauma caused by recent and current
crises and upheavals have stimulated the development of explicit concern about the issue
of socio-cultural identity, particularly in fora such as the press and academia. A sense
of national identity - what it means to be a Filipino - is still a matter of unfinished
struggle in the Philippines. The sense of socio-cultural identity also plays an important
rôle in the légal sector. During interviews with the author, prominent members of the
judiciary would switch easily from discourse on judicial organization and other légal
issues to the influence of socio-cultural factors on the conduct of lawyers, judges,
litigants and witnesses.
An important example of this has been the reported tendency of many Filipino lawyers
and litigants to strive to win court cases at ail costs, and in every possible manner. This
tendency has been cited time and again as a major inhibiting factor affecting the fair
expédition of justice, and reportedly has three socio-cultural sources. The first of these
is the Asian concern to avoid losing one’s face. The second aspect involves a Spanish
socio-cultural legacy: a strong sense of pride and self-esteem that does not easily accept
offense. The combination of fear of losing face and strong self-ësteem is referred to in
the Philippines by the Spanish term amor propio. The third socio-cultural source is
American and consists of a love for litigation.
Ail of this implies that in the Philippine experience, légal processes are quite explicitly
linked to wider social-cultural factors. In the présentation of socio-cultural aspects the
present study uses the introductory report of the so-called Moral Recovery Program as
the most important and authoritative source.12 This program itself, as well as some of
the debate that it has provoked, is a good example of the ongoing struggle for socio-
cultural identity in the Philippines.13 It is specifically discussed in chapter 5.

Socio-cultural classification in Filipino society is quite hierarchical. Though the country

has never used status titles as in Indonesia or feudal Europe, nor had a caste system as
in India, ascriptive hierarchical distinctions have been important in the country’s history.
Traditionally, the old landed elite, whose structure was strongly related to the Spanish,
formed the top of the social hierarchy, with landless workers and manual laborers
forming the bottom. This traditional hierarchical distinction still influences social
relations. Another ascriptive hierarchical distinction is that between régions. High in
Main Features o f the Nation and People 5

status are those régions that are close to the capital or have significant numbers of
mestizos, or which constitute the home bases of powerful politicians. Also important is
the family clan to which one belongs.
The ascriptive status indicators are intersected by several achievement-based status
indicators. An important such indicator is éducation. At the top of the hierarchy are
people with a Ph.D. from abroad, particularly from prestigious universities such as
Harvard and Yale. Next come holders of degrees from prestigious Philippine universities,
such as the University of the Philippines and Ateneo. Below them are graduates of the
large universities in downtown Manila, and some private collèges. The bottom of the
hierarchy is formed by students from minor collèges in small towns and in the country-
side which are run by local government units. Other achievement-based hierarchical
criteria include material prosperity and prestigious employment.14
The higher somebody is perceived to be in terms of status, the more respectfully he
or she will be addressed. Nevertheless, humility, which is regarded as a good Catholic
virtue in the Philippines, counterbalances this tendency. Thus one may also try to adjust
one’s conduct to the status of people one is interacting with, even if the status of these
people is considered much lower than one’s own. Still, Filipinos who perceive themselves
to have a higher status than others are easily offended when not treated with such regard,
even if this occurs by pure omission, though obviously more so when it is blatantly done.
Such perceived slights injure their amor proprïo deeply.
There exists a degree of ambivalence toward status and hierarchy. On the one hand
Filipinos tend to display respect for people with higher status, as well as a desire to be
connected to those people so that their standing may reflect on themselves. Apart from
that, one who has climbed to success becomes a source of inspiration for others to do
likewise. But hierarchical distinctions also generate jealousy and resentment, and one
implication of this is the so-called kanya-kanya syndrome. Literally kanya-kanya means
‘to each his own thing’. This ‘thing’ could refer to anything, such as practical and moral
décisions, business affairs or views on various matters. Kanya-kanya connotes the
exclusion of others. It may be evident in ‘personal ambition and a drive for power and
status that is completely insensitive to the common good’. It is also manifested in an
‘attitude that generates a feeling of envy and competitiveness towards others, particularly
one’s peers who seem to have gained some status or prestige’.’5 In the latter cases,
levelling stratégies usually follow against those social climbers to keep them down.
Examples of such stratégies include intrigues, malicious gossip, accusations of foui play
and bad motives, emphasis on hierarchical criteria beyond the current rank of the climber,
etc. Filipinos refer to this tendency to draw climbers down as the ‘crab mentality’. This
refers to the tendency of crabs caught in a basket to pull one another down when one
attempts to climb out - as a conséquence ail the crabs secure each other’s continuous
imprisonment in the basket. The crab mentality is based on a zéro sum perception of
social life. The gain of one person - whether the gain is status, money, power or anything
else - automatically implies somebody else’s loss. And in order to prevent loss, one
necessarily has to restrain the gain of the other.
6 Main Features o f the Nation and People

Political Structure of the Country

According to the Constitution of 1987, the country is headed by a Président who is

elected by the nation-at-large. He or she rules for one term of six years only, and cannot
be re-elected. Unlike the American system, the elected président in the Philippines does
not automatically choose his or her own candidate for vice-president. Instead the vice-
president explicitly has to be elected by the country-at-large, also for a period of six
years. Because of this arrangement, the vice-president in the Philippines may come from
a différent party than the président, which is actually the case at present. The current
vice-president, Joseph Estrada, a former movie actor with enormous populist appeal, ran
on a différent ticket than the président, Fidel Ramos. The Philippine vice-president hardly
exercises any powers constitutionally, and can only perform substantial duties at the
president’s discrétion. The président selects a cabinet, the members of which must be
approved by the Committee of Appointment of the législature.
The législature in the Philippines, or Congress, is composed of two houses: a Senate,
consisting of 24 members elected by the nation at large, and the House of Représenta­
tives, which has a maximum of 250 members elected by spécifié régional districts. A
term in the Senate normally lasts six years. Every three years, élections are held for
twelve seats in the Senate. Each senator is allowed to serve only two consécutive terms,
up to a maximum of twelve years. The House is elected for a term of three years. Each
représentative can be elected for three consécutive terms only, accounting for a maximum
of nine consécutive years. The provisions that limit the number of terms politicians are
allowed to run, and particularly the one term to which the incumbent président is
restricted, are to a large extent a reaction to the old political culture in which politicians
could use their office to perpetuate their power indefinitely, and which culminated in the
Marcos dictatorship.16
Apart from these provisions limiting the period in which members of Congress may
serve, the executive and législative system is modeled on the structure that existed before
Marcos declared martial law in 1972. The powers of both houses of Congress are rather
similar, though the House of Représentatives has the initiative in drafting bills regarding
fiscal matters. Some of the main powers of Congress include:
a) the prérogative to create and pass laws and to engage in investigations as an aid to
législation. The président is entitled to veto laws of Congress, though Congress can
overrale this veto by a two-thirds majority in each house;
b) the power to accept or reject Presidential nominees to the executive department
through the Commission of Appointments. This commission consists of twelve
senators and twelve members of the lower house, and is presided over by the
président of the Senate who acts as an ex officio member;
c) the power to pass an appropriation bill based on the govemment budget; and
d) the sole power to déclaré war and the prérogative to grant the président some spécial
powers for a limited period in cases of war or other national emergencies.
The political structure however is still subject to controversy, the spécifiés of which will
be discussed in Chapter 2.
Main Features o f the Nation and People 1

The eountry is divided into 22 provinces, eaeh headed by an elected governor. However,
the administrative powers available to the provinces are rather limited. The Philippines
have always had a unitary form of government rather than a fédéral one. Major urban
areas, such as those constituting Metro-Manila, Davao City, and Cebu City, do not fall
under provincial jurisdiction.
At the local level, each city or municipality is headed by an elected mayor and a small
elected city council. At the lowest level, that of the village or neighborhood, exists the
barangay, headed by an elective ‘captain’ and several elected councillors.

Following the EDSA revoit in 1986 the Philippines developed a multiparty system which
nevertheless is still unstable and in a State of flux. Parties, which often split over very
personal issues, are created at the snap of a finger by aspiring politicians and may perish
instantly when an important candidate loses an élection or leaves the party. In the 1992
presidential élections, six candidates ran representing six différent parties. Coalitions
constantly shift as well. In the House of Représentatives for instance, the vast majority
of members have rallied behind or joined the party of Président Ramos, even though the
members of his party originally elected to the House formed a small minority. In the
élections of 1995, in which 12 new Senators and a whole new House of Représentatives
had to be elected, the pro-Ramos coalition, or ‘Rainbow Coalition’ as it called itself,
greatly tightened its grip over the législature. However, in 1996, this coalition began to
crumble again in anticipation of the 1998 élections, when a new Président will be elected
along with 12 Senators and a new House of Représentatives.
The present party system deviates from past practice. Between independence and the
state of martial law in 1972, two parties dominated the political scene, whereas during
the American period and under the Marcos dictatorship one party controlled the process.

The Structure and Hierarchy of the Légal Sector

The Judiciary
According to the Constitution, judges and justices have security of tenure and the
judiciary enjoys fiscal autonomy. The budget for the judiciary fluctuâtes somewhat but
at the moment amounts to less than 1% of the annual government budget.
The lowest-level courts in the Philippines are called the Metropolitan Trial Courts or
Metropolitan Trial Courts in Cities, or Municipal Trial Courts or Municipal Circuit Trial
Courts (MTCs), depending on whether they are located in a rural, urban or semi-urban
environment. As from March 1994, the main elements of their original jurisdiction
include: violations of local government ordinances; civil cases that involve the title to,
or possession of real property, or any interest therein involving an amount of up to
20.000 pesos, or up to 50,000 pesos in Metro-Manila; criminal offenses that are punish-
able with a maximum sentence of six years imprisonment irrespective of the amount of
the fine; other civil actions involving demands that do not exceed 100,000 pesos, or
200.000 pesos in Metro-Manila, excluding interest and costs of litigation and the value
8 Main Features of the Nation and People

of the property in controversy; and cases involving damage to property as a resuit of

criminal négligence. There are 1,124 judicial positions in the MTCs.
The second judicial level is formed by the Régional Trial Courts (RTCs) which are
distributed over 13 judicial régions. There are 950 judicial positions in the RTCs. As
from March 1994, the main elements of the exclusive original jurisdiction of the RTCs
include: civil cases that involve title to or possession of real estate, or an interest therein,
involving an amount of more than 20,000 pesos, or more than 50,000 pesos in Metro-
Manila; other civil cases in which the demand exceeds 100,000 pesos, or 200,000 pesos
in Metro-Manila; actions involving the contract of marriage and marital relations; cases
involving forcible entry into and unlawful detainment of land or buildings; and criminal
cases involving crimes punishable with more than six years imprisonment. The RTCs
also serve as the first level of appeal for cases decided by the MTCs.
The third level is formed by the Court of Appeals located in Metro-Manila. This court
deals with appeals of décisions reached by the RTCs. The Court of Appeals justices
review the décisions of the RTCs but do not themselves retry cases. The Court consists
of one presiding justice and 50 associate justices who are subdivided into 17 divisions
of three.
The Supreme Court forms the fourth and highest level of the Philippine judiciary. It
consists of one Chief Justice and 14 associate justices subdivided into three divisions of
five members each, though the 1987 Constitution also allows the Supreme Court to
décidé cases in divisions of three or seven members.17 However these divisions are not
necessarily distinguished according to spécifié fields of law: each division may décidé
similar cases. The Supreme Court is supported by the Office of the Court Administrator,
headed by a court administrator and two deputy court administrators.
The rôle of the Supreme Court is very crucial in the Philippines. The Supreme Court
does not merely deal with jurisprudence. It also supervises the courts, both in terms of
disciplining errant judges and in handling administrative matters such as those governing
new buildings, working materials, etc. The Supreme Court also supervises the bar.
Furthermore, cases of a few quasi-judicial bodies, notably the National Labor Relations
Commission, the Commission on Audit and the Commission on Elections, can be directly
appealed to the Supreme Court. Until February 1995, this included cases from the Civil
Service Commission and the Central Board of Assessment Appeals. Criminal sentences
involving life imprisonment or réclusion perpetua can also be directly appealed to the
Supreme Court, which automatically reviews ail death sentences, even in the absence
of an explicit appeal.
The Supreme Court may décidé cases both en banc and in the spécifié divisions.
According to the Constitution of 1987, the Supreme Court is required to décidé at least
the following issues in en banc sessions:
a) disciplinary cases against judges;
b) the constitutionality of a treaty, international or executive agreement, or law;
c) cases on which a majority of a division cannot reach a majority décision;
d) ail cases that are required to be heard en banc under the Rules of Court, as existing
at a particular moment; or
Main Features o f the Nation and People 9

e) the reversai or modification of any doctrine or principle of law laid down by an

earlier décision either from the Court as a whole or from a specific division of the
Supreme Court.18

The Supreme Court also has extensive powers of judicial review. It interprets the
constitutionality of treaties, presidential decrees and other executive ordinances. Further-
more, the courts have an important rôle to play in protecting and redressing violations
of human rights and redressing abuse of executive power. The extent of judicial review
has made the Supreme Court a formidable actor in the field of economic life and
development. The issue of judicial review and the rôle of the courts in the protection of
human rights and redressing violations, will be elaborated in chapters 2, 3 and 4 of this
study.
There are several specialized courts in the Philippines. One of these is the Court of
Tax Appeals, which is a collegiate court composed of three judges who have jurisdiction
to review décisions of the Commissioner of Customs and the Commissioner of Internai
Revenue. Also in a spécial category are the Shari’a courts which deal with specific issues
of Islamic law, mainly family-related questions. These courts are subdivided into five
Shari’a District Courts and 51 Shari’a Circuit Courts.
A third specialized court is the Sandiganbayan, dealing with graft, corruption and other
forms of malpractice among government employees. The Sandiganbayan is a collegiate
court of first instance whose décisions can be appealed directly to the Supreme Court.
Formally, the justices of the Sandiganbayan enjoy the same salary and status as justices
of the Court of Appeals, but this equality of status has been subject to dispute. Some
members of the judiciary and the législature have suggested giving the Court of Appeals
the power to review décisions of the Sandiganbayan as part of a wider effort to decrease
the work load of the Supreme Court. Currently cases from lower courts can always be
directly appealed to the Supreme Court if these imply a question of law, and indeed
individual cases can be directly filed with the Supreme Court, thereby bypassing lower
courts, if the case in question concerns an issue of constitutional rights.
The Philippine courts have experienced a significant number of vacancies, as indicated
in the following table:19

15 July, 1993 30 April, 1996

Court of Appeals 5 vacancies 1 vacancy
Régional Trial Courts 127 vacancies 202 vacancies
MTCs 176 vacancies 314 vacancies
Shari’a District Courts 3 vacancies 2 vacancies
Shari’a Circuit Courts 41 vacancies 30 vacancies

Apart from these courts, there are also a number of quasi-judicial bodies in the Philip­
pines which, strictly speaking, belong to the executive branch, but whose décisions can
be appealed to the Court of Appeals and/or the Supreme Court. Several of the most
10 Main Features of the Nation and People

important of these, such as the National Labor Relations Commission, have already been
cited in the previous paragraph.20
Also worth mentioning in this context is the Office of the Ombudsman, an independent
body created by the 1987 Constitution to protect people against abuse from - or neglect
of duty by - government agencies, including government-owned or controlled coopéra­
tions, and their représentatives. The Ombudsman is assisted by at least four deputies. The
Office of the Ombudsman, which enjoys fiscal autonomy, has a range of powers to
investigate complaints and to compel government entities to redress cases of abuse or
neglect. The Ombudsman and his deputies are appointed for seven years, without
reappointment.21
Judges in the Philippines have formed various professional organizations, the most
important of which is the Philippine Judges Association (PJA). Every Régional Trial
Court judge is a PJA member. Apart from this organization, there exist several smaller
associations of RTC judges. The Metropolitan Trial Court judges are organized in the
Metropolitan Judges Association, and Municipal Trial Court judges in both the City Trial
Court Judges and the Municipal Trial Court League of the Philippines.
The status of government prosecutors, who are called fiscals in the Philippines, is
similar to RTC or MTC judge, depending on their seniority. The lowest rang of the
ladder is formed by the court clerks, sheriffs and légal researchers.

Lawyers
Each lawyer who passes the bar becomes by obligation a member of the Integrated Bar
of the Philippines (IBP). This bar association is answerable to the Supreme Court and
subsidized by it. The Court has the power to reject its budget, déclaré IBP élections null
and void, impeach or suspend officers, etc. The IBP can impose minor disciplinary
measures on its members, such as removal from office or disqualification in an élection
within the IBP, or removal from the IBP voters list. But in cases that may involve fines,
suspension or disbarment, sanctioning of the accused lawyers must be specifically
recommended to the Supreme Court by the IBP. The Court can however impose certain
disciplinary measures on members of the bar without a specific recommendation from
the IBP. Apart from the Integrated Bar of the Philippines there are 23 voluntary bar
organizations in the country, not including the légal NGOs.
The law profession enjoys high status in the Philippines. A law degree opens the door
to many jobs in the public and private sector and is in high demand. Traditionally,
politicians have predominantly been lawyers. In the Philippines, law is a post-graduate
subject. After four years of study one still has to pass the bar exam before one qualifies
as a practicing lawyer. The passing of the bar exam may take a further one or two years
of study. Therefore the educational requirements for becoming a lawyer are higher than
those in other professions, aside from medicine. Due to the status of a légal degree,
lawyers often exhibit a very strong degree of professional pride.
Numerous collèges of law exist in the Philippines, varying greatly in quality and status.
An important criterion for assessing rankings among law schools is the number of
graduates that pass the bar exam each year. A further criterion is the number of former
graduates that rise to national prominence. The three institutions enjoying the highest
Main Features of the Nation and People 11

status and prestige in this regard are the University of the Philippines and the Ateneo
and San Beda law schools.22 The University of Santo Tomas law school runs a close
fourth behind these, with the law school of the University of the East next in line,
followed by a number of other schools. A law graduate from any law school in the
Philippines can enhance his status by obtaining a degree from a prestigious foreign law
school, such as Harvard or Yale. Among graduates from the same law school there exist
slight differentiations in status based on membership in différent fratemities and sorori-
ties. Elaborate hiérarchies also exist in the bench and the bar.
Among practicing lawyers, hierarchy is further determined by clientele and financial
success. The top of the ladder is formed by the senior partners of major law firms having
large national and international corporations as their clientele. The directors of the spécial
légal divisions maintained by certain corporations also fall in this category. The next level
below is formed by lawyers representing rich individuals and by the less senior staff of
large companies. Toward the bottom of the hierarchy stand public légal staff members
and public attorneys employed by the government to represent poor litigants. Lower still
are ‘ambulance chasers’. This term refers to lawyers who aggressively impose their
services on potential clients rather than attracting them by means of their réputation.
Ambulance chasing is forbidden in the Philippines. The client is always supposed to take
the initiative in his or her search for a lawyer and not the lawyer.23
A strong relationship exists between type of clientele and the degree of financial
success. Large companies generally represent the richest clientele and consequently earn
the most money, whereas public attorneys receive a fixed and comparatively low salary.
Nevertheless, the relationship between clientele and financial success is not rigid. Some
lawyers have become quite wealthy in the defense of people of limited resources, as well
as through ‘ambulance chasing’ practices. Furthermore, lawyers and judges based in
Metro-Manila enjoy a higher status than their colleagues in smaller towns and cities, who
in their turn enjoy a higher status than their colleagues in the rural areas. A lawyer’s
status is very important for his success in litigation. Apart from the fact that lawyers with
more elevated status tend to have comparatively greater resources and staff, better
facilities and a better éducation, their réputation in itself already affords them an edge
over lawyers with a lower status, given the hierarchical nature of the légal system.

Other Légal Professions

At the absolute bottom of the hierarchy of lawyers and judges are found those who
cannot support themselves through litigation or through regular jobs. These persons focus
on légal advice and minor services, acting for instance as notary publics, which is not
a protected position in the Philippines. Every government office has numerous shacks
in its immediate vicinity where ‘notary publics’ officially seal affidavits for small fees.
Some of these notary publics and légal advisers operate in the reception halls of govern­
ment offices themselves.24
Law professors may fit into any of the above-mentioned hierarchical levels, depending
on their law school, their réputation as a teacher and/or writer and a variety other factors.
12 Main Features of the Nation and People

One category of lawyers - referred to loosely as ‘alternative lawyers’ - has attempted

to some extent to keep itself outside this hierarchy. It consists of lawyers and légal
groups specializing in the defense of human rights victims, and/or non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) lawyering for the poor or for the cause of spécial underprivileged
groups, such as ethnie minorities.

Notes

1. According to the monthly statistics update of the National Statistical Coordination Board and
National Statistical Information Center of 3 May, 1996, the updated projection of the Philip­
pine population in 1996 is 71,899,136 (medium assumption).
2. Carino, ‘Philippines, Land and People.’ In: de Guzman, R.P., and Reforma, M.A. (Eds.),
Government and Politics o f the Philippines. Singapore (Oxford University Press) 1988: 5.
3. Economie growth showed some recovery during the early years of the Aquino administration,
but dropped again at the end of her term. In 1988, the growth figure was 6.8% and in 1989
5.7%. In 1990, the growth rate had dropped to 3.1% whereas 1991 showed a negative growth
of 1.4%. Political instability and natural disasters were amongst the factors that facilitated this
drop in growth. (1989 Development Report of the National Economie and Development
Authority as mentioned in Castro, S.R.B. and Pison, M.I.L., ‘The Economie Policy Determin-
ing Function of the Supreme Court in Times of National Crisis.’ Philippine Law Journal, Vol
67, March 1993, Third Quarter: 358).
4. Canlas, D.B. ‘Prospects for 1993 and the MTPDP.’ The Philippine Economie Outlook for
1993-1994. Metro-Manila: Philippine Institute for Development Studies, 1993: 3.
5. National Statistical Coordination Board, 1996.
6. Social Weather Bulletin, October 1993: 1.
7. Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan 1993-1998 of the National Economie Develop­
ment Agency.
8. Statistics from the National Statistical Coordination Board,1996. .
9. According to provisional statistics from Neda,published in June 1996. Some govemment
sources, however, claim a sustainable inflation rate of 8% which is expected to level off at
6 to 6.5% in 1997 (Secretary of Trade and Industry César B. Bautista, as quoted in Munting
Nayon 96, 17 April, 1997). However, in this forecast, the effects of the dépréciation of 11
July, 1997, have not been anticipated.
10. Provisional NEDA statistics as quoted in Manila Bulletin, 6 June, 1996. See further, Philip­
pines Report on Human Rights Practices for 1996, U.S. Department of State. Released by the
Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor on 30 January, 1997.
11. Philippines Report on Human Rights Practices for 1996. Supra, at note 10.
12. Kabisig, F ilipino Values and National Developments, Readings on the Moral Recovery. Metro-
Manila, Kabisig People’s Movement 1993: 12. In the discussion of socio-cultural aspects I
have also made use of other secondary literature. I have supplemented these secondary sources
with personal research findings in only a few instances.
13. One of the critiques of the Moral Recovery Program has been that it fails to present an
adequate framework for analyzing the dynamics and the factors that condition the Philippines
socio-cultural system (see for instance Maggay, Pagbabalik-loob. Moral Recovery and
Cultural Reaffirmation. Metro-Manila: AKSP & ISACC, 1993: 3). The present report,
however, merely focuses on how and which socio-cultural factors have a substantial impact
Main Features o f the Nation and People 13

on conduct and perceptions in the légal system. A discussion of the dynamics and conditioning
factors of Filipino socio-cultural factors go beyond the scope of this report.
14. Questions about one another’s background also serve to establish rapport. Local and régional
loyalties are quite strong. The discovery of a common régional origin will boost their
interaction considerably.
15. Kabisig, supra at note 12: 16.
16. Article XVIII, section 2 states some transitory provisions regarding the élections for Congress.
The first élection for Congress was held the second Monday of May, 1987. The term of the
members of both Houses of Congress terminated until the second élections, on 30 June, 1992.
The twelve Senators with the highest number of votes were elected for six years, whereas
numbers 13 to 24 were elected for only three years. This implies that Senators elected in 1987
and re-elected in 1992, could serve for a maximum of 11 years, whereas the Senators elected
in 1987 and re-elected in 1992 ranking between 13 and 24, could serve only a maximum term
of 8 consécutive years. Senators elected in 1992 for the first time, and ranked between number
13 and 24 could only serve a maximum of 9 years. Senators elected for the first time in 1992
and ranked between 1 and 12, and ail Senators elected for the first time from 1995 onward,
can serve a maximum term of 12 years in the Senate.
As far as the transitory provisions regarding the House of Représentatives are concemed, the
first term of the Représentatives elected in 1987 was five years. This implies that the Repré­
sentatives elected in 1987 could, in principle, serve a maximum term of 5 plus 3 plus 3, or
in other words, 11 years. From 1992 onward, ail Représentatives elected for the first time are
restricted to a maximum of 9 years term.
17. Section 4(1) of Article XIII of the 1987 Constitution.
18. Section 4(2 and 3) and section 11 of Article XIII of the 1987 Constitution.
19. The 1992-1993 Annual Report o f the Supreme Court: 82; and Statistics from theOffice of
the Court Administrator, dated 20 May, 1996.
20. Other quasi-courts include: the Securities and Exchange Commission; Land Registration
Authority; Social Security Commission; Office of the Président; Civil Aeronautics Board; Cen­
tral Board of Assessment Appeals; Bureau of Patents; Trademark and Technology Transfer;
National Electrification Administration; Energy Regulatory Board; National Télécommunica­
tions Commission; Department of Agrarian Reforms under RA 6657; Government Service
Insurance System; Employées Compensation Commission; Agricultural Inventions Board;
Insurance Commission; Philippine Atomic Energy Commission; Board of Investments;
Construction Industry Arbitration Commission.
21. Sections 5 to 14 of Article XI of the 1987 Constitution.
22. Traditionally the law school of the University of the Philippines has been consideredthe most
prestigious. But during the last decades it has lost ground (though UP graduates may vigorous-
ly deny this, of course).
23. Rule 2.03 of the Code of Professional Responsibility says: ‘A lawyer shall not do or permit
to be done any act designed primarily to solicit légal business.’ Some lawyers, including
reputable ones, have complained, however, that the rule on ambulance chasing is too strict.
It is even very risky for a lawyer to offer his services for free to a litigant who clearly has
difficulty finding a good lawyer for himself, lest the lawyer be accused of ambulance chasing.
24. One such notary public whom I met was also authorized to solemnize marnages for a small
fee, being a Bishop of a quasi-religious group as well. Another one operates his private
business in the hall of a government office. Every moming he brings an old typewriter and
a small folding table to seal documents for visitors of this office who need a notary public’s
seal on their papers.
 Chapter 2

Political History of the Country

The Period until Independence in 1946 and its Lasting Legacy1

At the time of the Spanish conquest in the 16th century, the Philippines consisted of
small and independent social-political units, sometimes linked in loose confédérations.
This social/political dispersion inhibited well-organized résistance against the intruders,
which made it rather easy for the Spanish conquistadores to colonize the Philippines. The
Spaniards imposed a centralized direct rule in the Philippines. For at least four centuries
the impact of the Filipinos on the administration of their own country was marginal.
In the course of the Spanish era, an indigenous agrarian elite developed that was
closely linked to the Spanish. At the time of writing a substantial portion of the rich -
and very rich - were still descendants of the old Spanish/Filipino mestizo families. A
social and economic hierarchy developed between major landowners and peasants. This
hierarchy between the hâves and the have nots - and the ‘ares’ and the ‘are nots’ - has
left a fondamental and permanent imprint on Filipino society, despite the modifying
historical forces of urbanization, economic diversification or mass schooling, etc. Though
by the end of their rule the Spaniards had carefully begun to introduce some improve-
ments for the local population, such as schools and universities, they left a controversial
héritage in terms of political/administrative conduct. The Spaniards who had come to
the Philippines - including govemment officiais - frequently concentrated on enriching
themselves.2
At the end of the nineteenth century, résistance grew against Spanish rule, finally
resulting in révolution. This résistance coincided with the war that erupted between Spain
and a rising new world power, the United States, over Cuba. The United States agreed
to assist the Filipinos in their revoit against Spain, but - to the resentment of many
Filipino nationalists up to this day —merely replaced the Spanish as colonial ruler of the
Philippines. These events highlighted serious internai divisions among Filipinos. Many
of the elite, the illustrados, decided to side with the Americans, as did the strongest
faction of the anti-Spanish guerrilla army.

During the period of American colonization, the foundations of Filipino politics were
established. The Americans retained a centralized, unitary form of government in the
Philippines, with the city of Manila as the center. But unlike the Spaniards, the Ameri­
cans introduced a system of indirect rule. They created a Congress and an indigenous
government, which gradually received increasing power in préparation for independence.
Politicians in the government originally came from among the Manila-based illustrados,
who were comparatively well-educated and who had predominantly chosen to side with
the Americans during the struggle against Spain.
After some years, the Americans facilitated the rise to national prominence of regional-
ly-based politicians. Since there were no indigenous political structures left in the
16 Political History of the Country

Philippines, new politicians had to build their power bases from scratch. They did so by
mobilizing and building personal networks, starting at the local level and proceeding by
stages to the régional and national levels. Aspiring politicians acquired a political
following through the use of patronage, family and friendship ties. Support was secured
by raising expectations that such support would be reciprocated by the politician, for
instance through the granting of spécial economic favors. Support for a candidate was
also strongly influenced by the expectations of what could be achieved for the candidate’s
locality of origin once he or she rose to national prominence. An aspiring candidate
obtained a following on a wider scale through political patronage and coalitions with
local factions and power brokers. This would involve for instance, promising support in
local élections in return for support of his own bid in the national poil. The degree of
success at the national level depended on the strength of his own local and régional
power base, the ability to gain support from national power brokers and fellow politicians
at the national level, and on his capacity to undercut the power base of rivais. This is
the way the first wave of Filipino national leaders, such as Sergio Osmena and Manuel
Quezon, rose to national prominence.
Filipino politics has been quite personalistic from the beginning. Personal interaction
and networks have been of prime importance, rather than institutional mechanisms or
idéologies. Furthermore, success in the political arena has depended on skillful stratégie
action, particularly in the exploitation of personal ties. At the same time, this dependency
on personal factors has meant that political power frameworks have been intrinsically
feeble and fragmented. Particularistic loyalties toward spécifié localities, régions and
persons have been marked and tenacious throughout the history of Philippine politics,
and strong factionalism has exercised an influence at every level, from the local to the
national.
Another important aspect of personalized politics is that power is only partially
transférable. On the one hand, aspiring politicians could use the network of their mentors
or of their families, thus facilitating the persistence of political dynasties. On the other
hand, the loyalty of these inherited networks would never be as strong towards them as
it was towards the mentor or family members that had originally developed these
networks. Moreover, each political dynasty or clique could have several contenders for
the political loyalty of potential followers. Therefore, political dynasties were also subject
to internai factionalism. A good present day example concerns the Cojuangos of Tarlac.
Danding Cojuangco was an influential Marcos crony and a former presidential candidate,
who still exercises considérable influence. His cousin Cory (formally Corazon) is the
widow of the main opposition leader under Marcos, Benigno Aquino. She became
président after Marcos was toppled in the famous EDSA revoit. The Danding line and
the Corazon line of the Cojuangcos remain on bad terms with one another.
The strength of a political office is further related to the strength of the power base
of the one in charge. The administrative machinery of any political unit does not
automatically serve its elected leader smoothly and with dedication. The machinery itself
is subject to dispersed personal and/or political loyalties. The degree to which a leader
of a government unit can control its administrative machinery depends on the degree of
loyalty of this machinery towards him, and on the strength of his power base in général.
Political History of the Country 17

A Président, or head of a local or régional unit, does not exercise supreme effective
power merely by virtue of his office. He or she h as to seize this power personally. Nor
is the power seized automatically transférable to his or her successor. The successor
himself must seize the effective power again.
This personalistic basis of political power did not facilitate the development of a clear
démarcation between a public realm of government and politics on the one hand and a
private realm on the other. For example, there has been no strict corrélation between
formai power and effective power. In many instances, exceedingly powerful people have
not actually served in official positions in politics or government, but rather exercised
their influence through connections, money or intimidation. A good and rather recent
example of this is the already mentioned Danding Cojuango, who for some time under
Marcos was one of the most powerful persons in the country, despite the fact that he did
not have any official political or administrative position. In a number of cases, the public
realm has even been subordinated to the private one. Political offices as well as govern­
ment positions have been frequently used and regarded as instruments for the realization
of private interests rather than the général welfare. Through a political office one could
enrich oneself, protect the business interests of one’s family, favor one’s town of origin,
etc. This tendency to treat the public sector as primarily an extension of personal interest
was taken to the extreme in the Marcos period.
From 1942 to 1945, the Philippines suffered under Japanese occupation. The long
period of foreign dominion under three différent powers and the marginal involvement
of Filipinos in running their own country during most of this period, appears to have
facilitated the fact that the realm of public affairs and the common good of the whole
nation has remained alien to the experience of most Filipinos. Consequently - as
authoritative Filipino sources have indicated - the évolution of the people’s loyalty to
public values and the common good has been inhibited.3

Philippine Democracy after Independence

The apparent weaknesses of the Philippine political system had not yet crystallized during
the American period. The American presence, amongst other factors, prevented the
extreme excesses of factionalism. Moreover, by the end of the American era, the hold
of Manuel Quezon’s faction on the country’s politics had become so strong that it
substantially restrained the conduct of opposition forces. For instance, Quezon could force
oppositionists into line with the threat that he would actively support their rivais in the
next élections. On various occasions, Quezon proved himself capable of materializing
this threat.
The Philippines became formally independent in 1946. Quezon had died during the
Second World War. Though the Americans withdrew, they continued to exercise consid­
érable influence on their former colony, particularly through the presence of two large
army bases that remained in the Philippines. The country adopted a system with executive
power in the hands of a Président to be elected directly by the entire nation, and two
houses of Congress. The most important of these was the Senate, whose members were
18 Political History of the Country

elected by the nation at large. The second chamber was the House of Représentatives,
whose members were elected on a district-by-district basis.
With the departure of the Americans and the death of Quezon, restraints on political
factionalism diminished significantly. Though the intensity of political factionalism varied
from period to period, its problems became quite apparent. Elections were accompanied
by frequent bloodshed, cheating and accusations of fraud. Politically-motivated assassina-
tions and intimidation became common phenomena, with politicians employing private
armies to protect themselves against rivais. Abuse of government funds became a serious
problem, and various politicians grew rich overnight by using the prérogatives of their
office or exercising political power. These politicians by and large still came from among
the ranks of the old elite, or ran for office with the support of its powerful members.
The party system provided some degree of continuity and order to political life in the
country. The dominant parties in the period between independence and the déclaration
of martial law by Marcos in 1972 were the Libéral Party and the Nationalista Party. Both
of these parties revolved around personal networks rather than idéologies or political
programs. Yet the parties afforded mechanisms for recruitment and screening of political
talent, as well as logistical and other forms of support for candidates. Al though opportu­
n iste changes of allegiance to one political party did occur, such conduct was somewhat
looked down upon and was derogatorily called ‘turncoatism’. The best known turncoat
was Ferdinand Marcos. When he became président of the Senate, which was an acknowl-
edged springboard to candidacy for the presidency, Marcos was prevented by the political
leadership of his Libéral Party from running for président as Macapagal’s successor.
Consequently Marcos switched to the Nationalista Party, which then chose him as its
presidential candidate. In the next presidential élections Marcos was able to defeat
Macapagal who had decided after ail to run for re-election.
During the independence era, there have been two occasions in which a political
network almost managed to monopolize political power. The first of these was in the
early 1950s under Magsaysay, who had achieved great popularity because of his success
as Defense Minister in curtailing the Huk Balahap movement. This was a peasant
rebellion that posed a great threat to the existing political order of the young republic.
Magsaysay quelled this rebellion through a combination of military action, negotiations
and a populist approach that won the hearts of the common people. Because of this
success, he was also strongly supported by the Americans who regarded him as a firm
supporter of their containment and roll-back policies during the early years of the Cold
War. However, Magsaysay died in a plane crash in 1957. Since the unifying strength of
his political faction depended mainly on the personality of his leadership - in the normal
fashion of Filipino politics - this strength eroded quickly after Magsaysay’s death.
The second time a faction almost monopolized political power was under Ferdinand
Marcos. Marcos had been a fast-rising and extremely ambitious star in Filipino politics.
He was widely acclaimed for his brilliance and feared for his cunning. Marcos had
carefully built himself an image as a war hero, though he grossly exaggerated his actual
performance during the Second World War. His régional power base was Ilocos Norte,
the most northern province in the Philippines. Marcos actively used the prérogatives of
the presidency to préparé for the realization of his main objective: to acquire absolute
Political History o f the Country 19

and permanent power over the Philippines. He built up his power base and placed
loyalists in stratégie positions in society, most notably in the army. With the prérogatives
of the presidency, including the increased possibility to commit fraud, Marcos managed
to get re-elected.
During the official second term of the Marcos presidency, his popular support dimin-
ished. The country faced difficult times economically and was plagued by a crime wave,
including many murders and armed robberies. As in many other developing countries,
Marxist protest movements became popular. Two Philippine communist parties were
created, the more popular of which was a Maoist faction, which generated an armed
guerrilla movement. Most of the members of Marxist protest movements were students.
The Americans had introduced mass schooling in the Philippines, which amongst other
things resulted in the prolifération of numerous collèges and universities of greatly
varying quality. Many of these collèges and universities were in the Greater Manila area
and drew hundreds of thousands of students from the countryside. These students often
lived in very cramped conditions in boarding houses in the city and were keenly familiar
with the huge gap existing between rich and poor in their home provinces. They were
thus receptive to communist ideas. Violent mass démonstrations became qui te common
in the streets of Manila, many of which ended in bloodshed.
The violence perpetrated within the framework of ‘official politics’ was also considér­
able. The best known example of this was the bombing at the Plaza Miranda in down-
town Manila during a rally of the Libéral Party, which killed several persons and left
a number of Libéral Party leaders seriously and permanently injured. Marcos blamed the
attack on communists, though various opposition sources suspected Marcos of the
bombing, since it both rid him of various powerful rivais and created a pretext for the
establishment of martial law. In 1972, several other bombings occurred, including at the
Ministry of Defense. But as these attacks caused neither casualties nor significant
damage, the opposition again accused Marcos of staging these bombings himself in order
to create a further pretext for instituting widespread repression.
In September 1972, Marcos declared martial law. He suspended the Bill of Rights, the
Senate, the House of Représentatives and ail political parties, and began to rule by
decree. His govemment closed down newspapers, introduced press censorship and jailed
many opposition members, including student activists of various political convictions.
Marcos used the deplorable situation in the country as the main justification of martial
law, pointing to the crime wave and the threat of a communist take-over.
Opposition members regarded the déclaration of martial law as a manoeuvre by Marcos
to remain in power indefinitely. According to the 1935 Constitution, which formed the
constitutional basis of the independent Philippine Republic, Marcos was allowed to serve
only two four-year terms as président. At the time he declared martial law his second
term was nearly over. Marcos had actively lobbied with other politicians to change this
constitutional requirement in order to allow him to run for a third term. Yet it remained
uncertain whether he would prevail in modifying the provision. Moreover, even if he was
allowed to run for a third time, it was far from certain that he would actually be re-
elected, despite the fact that he had been able to strengthen his political machine substan-
tially during his seven years as président. The social and economic conditions of the
20 Political History of the Country

country were problematic, which of course reflected on his performance as the incumbent
président.
But a major threat to Marcos was the fact that he was facing a formidable opponent:
Benigno Aquino jr. Benigno, or Ninoy, Aquino was a fast rising star. He had broken a
number of political records: for instance by becoming the youngest mayor - and then
the youngest senator - ever elected in the Philippines. He was also a famous journalist,
who had exposed many scandais in the country. At the âge of seventeen he had already
acted as a war correspondent in Korea. His famé was then reinforced by his rôle in the
quelling of the Huk Balahap movement under Président Magsaysay. Aquino was one of
the two-member team that succeeded in persuading the leader of the H uk Balahap, Luis
Taruc, to surrender to the government. Aquino and his colleague had to virtually smuggle
Taruc into Manila from his hiding place in the mountains. Various army officers who
did not agree with the government’s peace initiatives were on the look-out for Taruc with
a view to assassinating him. Aquino was also a much wittier speaker and more charming
personality than Marcos, which represented significant advantages in the personalized
political culture of the Philippines. So Marcos declared martial law, and jailed Aquino
on a charge of involvement in the murder of a local politician.

The Marcos Dictatorship

The reaction of the général public to the déclaration of martial law was moderately
positive, apart from criticism by outspoken Marcos opponents. Though Marcos’s popular-
ity had been decreasing during the last years of his constitutionally allowed terms of
presidency, people felt relieved by the restoration of law and order that followed the
déclaration of martial law. Crime declined, particularly armed robberies, as many
criminals grew frightened by the government’s show of force, particularly after one major
criminal was publicly executed. Student démonstrations also stopped. This reaction was
reinforced by an economic recovery during the first years of martial law.
Marcos had also taken steps to legitimize his new dictatorship. The vast majority of
the Supreme Court had ratified the déclaration of martial law, believing that the condition
of the nation indeed justified its establishment. Also, prior to martial law, a Constitutional
Convention had been created to devise a new Constitution. Marcos persuaded the
majority of the commissioners to continue the drafting of the new Constitution following
the introduction of martial law. In 1973 a Constitution was unveiled that further legiti-
mized Marcos’s one man rule. At the same time, Marcos introduced an ideology aimed
at legitimizing his dictatorship and serving as a tool in the struggle against communism.
He termed this ideology The New Society, and described it as ‘real democracy’, Filipino
style.
A crucial concept in the Marcos ideology was the ‘révolution from the center’. This
concept was based on the idea that Filipino society was controlled by a clique of
traditional oligarchs. This clique controlled Congress, journalism, business, and many
other sectors of society, and its influence had obstructed the policies of the central
government. Because of this obstruction, the good intentions of the Marcos Government
Political History o f the Country 21

in favor of the Philippines could not be materialized. Consequently the country continued
to deteriorate. The solution proposed by Marcos was to break the destructive power of
the oligarchs. The ‘révolution from the center’ signified that the necessary révolution to
curb the influence of the oligarchs would not come from the bottom of society, the
masses, nor from the top, the oligarchs themselves, but from the center: the central
government run by Marcos, acting on behalf of the masses.
Marcos also periodically organized plébiscités, to prove that he enjoyed massive public
support for his dictatorship. Since Marcos exercised a monopoly over the bodies that
organized and supervised these plébiscités, and had perfected the art of électoral fraud,
the outcome of these plébiscités always involved results of more than 90% in his favor.

The grip that Marcos had developed over the army, police and local governments during
his presidency ensured that he could effectively enforce martial law. Potential dissidents
soon discovered that résistance was of little avail, and as a resuit many discontinued their
activities. Marcos also mastered the tactic of cooptation. Various opposition members
were given a position somewhere in his machinery in exchange for abandoning résistance
to his rule. The old social/economic elite was divided. Those who were closely linked
to Marcos had nothing to fear, but his outspoken opponents saw theiT economic interests
severely affected. Others were granted an economic niche provided they would not act
counter to the interests of Marcos and his friends.
In the meantime, the communist movement gained ground rapidly. A central element
of this movement was the rural guerrilla, the New People’s Army (NPA). The guerrilla
movement had received a strong impetus from student activists who had fled to the hills
after the déclaration of martial law. Moreover, communist student groups also went
underground, operating in an elaborate cell group structure which was difficult for the
intelligence services of Marcos to unravel.
The ‘New Society’ ideology notwithstanding, Marcos replied with extensive repression,
militarizing various parts of the country. The government practiced a policy of ‘total war’
aimed at defeating the guerrillas militarily, and simultaneously preventing the develop­
ment of mass support bases. In effect, the policy involved intimidating the people into
coopération with the army, and resulted in numerous gross human rights violations.
People were killed for real or imagined communist sympathies; villages were searched
violently, their people harassed and their belongings destroyed; entire villages were
forcibly relocated to areas in which they could be closely supervised by the military.
The abuses of the Marcos regime were reinforced by the military’s frustration over
the elusiveness of the enemy, and over the considérable loss of life in their own ranks.
The abusiveness of the army only increased the popularity of the insurgents. By the early
1980s, many Filipinos considered Marcos himself to be the most efficient recruiter for
the NPA. Despite their attempts to win the hearts of the people, and their réputation of
being more disciplined than the army, the guerrillas were also known to act ruthlessly
against civilians. In the battle between the army and the NPA, it became increasingly
difficult for local people to stay neutral. This resulted in a flow of refugees from the war
zones into the cities, mostly the Greater-Manila area.
22 Political History of the Country

The Marcos regime tried to exercise a firm hold in the cities as well. Marcos had
developed an elaborate network of spies and informers exposing possible dissidents.
Critical journalists were intimidated. The secret abduction, killing - often after torture
- and conséquent dumping of the bodies of targeted opponents became a common
practice, which the Filipinos referred to as ‘salvaging’.
At the same time it became increasingly obvious that Marcos aimed not only at
retaining permanent control over the State machinery, but also controlling ail important
sectors of society, particularly the economy. Marcos’ economic policies have been
generally characterized as ‘crony capitalism’. Companies of friends, relatives and
supporters, or national companies linked to Marcos’ network were actively favored
through government intervention. For instance, régulations were so devised and tailor-
made for crony companies that rival enterprises were ousted from the economic arena.
Crony companies were exempted from taxation and strict régulations applied to rival
businesses. Big government projects were allocated on the basis of connection to the
regime or the volume of bribes paid to it. Government funds were used to help bail out
crony companies in need, or to implement status projects of the regime. Cronies were
expected to pay commissions to the Marcos family in return for these favors.
Marcos also subjected the judiciary to his rule. Aside from one or two exceptions, the
Supreme Court consisted of Marcos supporters. In 1972, Marcos reorganized the judicia­
ry. Ail judges were dismissed and selectively reappointed. In the bar, the influence of
the Marcos regime was also very strong. New law firms whose major assets consisted
of good connections with Marcos officiais or cronies grew prominent. Such connections
greatly facilitated the winning of cases. Some of these firms changed theii political
loyalties in the course of time and have maintained their leading position following the
EDSA revoit.
In spite of its doctrine of ‘révolution from the center’, the Marcos regime did not put
an end to the old oligarchie structure, but merely changed the balance of power between
différent groups within the established order. A part of the oligarchy who were in favor
of Marcos gained additional power. Other persons were incorporated into the oligarchy
because of their loyalty to Marcos. Factions of the old oligarchy who were not among
the cronies still were able to secure a part of the economic pie, provided they had
previously not been too antagonistic toward Marcos, and provided also that the pie
remained large enough to accommodate them. Nevertheless, they were always losing
ground to the dedicated Marcus cronies, and could never be sure how much further loss
was still to come.4 In this sense, the Marcos regime carried to the extreme one underly-
ing current of the political and administrative culture that had begun under Spanish rule:
i.e. the subordination of public interests to private ones. Despite its ‘New Society’
rhetoric, the Marcos dictatorship primarily served the President’s personal political
ambitions, as well as the financial and other interests of Marcos and his cronies.
The example set by the regime was widely followed in society. From the top of the
social structure to the bottom, in the public sector and the private, corruption and
nepotism became extremely pervasive. The influence of corruption and powerful connec­
tions also developed in the bench and bar. In this context, the army and the police served
as Marcos’ huge private army, whose main task was to maintain him and his cronies in
Political History o f the Country 23

power. Under Marcos, the army grew from 60,000 members to 300,000, including
paramilitary units, despite the absence of an external enemy.
In line with the subordination of public interests, the army was actively used to directly
promote or protect the economic interests of cronies. Soldiers guarded plantations that
were the subject of land disputes and removed people from land that cronies had
allocated for themselves. To keep the army loyal to him, Marcos allowed it to engage
in business on the side, and provided financial rewards to army officers in return for their
services. As a resuit, army officers also had their own private interests to protect, and
many became involved in using their army units against anyone who opposed them. A
popular business activity of soldiers was the logging of forests, which resulted in
ecological dévastation throughout the Philippines. The line between counter-insurgency
activities and protection of private economic interests became blurred.
By the early 1980s, the control of the Marcos regime over Philippine society had
grown very tight. The only résistance scoring a degree of success was that of the
c-ommunist guerrilla movement. Cynicism had become the dominant attitude among the
citizenry. Throughout this period, dissenting voices calling for freedom and respect of
human dignity remained weak but alive. An example of this were the human rights
lawyers who - often at great personal risk - defended the cause of human rights victims,
suspected communists and other dissidents. A number of these lawyers were united in
groups, the best known of which was the Free Légal Assistance Group founded by the
godfather of the Philippine human rights movement, the late Senator and Minister of
Justice, José (Pepe) Diokno.

The Changing of the Tide and the EDSA Revoit

In order to provide his regime with a démocratie façade, Marcos organized élections for
a new unicameral législature in 1978, based on représentation by district. Though he did
not provide the chamber with sufficient powers to oppose him effectively, he did allow
some opposition figures to participate in the élections. Benigno Aquino ran for a seat
in the législature from his jail cell, where a télévision crew interviewed him during the
campaign. The interview made a strong impression on the public and boosted Aquino’s
popularity. Nevertheless, according to the official élection results published by the
Marcos regime, Aquino was defeated by a little-known Marcos supporter by a landslide.
Only a few token opposition members were allowed in the new législature. Following
the élections, a court sentenced Aquino to death on a standing charge of murder of a
local politician, but under the pressure of international publicity, the regime allowed him
to go into exile in the United States. Marcos subsequently became seriously ill with what
turned out to be a terminal disease. It regularly prevented him from functioning normally,
and over time he began to lose control over key cronies and supporters.
Believing that Marcos might die soon, and eager to play a key rôle in a new era of
Filipino politics, Aquino decided to return to the country, fully aware of the danger of
assassination. Upon his arrivai in Manila in August 1983, Aquino was murdered on the
tarmac of the airport in the presence of international journalists. The assassination met
24 Political History of the Country

wiîh massive indignation in the country. Millions tumed out for the funeral despite heavy
monsoon rains. The murder severely damaged the regime’s national and international
réputation, which already had been declining steadily. Initially aftex the imposition of
martial law, the regime had enjoyed a significant amount of international crédit. Key
donors like the World Bank and the IMF, as well as goveraments and private banks,
poured money into the Philippines. Yet the internationally funded projects proved
unsuccessful due to corruption, indifférence and the influence of crony économies. The
country accumulated a huge foreign debt while failing to share in the economic develop­
ment affecting other states in the région.
The assassination of Aquino generated widespread sympathy for a new non-communist
opposition, though the active core of this opposition remained small. New, independent
papers proliferated and were distributed through informai channels. Despite this opposi­
tion, the hold of the Marcos machinery over the country remained strong. Marcos
attempted to regain public sympathy by officially lifting martial law and by organizing
new élections for the législature in 1984. The new législature included a significant
minority of opposition members elected despite massive cheating, physical harassment
and assassinations. Growing economic hardship, problems arising from the insurgency
and counter-insurgency campaigns and increasing evidence of rampant abuse of govern­
ment funds and economic privilèges by Marcos’ cronies contributed to growing discon­
tent with the Marcos regime.5
At the end of 1985 Marcos announced snap presidential élections to regain his national
and international credibility. Initially these ‘snap élections’ were viewed as a master
political stroke by Marcos. A victory in the élection might boost his national and
international prestige. The opposition was divided and might not be capable of fielding
a generally acceptable candidate. The time available for the opposition to campaign was
furthermore very short. Marcos on the other hand controlled most of the local government
structures and the army and had already perfected the tricks of manipulating élections.
Cory Aquino, the late Benigno Aquino’s widow, consented to run in the presidential
élection on the condition that one million signatures supporting her candidacy be
collected. Following the gathering of these signatures, an élection campaign ensued in
which she, as the représentative of her murdered husband and nemesis of the Marcos
regime, drew huge crowds and intense enthusiasm. Her campaign was forced to overcome
various types of harassment by Marcos loyalists such as power cuts during rallies in the
evening, and even the assassination of political allies.
The opposition to Marcos had anticipated massive électoral fraud by the government.
An organization of volunteers was created to closely monitor the élections nationwide.
Known as NAMFREL, these volunteer poil watchers monitored the levels of élection
turnouts in différent precincts so that the numbers could be checked against the figures
that the Marcos regime would provide. They witnessed the polling and accompanied
ballot boxes to prevent them from being stolen, and reported irregularities and acts of
intimidation. In some cases the volunteers even had to dive into rivers to recover ballot
boxes dumped there by Marcos supporters. The final assessment of the turnouts in Manila
was also closely monitored. Though the efforts of NAMFREL reduced élection cheating,
it nevertheless became patently obvious that électoral fraud had occurred on a wide scale.
Political History o f the Country 25

The officia] élection results published indicated a small victory for Marcos. This resuit
was confirmed by the Marcos-dominated législature.
Shortly after the Marcos regime announced re-election victory for the Président, a
rebellion by a small group of younger army officers known as RAM - who wanted to
reform the army and who were motivated by strong anti-communist sentiments - became
the spark for the famous EDSA revoit. Their political patron was Juan Ponce Enrile, who
had been Minister of Defense under Marcos but had been pressured to resign. Fidel
Ramos, a cousin of Marcos and offîcially the second highest military man, joined the
rebels. He had played an important rôle in the implementation of martial law yet had
been increasingly marginalized and distrusted by Marcos loyalists.6 Due to support for
the revoit by Mrs. Aquino and the Catholic church, millions of people moved to protect
the rebel soldiers who were holed up in Camp Aguinaldo, an army camp located along
Epifano de los Santos Avenue (or simply EDSA).
Realizing that the tide was rapidly turning against him, Marcos was persuaded to flee
the country to Hawaii through the médiation of the American Government. Mrs. Aquino
was then recognized as the new président. Apart from some fighting that occurred around
key télévision stations, and the launching of several missiles at the Presidential Palace,
the entire turnover of power had been non-violent and had resulted in few casualties. The
EDSA revoit became an inspiration for many other countries and spelled the Filipino’s
supreme moment of international glory. This glory, unfortunately, turned out to be rather
short-lived.

The EDSA Aftermath and the Marcos Legacy

Aquino Opposition Forces

The aftermath of the EDSA revoit showed how feeble the rebel coalition was. The RAM
soldiers who initiated the rebellion were by no means pro-Aquino. They resented the
corruption and favoritism in Marcos’ army but distrusted many leading Aquino foliowers,
whom they accused of communist sympathies. Their political loyalty was towards Ponce
Enrile. They even disliked and disrespected Ramos, so their loyalty toward Aquino did
not increase when Ramos was appointed as the new Chief-of-Staff. For his part, Ramos
withheld from appointing the RAM soldiers to important positions in the army, which
only increased the sense among these men that they had not received enough crédit for
their rôle in the EDSA revoit. Though the RAM faction had merely provided the
incidental rallying point for pro-Aquino forces to take over the government, they viewed
their rôle differently, believing that they should receive the main crédit for toppling
Marcos because their rebellion had served to trigger the wider action. Indeed they
believed they had as much right as Président Aquino to be in power, and consequently
felt free to topple Aquino if the country’s affairs did not develop in the way they wanted.
Another complication for Président Aquino was that both Ponce Enrile and Président
Aquino’s vice-president, Laurel, had presidential ambitions. It was to be expected that
they would question Président Aquino’s presidential capacities, especially as she had had
no previous experience in political office. Moreover, the EDSA revoit was concentrated
26 Political History of the Country

in Metro-Manila. Though Président Aquino had many followers nationwide, most

political and administrative bodies were dominated by Marcos cronies. This was even
a problem in Metro-Manila itself, where local government units, big business and public
services were controlled by Marcos cronies, who were not ready to give up their political
and economic power without a fierce fight.
The biggest problem for Président Aquino, however, was the military, which had
become an abusive machinery serving as a huge private army on behalf of Marcos. Many
army units were programmed to abduct, torture and/or kill civilians who might pose a
threat to Marcos’ power or the privilèges of his cronies. Though the army itself had some
dissident factions, and in the end refused to fire on the crowds at the EDSA, it still
constituted a mammoth military monster when Président Aquino assumed power. In
addition, behind the scenes, the Marcos family was still using their extensive network
to stage a come-back on the Filipino political scene.

Pro-Aquino forces
The pro-Aquino forces were rather heterogeneous themselves. Some of Aquino’s follow­
ers were, like herself, members of the old oligarchy and resented the décliné of their
wealth and power during the reign of Marcos. Their main objective was to restore the
earlier political and economic oïder - with its in-built social and economic inequality
- that existed prior to Marcos’ monopolization of power.
Another pro-Aquino faction consisted of various Catholic groups who pleaded for
moderate social reforms and for a close affinity between Church and state. The concem
of the Catholic Church for social reform was partly inspired by the fact that many priests
and nuns had joined the communist movement out of discontent over poverty and
oppression during the Marcos period.
Another important pro-Aquino group consisted of former political activists who had
rallied behind Président Aquino as a stratégie move to get rid of Marcos. This group
itself was somewhat heterogeneous, encompassing nationalists with Marxist sympathies,
libéral democrats in the American East-Coast tradition, social-democrats of the Scandina-
vian type, etc. Among these groups were a substantial number of human rights advocates,
including lawyers who had pleaded the cause of political prisoners during the Marcos
neriod. These human rights advocates favored a more drastic change in the Philippine
;ocial and economic structure than did the other main groups supporting Président
\quino. A group of human rights lawyers with particularly strong links to Aquino were
he members of MABINI, named after a famous late nineteenth-century Filipino national-
5t.7 When Président Aquino took over the presidency, a number of MABINI members
ecame part of her government.
A last component of the pro-Aquino forces included a large number of citizens without
i explicit political program who had simply grown discontented with the Marcos regime
îd who were inspired by Président Aquino’s mystique as the widow of a murdered
^position figure and by her image of personal integrity and resilience.
Political History o f the Country 27

Other Forces
The members of the anti-Marcos opposition favoring greater structural changes - which
included human rights advocates - had been divided over the ‘snap élections’ in early
1986. Some of them, such as the MABINI members, rallied to Aquino while others
boycotted the presidential élections altogether. The foremost group involved in the
boycott was the National Démocratie Front, an alliance of organizations linked to the
Maoist Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed guerrilla wing, the NPA. But
other groups and individuals also expressed réservations, such as the leftist-oriented
nationalist camp dominated by scholars from the University of the Philippines. One
reason for this réservation was the suspicion that Président Aquino, once in power, would
protect the interests of the old oligarchy of which she has been a member. Many of the
boycott advocates also believed that in any case Marcos would use fraud to engineer
victory for himself in the élections. In this view, participation in the élections could be
interpreted as a récognition of their legitimacy, thereby helping Marcos to regain public
legitimacy as an autocrat. Several prestigious senior members of the opposition to Marcos
shared these réservations.
The groups that boycotted the élections played little or no rôle in the EDSA revoit and
therefore did not share in the ‘glory’ of the uprising. This created a serious problem of
legitimacy and ideological confusion. These groups were excluded from of the spoils of
the EDSA rebellion and thus lost public credibility. Moreover, the fact that a non-violent
urban uprising could déposé a dictator proved a serious anomaly for the historical
materialist explanatory framework. This anomaly was reinforced by the very explicit
religious component of the EDSA revoit. The mass action that occurred during the course
of the rebellion included frequent public prayer, use of giant images of the Holy Mary,
descriptions of the revoit as a cosmic battle between good and evil, etc. One way of
resolving the anomaly was to interpret the EDSA revoit as a restoration rather than as
a révolution. This was the reaction of the extreme left. In their perspective, Président
Aquino was just another représentative of the dominant classes and of American imperial-
ist interests. They saw evidence for this in the continuing presence of two major Ameri­
can military bases in the Philippines, and in Président Aquino’s own descent from the
landed elite.

Obstacles Facing the Aquino Administration

In this very heterogeneous power structure and atmosphère of mutual distrust, the Aquino
administration pursued several important objectives. It was faced with the need to
dismantle the remnants of the Marcos power structures, to promote social justice and
fight poverty, and to stop the war between the army and the communist insurgents as
well as its concomitant human rights abuses. Toward this latter end, the government
announced a cease fire and negotiations for lasting peace with the rebels.
This peace process was obstructed from the very beginning. The army was suspicious
of the communist guerrillas and was afraid the Aquino government would grant them
too many concessions. An additional problem was that the army units outside of Manila
had never been involved in EDSA, and had never chosen to move against the military
leadership of Marcos. The loyalty of the army to Ramos was also far from certain.
28 Political History of the Country

Additionally, there was much distrust in the army toward various Aquino cabinet
members, such as the MABINI lawyers, who were accused of being communist infiltra-
tors. The RAM soldiers were particularly displeased with the peace process.
The government found itself provoked in a sériés of ways. Assassinations, such as the
abduction, torture and murder of a major leftist labor union leader, discredited and
embarrassed the réputation of the government. Moreover, several members of the Aquino
government - including Président Aquino herself - received death threats, as for instance
the mock or failed assassination attempt perpetrated during a visit by the Président to
the Philippine Military Academy in Baguio City.
Already in June 1986, only several months after the EDSA uprising, RAM soldiers
staged their first attempt at a coup d’etat, in collaboration with several Marcos cronies,
including Marcos’ candidate for vice-president in the 1986 snap élections. Although this
action failed dismally, it nevertheless marked the start of a long sériés of coup attempts
and aborted coup attempts which seriously eroded the country’s stability.
The récurrence of coup attempts as well as the continued perpétuation of human rights
violations by the military was reinforced by the ‘old boys’ mentality, or tayo-tayo spirit
as it is called in the Philippines. Though the army included a number of contending
factions, who actually fired upon and sometimes killed one another during the various
coup attempts, in général, the soldiers also protected one another due to this mentality.
Sanctions against coup plotters or other perpetrators were not appreciated by their peers.
Because of the unstable power balance and coup threats, the Aquino regime found itself
virtually powerless to discipline rebellious soldiers. Although individual perpetrators were
punished on several occasions, in général such plotters were treated quite leniently. The
soldiers involved in the first coup attempts, for instance, were punished with simple
‘push-ups’.
The leniency toward rebel soldiers resulted in a contemptuous and arrogant attitude
amongst the plotters. When the last coup attempt in December 1989 - which was the
longest, most threatening and bloodiest of them ail - finally came to an end, the surren-
dering rebels told the public that they were not giving themselves up but merely ‘return-
ing to barracks’.8 The main net effect of these coup attempts was that the army increas-
ingly raised its price for supporting the Aquino regime during these actions. The influ­
ence of the army leadership on the Aquino Government therefore steadily increased.
Widespread dissatisfaction existed within the military about the Aquino regime, a
situation which provided the RAM soldiers and their allies an opportunity to actively
recruit sympathizers in the army.
Meanwhile, the communist rebels did not display much eagerness to negotiate either.
By the end of 1986 they, as well as various radical leftist groups, had become increasing-
ly opposed to the Aquino Government. This culminated in, amongst other things, mass
démonstrations. The peace talks finally collapsed completely in January 1987 after the
infamous Mendiola Bridge massacre. This massacre took place at a time when the control
of the Aquino Government over the country and particularly over the military, was very
ineffective. Rumors of a new coup attempt were in the air, and there was much uncertain-
ty as to who in the army would remain loyal to the government in the event of such an
Political History o f the Country 29

attempt. Certain cabinet members could never be sure they would still be alive the next
day.
The peace talks with the communist rebels had become increasingly useless. Even if
the government agreed to sign an accord, it was very questionable whether the military
would actually respect the agreement in practice. Segments of the army had become very
impatient with the government’s alleged laxity with communists and suspected commu-
nists. Président Aquino had been forced to remove or to reduce the influence of several
members of her administration who were suspected by the military of being communist
infiltrators. These factors resulted in further growing distrust in the Aquino Government
by the radical left, and facilitated the décision of the communist left to résumé the armed
struggle in full intensity.
In this unstable political climate, and in a context of mass public protests organized
against the government, a militant leftist peasant organization, the KMP, led a sériés of
démonstrations in favor of radical land reform which was being blocked by the landed
elite, who continued to exercise strong political influence. During one such protest, the
demonstrators unexpectedly stormed toward the presidential palace. Soldiers who were
present opened fire on the storming crowd, leaving 19 demonstrators dead. Though the
Aquino Government claimed to be greatly shocked by this event and denied having
ordered the shooting, members of the opposition, as well as various human rights
advocates, have held the Aquino Government responsible for the massacre.
In the aftermath of this event, Président Aquino became increasingly incapable of
withstanding pressure from the military. Members of her administration who were
accused of communist sympathies resigned or were relegated to the margins of the
cabinet. A few of those who left as the resuit of différent cabinet reorganizations later
joined the ticket of Président Aquino’s new party for the senate élections in 1987.9
During this time, the war intensified between the army and the insurgents, who now
diversified their strategy to adapt to the new conditions. Initially, the efforts of the
insurgents in urban areas had been threefold: to obtain logistic support and new recruits
for the armed struggle in the countryside, increase political sympathy among city dwellers
and déstabilisé the existing political and economic order, thus enhancing the revolutionary
climate. The National Démocratie Front (NDF), consisting of non-governmental organiza-
tions and popular structures such as labor unions, was an important component of this
overall strategy. The insurgents also moved to infiltrate other organizations in order to
bring their positions in line with those of the NDF.
Gradually, the NPA diversified its strategy, in some parts of the country assertively
targeting urban areas. By 1986, large segments of Davao City, the second largest urban
conglomération of the country, were controlled by the NPA. The question of strategy
was one of the main sources of internai division within the Communist Party of the
Philippines/New People’s Army, and led to frequent bloody purges.10After the Mendiola
Bridge Incident, a unit within the NPA, called the Alex Boncayao Brigade, strongly
intensified a campaign to assassinate soldiers, policemen and other enemies. The assassi-
nations were mostly conducted by squads of two young men operating on a motorcycle
in broad daylight. These squads, which were capable of disappearing completely within
moments of the assassination attempts, were called ‘sparrows’. The sparrow units also
30 Political History of the Country

turned against American servicemen. Spectacular examples of their activity included the
killing in 1988 of Colonel James Rowe, a Vietnam vétéran explicitly ‘lent’ to the
Philippine Government to assist in the counterinsurgency effort, and the killing of four
American air force servicemen in Angeles City in late 1987.
In the meantime, the Aquino Government had taken some controversial steps to fight
the communist insurgency. In 1987 the Président revived Republic Act 1700, also known
as the Anti-Subversion Act, which was originally introduced in 1957, but had been
expanded by Marcos. Following the EDSA revoit the act was abolished, but after the
collapse of the peace talks with the insurgents it was reintroduced, albeit with several
amendments.11
Other controversial steps12 included the ‘total approach’ strategy to counteracting the
communist insurgency and the introduction of CAFGUS (Citizen Armed Force Geograph-
ical Units). The ‘total approach’ was aimed at the destruction of the insurgents’ mass
base. On the one hand, the strategy foresaw engaging the guerrillas militarily wherever
they resisted or were expected to resist. On the other hand, the army attempted to win
the sympathy of the local population in insurgent-infected areas by assisting in infrastruc­
ture and livelihood projects and through support of other useful activities. These efforts
formed part of a broader attempt to counter the political, economic and cultural root
causes of the insurgency and to provide means to help former rebels return to normal
life. Critics however consider this policy as a mere continuation of the ‘total war’ strategy
pursued during the Marcos period, which allegedly aimed at destroying the insurgents'
mass base not by winning the people’s sympathy but merely by harassing and intimidat-
ing the local population.
The CAFGUS consist of citizens who are selected, trained, armed and supervised by
army units to act against insurgents and to protect villages or neighborhoods not easily
accessible to the military. These units were created after the spectacular success of the
Alsa Masa movement in Davao City. With the help of a local army officer there, a few
NPA defectors created an anti-communist armed group - the Alsa Masa movement -
which drove the NPA out of Davao City in a very short time. Apparently the NPA had
lost a great deal of credibility in the area because the action of this group received
considérable public approval in Davao. This success and public approval greatly enhanced
acceptance of the CAFGUS by Président Aquino. Critics however regarded the CAFGUS
- which were not officially assigned to highly urbanized areas - as a continuation of the
notorious Citizen’s Home Defense Units, which had earned a réputation for gross human
rights violations. Apart from CAFGUS, a number of other anti-communist groups
operated which were not formally sanctioned by the army. These groups are called
vigilantes and have perpetrated their own share of human rights violations.
During the early years of the Aquino administration, the human rights situation in the
Philippines did not dramatically improve over that of the Marcos period. Some have
argued that the situation actually worsened, and that there was a continuity of human
rights violations from the Marcos era through the Aquino years.
Political History o f the Country 31

Internai Struggles
Despite huge public support for Président Aquino during and just after the EDSA revoit,
her administration nevertheless experienced a legitimacy problem. Though she was
recognized as Président, and it was widely believed that she would have won the earlier
presidential élections if there had been no cheating, no incontestable proof existed that
she actually had won these élections. Nor was there any constitutional basis for her
presidency. The Marcos-dominated législature had declared Marcos the winner, so the
right of Président Aquino to rule could still be - and actually was - contested. For a
constitutionalist like Président Aquino, this posed a problem. At the same time the need
existed to dismantle the power structures of the former Marcos regime swiftly and
rigorously.
The Aquino camp was divided over the appropriate course of action. One group
favored an indefinite period of ‘revolutionary government’, in which the Marcos législa­
ture and Constitution would be abolished and in which Président Aquino would rule by
decree. This revolutionary government could in their opinion serve to destroy ail the
vestiges of Marcos power and introduce drastic social and economic reforms. This group
was betting on the massive existing support for Président Aquino. If the military or
Marcos loyalists tried to topple her rule the masses would rally to her as they did during
the EDSA revoit.
A second group favored maintaining as much continuity with the direct past as
possible. The members of this group believed that a revolutionary government would
make Président Aquino look like a new dictator. They preferred that she work with the
existing Marcos législature and Constitution for a period, and change things gradually.
Although the législature had earlier declared Marcos the winner, it turned out to be
willing to cooperate with Président Aquino, as the parliamentarians began to fathom the
changes of the times. Various former pro-Marcos legislators wrote letters expressing their
support for the new order. One of them even wrote his message in his own blood. The
group favoring maximal continuity believed that Président Aquino’s regime would not
have been subject to so many coup attempts had she chosen this option.

The 1987 Constitution

In the end, Président Aquino elected to pursue a path between these options of indefinite
revolutionary government and maximal continuity with the Marcos era. She abolished
the Marcos Constitution and législature and declared revolutionary government, yet
promised the establishment of a new Constitution quickly. A provisional constitutional
framework was issued in the meantime, reapplying the old Bill of Rights of the 1935
Constitution and the articles on the judiciary included in the Constitution passed by
Marcos in 1973. A Constitutional Commission was chosen to draft the new document.
Président Aquino promised that the new Constitution would be subject to a plébiscité,
and that élections for a new Congress, consisting of two houses, would follow soon. She
also decreed the dismissal of ail of the nation’s judges and justices, and formed a
committee to reappoint these selectively after screening. The Supreme Court was charged
with restructuring the judiciary and the bar in order to recreate a judicial system that
would be independent, effective, efficient, and fair to everyone.
32 Political History of the Country

In an attempt to foster national réconciliation, représentatives from a broad political

spectrum were appointed as members of the Constitutional Commission. The selection
ranged from leftist représentatives, such as KMP leader Jimmy Tadeo, to Blas Ople, a
Marcos cabinet member and very loyal follower of the former dictator. Even during the
EDSA revoit, Ople actively and unapologetically lobbied in the United States for support
for Marcos. The heterogeneity of the commission membership occasionally led to chaos.
There were frequent quarrels, staged ‘walk outs’, televised ‘walk backs’, etc.
Despite these différences in early 1987, a Constitution indeed emerged. A dominant
aspect of this Constitution concerned provisions aimed at preventing another figure like
Marcos from monopolizing power. The Constitution also expressed the concern of the
Aquino administration for human rights, explicitly referring to these rights in the body
of the text. Important in this context is also that the judiciary received a spécial rôle in
relation to human rights. Article VIII, section 1 spécifiés: ‘Judicial power includes the
duty of the courts of justice to settle actual controversies involving rights which are
legally demandable and enforceable.’13This implies that Filipino citizens can seek redress
in the courts when their constitutional rights are violated. The same section of the
Constitution also assigns to the courts the rôle of arbiter over the conduct of government
agencies, thus adding an extra check on potential government abuse: ‘... and (judicial
power includes the duty of the courts of justice) to determine whether or not there has
been a grave abuse of discrétion amounting to lack or excess of jurisdiction on the part
of any branch or instrumentality of the government’. So the courts have the authority
and even the duty to make binding décisions regarding possible abuse of power or
négligence on the part of government agencies.
Another important aspect of the Constitution was the création of a new government
body, the Commission on Human Rights, which would be independent from the executive
branch: the main function of this body was to provide a forum where victims of human
rights violations could address their complaints. The Commission was charged with
investigating these daim s, offering help to victims and witnesses and informing govern­
ment prosecution officers of its findings.
The Constitution was overwhelmingly ratified in a plébiscité, yet it has remained
controversial. On the one hand, criticism has been levelled based on légal and practical
considérations. According to this line of argument, the Constitution was clearly written
in great haste and therefore was not subjected to sufficiently thorough reflection. For
instance, critics consider the Constitution to be too long-winded and containing too many
duplications as well as vague and unrealistic paragraphs.
Criticism has also been voiced based on political considérations. Segments of the leftist
and nationalist camps were strongly opposed to the Constitution, alleging that it favored
the rich and powerful. Jimmy Tadeo was one of two commissioners who withheld his
signature. Instead of signing, he wrote that he intended to vote no in the coming plébi­
scité. On the other side of the spectrum, various Marcos loyalists expressed strong
opposition, even though Blas Ople agreed to sign the Constitution. One former Marcos
cabinet member, who later became a senator, tore up a copy of the Constitution in a
public démonstration. Marcos’s running mate in the 1986 snap élections, who also later
became a senator, compared the Constitution to a ‘beautiful woman with aids’.14Whereas
Political History o f the Country 33

many leftists and nationalists found the Constitution insufficiently nationalist and radical,
the military and politicians linked to the military, such as Ponce Enrile, as well as some
conservative former Marcos supporters, considered the Constitution derogatorily as an
‘effeminate document from leftist Street parliamentarians’.15 The various reactions to the
Constitution reflected the serious political opposition to the Aquino Government during
that time, even from within the former EDSA coalition.

Interprétation o f the Aquino Government’s Course o f Action

It might be tempting to conclude that the problems besetting the Aquino Government
were enhanced by its ambivalence in choosing between the two différent options: that
of maximizing legitimacy by leaving the Marcos Constitution and législature intact while
introducing change only gradually; and that of introducing drastic reforms without
worrying about formai legitimacy. But the Philippine situation was a very complex one.
It was true that the former Marcos législature had expressed their support for Président
Aquino, in view of her enormous popularity. But this was merely an expression of
extreme opportunism at that time. During the early days of Aquino’s rule, Marcos
loyalists actively worked to déstabilisé her regime and to préparé a political comeback
for the Marcoses. Leaving an important former power base of the Marcoses intact was
altogether risky in that context.
Nevertheless, a prolonged period of revolutionary government would have been quite
risky as well, increasing the likelihood of a military take-over. Segments of the army
were very displeased about the government’s revolutionary status. The promise of new
élections and a new Constitution were therefore not merely matters of ideological
persuasion but were measures necessary to ensure the government’s survival. The
insurgents had declared war on the government and were contributing to the instability
of the country and the administration. Furthermore, a refusai to fight on the part of the
government increased the likelihood of a successful army coup and the conséquent
destruction of démocratie space. This could have foreclosed on the improvement of the
human rights situation for a long time. To rely on people’s power as displayed during
the EDSA revoit was also risky. The EDSA rebellion had remained largely non-violent.
Yet there was no guarantee that possible future confrontations between the army and pro-
Aquino demonstrators would not resuit in major bloodshed.
Another danger posed by the scénario of prolonged revolutionary government was that
it might have enhanced the credibility of the far left. The extreme left had boycotted the
‘snap élections’ as well as the EDSA revoit, thereby losing a large measure of its
credibility. Future répétitions of the EDSA revoit might give the extreme left a second
chance, providing it an opportunity to increase its influence. This in turn would increase
the likelihood of new coup attempts.
A final argument against prolonged revolutionary government was that no guarantee
existed that the crowds would support the regime massively in the streets again, due to
ningas cogon. This term expresses a cultural-psychological inclination often referred to
by Filipinos themselves.16 Literally, the term refers to a type of weed that easily multi­
plies but quickly perishes when exposed to fire and heat. The inclination expressed by
the term relates to the fact that Filipinos often start activities with intense enthusiasm,
34 Political History of the Country

but abandon them quickly without having finished them. In this context, ningas cogon
implied that the intensity of the EDSA spirit was no guarantee that the crowds would
act similarly in the future. The same people who stopped tanks with their bare hands
might décidé to stay home when the Aquino regime needed them again.
The growing influence of the army resulted in declining support for the Aquino
Government from moderate leftists, nationalists and radical libérais. This in turn increased
such influence even more. As one former associate of Aquino puts it: ‘they (referring
to moderate leftists, nationalists and radical libérais) were our natural allies. But ail they
did was to criticize us. They didn’t support us, so we didn’t have enough political
backing to counter the pressure from the army’.

The Transition from Aquino to Ramos

The Final Years o f the Aquino Administration

The last and most devastating coup attempt against the Aquino Government resulted in
substantial bloodshed. It involved the seizure of a luxury hôtel with many foreign
hostages, and was only defeated with the help of the United States Air Force. This coup
attempt which occurred in December 1989 had a further paralyzing effect on the govern-
ment. The paralysis was then reinforced by a sequence of natural calamities, of which
the éruption of the Mt. Pinatubo volcano in 1991 was the most dramatic.
The government’s grip on the country had been strongly eroded. Président Aquino not
only demonstrated little control over the army, but in the end scarcely exercised control
over her own administration, relatives and friends. Corruption and nepotism, which had
manifested to one degree or another since the beginning of her rule, intensified. Though
Président Aquino had shown exceptional personal courage in the campaign leading up
to the ‘snap élections’ as well as during the various coup attempts, as a widow she was
considered weak by her opponents. The Aquino regime continued the ‘politics of bare
survival’.
The increasing influence of the army on the Aquino administration was demonstrated
in December 1989, when Président Aquino made use of the presidential veto to block
a congressional bill transferring jurisdiction over crimes committed by soldiers against
civilians from military to civilian courts. The jurisdiction of military courts over acts
committed by soldiers against civilians was based on an old Marcos directive, Presidential
Decree 1850, which had not yet been repealed. Only several weeks after the most
devastating of the coup attempts, Président Aquino found it inopportune to repeal this
old decree. It was finally repealed however in June 1991, thereby transferring jurisdiction
over military acts against civilians to specifically civilian courts.
Within the narrow limits allowed for by the practice of survival politics, the Aquino
administration, as well as the Philippine Congress, made a number of efforts towards the
promotion of human rights. In addition to the bill that finally repealed PD 1850, the
Congress approved a Witness Protection, Security and Benefit Program, which offers
protection, material support and, if necessary, a completely new public identity to
testifying witnesses of heinous crimes and gross human rights violations. Président
Political History o f the Country 35

Aquino also issued an order that required military personnel, as a requirement for
promotion, to obtain a clearance from the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) certify-
ing that no human rights case was pending against them. Memoranda, orders and
guidelines on the conduct of soldiers in armed conflict were issued continuously by the
Président, the CHR, the armed forces and the police.17 These measures were not very
effective, though politically-inspired human rights violations declined somewhat during
the Aquino administration.

The Election o f Président Ramos

In 1992, Fidel Ramos was elected to succeed Aquino as Président. He obtained about
23% of the vote, but due to the large number of contestants participating in the presiden­
tial élections, this percentage proved sufficient for him to triumph over his rivais. Despite
the relatively small number of votes cast in favor of Ramos, and the fact that various
sectors of Filipino society - including segments of the military - neither trusted nor
respected him, his administration proved to be more stable than that of the Aquino
Government. The units responsible for most of the coup attempts were marginalized or
themselves abandoned their résistance against the top army leadership. The main military
rebel leader, Honasan, even ran for - and was elected to - the position of senator in
1995. The same year saw an amnesty for ail soldiers who had been involved in coup
attempts. Many of these were even reinstated in the army, provided that they had not
been guilty of committing any common crime apart from their rebellion.

The Ramos Administration and the Communist Rebels

In 1992, Président Ramos instituted new peace talks with the communist rebels. Since
Ramos has a réputation as an anti-communist soldier, the army awaited the results of
these talks, believing that unlike former Président Aquino, Président Ramos would not
jeopardize the national interests in pursuing an agreement. An illustration of the changing
political climate was the repeal of the Anti-Subversion Act by the Philippine Congress
in September 1992.18The counterinsurgency campaign grew less intense, and the number
of human rights violations committed in this context declined. The far left had clearly
lost the momentum it enjoyed during the Marcos period. Its power base, already affected
by the EDSA revoit, further decreased as a resuit of the collapse of Communism in
Eastern Europe and of Marxist views and communist economic policies in many other
parts of the world. The economic success and rising living standards of neighboring
Asian countries who had applied non-communist policies also challenged the socio-
economic model of society promoted by the far left. Many sympathizers dropped out of
the leftist ranks and the movement as a whole was further drastically weakened by
continuing internai divisions. In particular the CPP/NPA’s classically Maoist leaders, who
are in exile in the Netherlands, split from various local branches operating within the
Philippines. This internai split was replicated in various other leftist organizations, such
as the peasant body KMP, the labor organizations Bayan and KMU and various human
rights NGOs. These dissensions gave credibility to the classic charges that such organiza­
tions were infiltrated, or even dominated, by communists.19
36 Political History of the Country

The attitude of the leadership of the far left in the peace talks with the Ramos adminis­
tration increased doubts about whether this faction was really interested in concluding
a peace agreement at ail. Negotiators for the NPA/CPP raised numerous procédural
objections about secondary issues such as the venue for the talks themselves, but also
opposed a major proposai to grant amnesty to political rebels. This proposai was put
forward by the National Unification Committee, a body appointed by président Ramos
to study the terms of national réconciliation. The NPA/CPP leadership feared that such
an amnesty might split its ranks, and was furthermore suspicious of the motives behind
the proposai.
By July 1995, both the NPA/CPP leadership and the Ramos Government finally agreed
to hold peace negotiations in Brussels, but as of a year later, the negotiations had not
yet begun in earnest. In 1997, substantial talks resumed in the Netherlands. The Ramos
administration enjoys by far the better bargaining position, and as a resuit is not encour-
aged to grant very many concessions. If the negotiations fail, public opinion will un-
doubtedly blâme the communist leaders because of past experience. In the event that the
negotiations are successful, on the other hand, this will spell the end of the armed
insurrection. In this context it seems doubtful that the NPA/CPP would be able to
transform itself into an effective peaceful opposition. Whether or not the peace talks
succeed, the further marginalization of the communist movement seems certain.
Nevertheless, the Ramos Government continues to face serious law and order challeng­
es. One such problem was the resurgence of assassination activity by the Alex Boncayao
Brigade in late 1995, which was primarily directed at wealthy businessmen. Though this
strategy underlines the despair felt by some communist factions over the érosion of their
power, it nevertheless présents a challenge to the efforts of the Ramos government to
guarantee a stable environment for business investments. Other problems have included
a broader national crime wave and abusive conduct by policemen and soldiers. Both of
these phenomena will be discussed in the next chapter.

The Ramos Administration and Muslim Segregationists

A final major problem for the Ramos government was an escalation of the struggle by
Muslim segregationists in parts of the South. This problem stems from the fact that
traditionally Muslims have never been well-integrated into the Filipino nation at large,
and had already managed earlier to elude control by the Spanish colonizers. Though
extensive peaceful coexistence has existed between Muslims and Catholic Filipinos, there
has also been serious animosity, leading in some cases to violent clashes. Several Muslim
factions initiated an armed secessionist rebellion, though other parts of the Muslim
community are content with achieving limited autonomy. Still others simply seek a fair
share of, and access to, the nation’s power structure and resources.
Between 1975 and the early 1990s the problems posed by Muslim rebels were subordi-
nate to the communist rebellion and the anti-communist military insurgency. Both Marcos
and later the Aquino and Ramos governments attempted to obtain a peace settlement with
the Muslims through concessions and negotiations. Nevertheless, some factions have
refused to negotiate and have resorted to kidnappings and hit-and-run tactics. The
bloodiest incident in this regard was the attack perpetrated by an armed band on 4 April,
Political History of the Country 37

1995 against a commercial center in ïpil in Southern Mindanao in which 35 civilians and
peace keepers were killed at random. Suspecting Muslim secessionists of responsibility
for this and other massacres, the Ramos government mobilized a large-scale military
campaign against the dissident Muslim factions in Mindanao. Additionally, in 1995 an
alleged plot was detected allegedly exposing a link between these Muslim factions and
foreign Muslim fundamentalists who had been preparing an international urban terrorist
campaign. This raised suspicions in the Ramos administration that these dissident Muslim
factions were planning to launch major terrorist attacks in Metro-Manila. In September
1996 a peace agreement was finally reached between the government and important
factions of the Muslim population. However, the agreement did not lay a sufficient basis
for lasting peace. Apart from the fact that some non-Muslims had misgivings about the
agreement, the most radical Muslim factions were not involved in the accord, and these
were the very elements that had been generally identified with international terrorist
threats. Fighting between the army and radical Muslim factions therefore continued, as
did attacks against civilians. A dramatic example was the killing of ten school children
and their teacher on 16 March, 1997 in Buldon, an incident which the army and one of
the Muslim groups have blamed on one another. Peace talks between the government
and these radical Muslim factions are still taking place.
The fear of Muslim terrorism, as well as the resurgence of communist urban terrorist
activity, led the Department of Justice and pro-Ramos legislators to urge the adoption
of an anti-terrorism law. Four versions of the law have been proposed. Extensive police
powers in surveillance and investigation - including of bank accounts - and the possibili-
ty of arresting suspected terrorists or members of a terrorist organization without a
warrant have been important elements in these various proposais. Nevertheless, ail four
versions of the draft law have been shelved for the time being due to serious opposition
both in Congress and in civil society. This opposition has been facilitated by a fear that
the threat of terrorism will be used to legitimize new restrictions on civil liberties, just
when the anti-subversion law has finally been repealed. Moreover, a fear exists that the
anti-terrorism law will be abused, and that as a conséquence innocent people will be
harassed. Since measures against terrorism are high on the international political agenda,
and since a fear of terrorist attacks in the Philippines does not appear to be entirely
without foundation, discussion of new anti-terrorist législation may re-emerge in the near
future.

The Ramos Administration and Current Political Debate

Apart from reducing the risk of armed rebellion, the Ramos administration was also able
to significantly reduce political opposition from within Congress. Already in 1992, the
Speaker of the House of Représentatives, who is a loyal follower of Président Ramos,
managed to obtain the support of the majority of représentatives, including those elected
from outside his party. Following the élections in 1995, Ramos’ political faction also was
able to obtain dominance in the Senate.
In 1996 however, the unity of the Ramos Government in both Houses of Congress
began to show serious cracks. An important reason for this was the stipulation in the
Constitution preventing Président Ramos from standing for a new term. The person most
38 Political History of the Country

often cited by opinion poils in recent years as the most likely candidate to win the
presidential élections in 1998 is the incumbent Vice-President, who represents an
opposition party. Given these conditions it is no longer so attractive for politicians to
be identified with the party of Ramos.
The organization of the political system has been the subject of much debate during
the Ramos administration, particularly in Congress. The political requirements for
sustained economic development have been frequently invoked as the main argument
in support of proposais to introduce major changes in the political and administrative
structure of the country.
One issue of debate has concerned whether the Philippines should abolish the Senate
and continue with a unicameral House, the members of which would be elected on a
district basis. An argument advanced in favor of abolishing the Senate is that the Senate
often simply repeats the same discussions debated in the House of Représentatives. This
serves to delay and frustrate the work of the House at a time when economic revival
requires swift and speedy législation. Another argument is that 24 Senators chosen by
the nation at large cannot satisfactorily represent the interest of the many régions and
subregions in the country.20 The proponents of this change also point out that the
Constitution leaves open the question of introduction of a unicameral House, and that
the introduction of a bicameral House was accepted by the Constitutional Commission
of 1987 by a margin of only one vote.21
A more radical proposai has been to replace the existing presidential system - involv-
ing a strong executive head elected by the nation at large - by a parliamentary system.
Under the parliamentary framework, executive power would lie in the hands of a cabinet
headed by a prime-minister elected from the ranks of parliament by the parliamentarians
themselves. An important argument in favor of such a change is that the parliamentary
system supposedly brings more continuity to policy than the presidential system, in which
each new elected président may entirely break with the policies of his predecessor. The
defenders of a parliamentary system argue that such a system is particularly suited for
countries pursuing quick economic growth, since such growth requires stability and
continuity of economic policies. Moreover, in the presidential system the séparation of
powers between the various branches of government is often driven too far, resulting in
a deadlock between the président and the législature. In the parliamentary system on the
other hand, a doser coopération is said to exist between the executive and the législature,
which allegedly facilitâtes the speedy introduction of plans to promote economic growth.
A major proponent of this proposai was the present Speaker of the House of Représenta­
tives. Adoption of such a change, however, would require a major amendment of the
Constitution. As it happened, this proposai proved to be too radical for rapid adoption
and in 1996 disappeared from the agenda, at least temporarily.
A final proposai involved retaining the presidential system but allowing Président
Ramos to run for a second term. The stability and continuity supposedly necessary for
sustained economic growth is also a main rationale for this proposai. Moreover, support­
ers of Président Ramos think that he is performing very well in office and that the
Filipino people should have the right to choose whether he should continue as Président.
This proposai has been combined with another related proposai to eliminate the maximum
Political History o f the Country 39

ternis of office that the Constitution allows for Senators - 12 years - and for Représenta­
tives - 9 years. The main argument in favor of this latter proposai is that the present
maximum terms for Senators and Représentatives involve a loss of valuable accumulated
législative experience. Furthermore, these maximum term limits produce frequent changes
in the composition of the two houses of Congress, which in turn generate fluctuations
in the legislature’s work. Stability of législation however is seen as a key to sustained
economic growth. A final argument asserts that many of the legislators whose maximum
allowable term of office will expire in 1998, have been active and successful in drafting
législation that promoted economic growth. It would therefore be wrong to deny them
a longer term without first Consulting their electorate in the subséquent élections.
The example of various neighboring countries who have achieved considerably more
economic growth than the Philippines, but who have much less democracy, has even
raised the question of whether the Philippines may actually require a more authoritarian
political system in order to facilitate economic growth. Consequently, the debate on
proposais for changes in the political system in the Philippines has been extremely
politicized. Proponents of major changes are easily suspected of favoring authoritarian-
ism, and of using economic growth as an excuse to keep a spécifié clique of politicians
and administrators in power indefinitely.
The proposai to abolish the Senate was a key subject of discussion in Congress
between 1992 and 1995. In this period the pro-Ramos coalition dominated the House of
Représentatives, but had a minority in the Senate. As a resuit, the législative plans of
the House faced considérable opposition in the Senate, and the pro-Ramos faction was
accused of proposing the abolishment of the Senate for selfish political motives.
The proposed shift to a parliamentary system having no maximum term limits for
members has been criticized because, as has just been said, it would allegedly facilitate
the ability of a political clique to maintain itself in power indefinitely. Moreover, the
people would no longer have a direct voice in choosing the most powerful person in the
country, who would now be the prime-minister. In fact, it is argued, under such a
parliamentary framework, a politician without any appeal to the majority of the Filipinos
could still be appointed to exercise the most powerful government function, simply by
being elected by the majority of fellow parliamentarians. Given the traumas of past
dictatorship and the réputation of politicians for craving power, it would be very risky
to reduce the system of checks and balances, according to critics of this approach.
The proposai to abolish maximum term limits for the Président, Senators and Représen­
tatives has met with pervasive criticism, as it obviously serves the self-interest of
incumbent elected politicians. Some critics even suggest that the maximum term for
elected politicians is by far the best element of the 1987 Constitution. According to these
persons, the term limit provisions are the only way the country can actually rid itself of
unreliable politicians.22
There have been several serious attempts to amend the Constitution to allow an
extension of the term of office of Président Ramos and other elective officiais. One such
attempt was via a people’s initiative. According to the 1987 Constitution, a people’s
initiative can directly propose constitutional amendments (though no more than once
every five years) provided it is supported by the determined number of signatures.
40 Political History of the Country

Subsequently, the proposed amendments need to be ratified in a plébiscité.23 An associa­

tion called PIRMA organized a people’s initiative on the term limit issue, but the effort
did not prosper, as it was declared invalid by the Supreme Court in March 1997. This
décision by the Supreme Court will be further discussed in section on ‘The Economic
and Political Power of the Judiciary’ in chapter 4.
Proponents of an extension of the terms of elective officiais have also actively lobbied
for a constitutional change within Congress. According to the 1987 Constitution, Con­
gress can propose amendments to —as well as more extensive or drastic révisions of —
the Constitution in two ways: either by a vote of three-fourths of the members of
Congress, or through the organization of a Constitutional Convention in which selected
delegates study and propose amendments or révisions. In order to call a Constitutional
Convention, a two-thirds majority of ail members of Congress is required. In the event
that a smaller majority of Congress is in favor of such a convention, the convention can
be established following approval in a national referendum. Furthermore, ail amendments
or révisions proposed by Congress or by a Constitutional Convention also need to be
ratified in a national plébiscité. As of June 1997, neither of the initiatives to préparé
constitutional amendments or révisions via Congress had prospered.
Since 1996, the proposai to extend the terms of elective officiais has became an
increasingly hot and divisive issue in the Philippines, both in Congress and in civil
society. One of the most vocal opponents of such an extension has been the Catholic
church. Proponents and opponents of such an extension have been very vigilant and
suspicious of one another’s activities and motives. Though Président Ramos has always
publicly denied that he is seeking an extension of his term, opponents have accused his
trustées not merely of supporting but directly orchestrating the people’s initiative.
Furthermore, two senators who filed pétitions with the Supreme Court to block this
people’s initiative have been accused of being motivated by their own presidential
ambitions. Similarly, when Président Ramos threatened to push for a constitutional
amendment to reduce the scope of judicial review in February 1997, some opponents
accused him of using this issue as a pretext to also press for a constitutional change
allowing an extension of his term of office. In February 1997, the Sandiganbayan ordered
a ninety days suspension of the Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Constitutional
Amendments and Révision of Codes and Laws. This Senator is not only an opponent
of the term limit extensions, but also an archenemy of Président Ramos. The Senator
immediately filed a protest with the Supreme Court and accused the Ramos Government
of orchestrating the suspension in order to facilitate quick moves toward constitutional
amendments in the législature. Proposais toward any constitutional amendments have
become politicized in this political climate. For instance, proposais from Président Ramos,
or his supporters, to regionalize the élection of senators and to speed up the législative
process, are considered by Ramos’ opponents to be pretexts for constitutional changes
of the terms of elective officiais. This mistrust is facilitated by the active support
Président Ramos has given to the Marcos dictatorship for many years. Therefore, various
sections of Filipino society still suspect him, as well as some of his key advisers, of
strong authoritarian sympathies, in spite of the rôle Président Ramos played in the EDSA
revoit which terminated the Marcos dictatorship.
Political History o f the Country 41

Notes

1. This section is inspired by the articles by Cullinane on the rise of Sergio Osmena, and by
McCoy on Quezon’s Commonwealth in: Paredes, R.R. (Ed.): Philippine ColonialDemocracy.
1989, Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila Press.
2. Agoncillo and Guerrero. History o f the Filipino People. Fifth Edition 1977, Metro-Manila:
R.P. Garcia: 84.
3. See for instance, Kabisig Filipino Values and National Developments: 13,14. In interviews
authoritative informants have frequently emphasized this fact as well.
4. Not ail the cronies belonged to the traditional elite, yet they were incorporated into one
oligarchie faction. The old oligarchie order of course has not been static. It has incorporated
some new groups and lost old ones. Yet many of its constituting dynasties have shown
considérable continuity.
5. Because of this rampant abuse of funds and privilèges the Marcos regime was often character-
ized as a ‘cleptocracy’.
6. According to one rumor in the mid-1980s, an American scénario favored Ramos to replace
Marcos.
7. The name was also an abbreviation of ‘Movement of Attorneys for Brotherhood, Integrity
and Nationalism’.
8. The Aquino Government may have allowed the rebels the opportunity to engage in this kind
of bragging in order to help them save face somewhat, and thus facilitate the ending of the
coup attempt. Given the enormous importance of amor priopio in Filipino culture, this face-
saving device might be understandable to some degree. However it reinforced the notion, both
among the public and among present and future rebels, that rebellion against the government
hardly resulted in punishment. Various Filipino informers expressed great dismay over the
govemment’s leniency toward the rebel soldiers and over the opportunity given to them to
play down their surrender publicly.
9. One of these candidates, Augusto Sanchez, the former Minister of Labor who was also a
Mabini member, was subjected to a remarkable élection trick, which resulted in his defeat.
In the Philippines, voters have to write the full name of candidates of their choice on the
ballot. A completely unknown person with the name of Gil Sanchez filed with the Comelec
just before the deadline for new candidates to register expired. Many people who voted for
Augusto Sanchez but who were not aware of the candidacy of Gil Sanchez just wrote Sanchez
on their ballots without the name Augusto. Because it could not be proven that the ballots
with merely Sanchez came from voters who supported Augusto, these votes were declared
invalid. Consequently, Augusto Sanchez lost, in spite of the fact that even the Supreme Court
acknowledged that Gil Sanchez was merely a nuisance candidate.
10. The fear of military infiltration into the ranks of the rebels was another cause for bloody
purges.
11. The act was revived through Executive Order No. 167, and subsequently amended by
Executive Order No. 276.
12. A few other controversial steps included:
- Executive Order No. 272 which increases the length of time allowed to detain an accused
without trial.
- Executive Order No. 276 which broadens the anti-subversion law and reduces restrictions
on the filing of complaints of subversion.
- Republic Act No. 6968 which creates a new crime, coup d ’état, discriminâtes between
leaders and participants of a rebellion, and increases the penalty for leaders of a rebellion to
42 Political History of the Country

life imprisonment, and participation in a rebellion to réclusion temporal (Source: Dioknom

M.S.I. and Sanidad A.V., Justice and the Rule ofLaw in the Philippines. Metro-Manila 1990:
11).
13. Nolledo, J.N., The Constitution o f the Philippines Explained. Rev. Edition. Metro-Manila:
National Bookstore 1992: 170.
14. Nolledo, J.N. Supra at note 13: VII.
15. Ibid.
16. Kabisig Supra, at note 3: 15.
17. See for instance, the mémorandum of the minority of CHR commissioners regarding the report
of Amnesty International The Killing Goes On, March 1992.
18. Republic Act No. 7637.
19. About the split in the leftist ranks, see for instance Cristobal, M., ‘The Split in the National
Démocratie Movement and its Effects on Human Rights.’ Human Rights Forum, Vol. IV, No.
1, 1994: 67-86. Metro-Manila, Philippines.
20. In this context one recent proposai has been to retain the Senate, but to elect its members on
a régional basis. This proposai has been inspired by the fact that the candidates from the
south, notably from Mindanao, have not been able to match the resources - and the skills of
élection manipulation - of rich candidates from the north.
21. See Nolledo 1992, Supra at note 13: 113.
22. In this context the term ‘trapo’, which is an abbreviation for ‘traditional politicians’ is often
used. The term refers to a very negative perception of the dominant style of politics in the
country’s history. A ‘trapo’ is a politician who is considered to be corrupt, hypocritical,
intriguing, cheating, and only interested in power and money at whatever cost and at
whomever’s expense.
23. Section 2 of Article XVII.
 Chapter 3

Human Rights and Due Process in the Philippines

Human Rights Concerns after EDSA

Human Rights under Marcos

Marcos began monopolizing political and economic power in the country after he was
first elected président in 1965 and extended this power further after declaring martial law
in 1972. Until February 1986, he controlled the country through an oppressive machinery
of soldiers, security agents, spies, local henchmen and paramilitary units. Both armed
and peaceful political dissent was dismantled.
The political context that Marcos created facilitated the development of a tacit consen­
sus amongst human rights advocates - whatever their conceptual and philosophical
différences - concerning what constituted human rights violations and who the perpetra-
tors and victims of such actions were. Human rights violations were clearly identified
as those acts of repression committed against political dissidents, suspected political
dissidents and anyone challenging the economic interests of Marcos’ political clique. The
perpetrators were the représentatives of a monolithic oppressive machinery, led by a
tyrant. The context of human rights violations, which included warrantless arrests, torture,
extrajudicial killings, destruction of homes and possessions, etc., was clearly political.
These violations were furthermore the conséquence of an explicit and systematic govern­
ment policy to perpetuate its tyrannical power. Human rights advocacy was a form of
political dissent in itself, and even branded as communist agitation by the Marcos regime.
So the Philippine experience under the Marcos dictatorship strongly promoted a close
identification of human rights violations with tyranny and the crushing of political
dissent, and between human rights violators and abusive State agents.

Human Rights under Aquino

Following the EDSA revoit, the human rights situation became much more complex.
During the Aquino administration a paradoxical situation occurred in which the central
government explicitly renounced human rights violations and introduced constitutional
provisions to combat such violations, but in which many human rights violations by the
military, a main State agent, continued to occur.
This paradox was caused by the very little effective control that the central government
was able to exercise over the various military units. Its ability to effectively discipline
erring soldiers was further strongly undermined by the fact that it needed the loyalty of
the military leaders for its bare survival. Since the military itself was factionalized and
divided, despite its ‘old boys’ mentality, the effective control of the army leadership over
certain units was also limited. The army leadership also had to engage in diplomatie
balancing acts to keep the army together. Strong action against abusive military or
paramilitary units would have undermined this balancing act. This meant that the
intention of the government to fight human rights abuses was often simply ignored by
44 Human Rights and Due Process in the Philippines

army units, many of whom had been programmed to behave abusively under the rule
of Marcos.
Another serious problem that the Aquino Government encountered was a communist
movement dedicated to its overthrow through armed struggle. The government faced a
grave dilemma and was forced to make a choice between two evils: either fight the
insurgency using a military machinery that was inclined toward committing abuses, or
not respond militarily and see its control gradually stripped away. It decided to fight
back. Consequently it was not able to achieve its aim of eradicating human rights
violations.
As a resuit of the restoration by the Aquino Government of freedom of the press,
assembly and speech, politically-inspired human rights violations by state agents, notably
the army, were increasingly restricted to acts committed against communist insurgents
and those correctly or - in a substantial number of instances, incorrectly - branded as
their supporters.1 But the steady loss of legitimacy by the communist left facilitated a
further waning of public interest in human rights violations committed in the context of
the counterinsurgency.
Other social and political concerns began to compete with politically-inspired human
rights violations for the attention of the public. The enormous influence of private armies
and crime syndicates in the country became a main focus of public concern, as well as
the involvement of the police, military, and local politicians in these syndicates. In the
context of this activity, state agents were identified as both perpetrators and victims of
violence.

Human Rights under Ramos

This latter trend continued after Ramos succeeded Président Aquino. Lawyers involved
in the Presidential Anti-Crime Commission, which was created specifically to fight large
crime syndicates, received death treats. Further, a former state prosecutor who had been
involved in directing cases against major criminals, barely survived an assassination
attempt in late 1993. Other government agents who were very vulnérable to such violence
were employees of the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources involved
in campaigns against illégal logging syndicates. A spectacular example in which members
of the légal system were victims of criminal attacks occurred in Ilagan City in the island
of Mindanao in early 1996. Both a defense lawyer and a Régional Trial Court judge
involved in a lawsuit against a lumber company were gunned down and killed within
two days of each other.2
Concern over crime was reinforced by widespread dissatisfaction concerning the
performance of the various pillars of the criminal justice system, including the courts.
Spécial attention in this regard was focused on the fact that soldiers and policemen
frequently act as protectors and hit squads for crime syndicates. In 1993, one Philippine
NGO, Citizen’s Crime Watch, even estimated that half of the crimes committed in the
country involved policemen. This enormous police involvement, as well as the great
difficulties the Ramos administration faced in dealing with these armies, syndicates and
criminal state employees, underline the fragmentation of effective power in the Philip­
pines.
Human Rights and Due Process in the Philippines 45

Social and Political Considérations

The social and political changes ensuing after the EDSA revoit affected interprétations
and priorities concerning human rights issues. For members of the radical left, nothing
had really changed: to them, both Président Aquino and Ramos were pawns in the hands
of monolithic capitalism and American neo-colonialism, and they viewed human rights
violations exclusively acts committed by state agents as a resuit of systematic political
repression.
For human rights advocates sympathetic to the EDSA révolution, the situation was
more problematic. They advanced a number of arguments concerning why they should
continue to give priority to human rights violations committed by state agents in the
context of systematic state policies.
First, although authoritative instruments on human rights - including the International
Convention on Civil and Political Rights —do not restrict the définition of human rights
violators to state agents, nevertheless they attribute a central responsibility to states and
their agents for ensuring respect for, protection and promotion of human rights.
Second, it became clear soon after the EDSA revoit that the oppressive machinery of
Marcos was still largely intact. The counterinsurgency effort, which the Aquino Govern­
ment continued to support, remained a major context for human rights violations. The
break with the Marcos period was significant in many ways but unfortunately, was by
no means complété and therefore did not justify the adoption of an entirely new focus
in the use of the concept of human rights and human rights violations.
Third, renewed tyranny in the Philippines remained a strong possibility. People
therefore needed to stay very alert in monitoring tendencies toward the development of
a new tyrannical structure. Systematic campaigns against political dissent of any nature
are particularly suspect since these can easily deteriorate into patterns of abuse. The call
for the adoption of emergency measures in 1995, to give the government extensive
powers to fight the resurgence of urban terrorism by the Alex Boncayao Brigade as well
as the feared further escalation of terrorist activity by Muslim secessionists, illustrated
this need for alertness.

Interprétation o f Human Rights Violations

On the basis of the above considérations, some segments of the Philippine human rights
movement chose to stick to the dominant interprétation of what constitutes human rights
violations developed under Marcos.3 In this interprétation, there is a clear conceptual
démarcation between human rights violations and common crimes, though this does not
imply that common crimes are necessarily morally less répugnant than human rights
violations. Cruel acts committed by political rebels are qualified as common crimes under
this interprétation, while similar acts perpetrated by the semi-govemment CAFGUS units
and by right-wing civilian vigilante groups are qualified as human rights violations.
Though these latter groups may not formally be identified as state agents, they are
regarded, in this interprétation, as de facto elements of the government machinery, openly
or secretly assigned and supported to perform counter-insurgency work on behalf of the
military.
46 Human Rights and Due Process in the Philippines

The notion that the break with the Marcos era was not radical enough was reinforced
by discontent with the way the Commission on Human Rights operated in its early years.
To begin with, a number of staff members were closely related to the military, which
undermined the Commission’s independence from the very agency whose violations it
was called upon to investigate. Second, the CHR initially acted very passively. It did not
seize the initiative in investigating human rights violations, but waited first until a
complaint had been filed with it. Moreover, the personal relationship between the first
chairman of the Commission and human rights NGOs was quite problematic. Since 1992,
the réputation of the CHR has improved, but is still somewhat controversial.
Nevertheless, the central focus on violations in the context of state campaigns, such
as counterinsurgency, takes into account too little that the state has lost the degree of
monolithic purpose and opération that characterized it under Marcos. The hold of the
Aquino administration over state agencies, and most notably the military, was weak. The
state was fragmented rather than monolithic. Some représentatives of the state promoted
human rights, others violated them. In some cases, the perpetrators and the victims of
human rights violations both were state agents. In this situation of fragmented state
power, it is difficult to pinpoint whether the abusive acts of one state agent or agency
are really the product of a systematic state policy or merely represent individual initia­
tives by the agent or agency in question. The context of human rights violations may be
a systematic campaign waged against political rebellion. This does not necessarily mean
however that these violations are the natural results of this campaign. They may be the
resuit of the way some spécifié state agents decided to implement the policies of the
central government.
In practice, focus on acts which are the product of state policy restricts attention to
violations committed in the context of counterinsurgency campaigns. This focus indeed
characterized the approach of a substantial number of Philippine human rights advocates
following the EDSA revoit. The waning power and public legitimacy of the communist
insurgency, and the emergence of other général human rights concerns, made such a
dominant focus on politically-inspired human rights violations increasingly problematic.
By failing to adjust their human rights agenda to the changes of the times, these advo­
cates facilitated their own marginalization in society.
Another interprétation of human rights violations also focuses on the rôle of state
agents but excludes a link to systematic campaigns and/or général suppression of political
dissent. In this interprétation, human rights violations concern acts committed by
government représentatives in their capacity as state agents. The context of these acts
is the pursuit of a général objective of the state, such as protection against crime, but
not necessarily spécial campaigns such as counterinsurgency efforts. Nor do these acts
necessarily need to be politically-inspired. In this interprétation, the beating of a suspect
by a policeman during an arrest qualifies as a human rights violation whether it concerns
a suspected political dissident or not. But when a policeman beats up somebody over a
private quarrel, it qualifies as a common crime.
The problem in the Philippines, however, is that the distinction between acts committed
by persons in their capacity as state agents and acts by the same persons in their identity
as private citizens is often difficult to make. It has been a widely acknowledged tradition-
Human Rights and Due Process in the Philippines 47

al problem in the Philippines that the public realm frequently tends to be treated as a
mere extension of the private realm. In this context, the prérogatives of government office
are often used for private ends. It is not uncommon, for instance, for policemen to use
information gathered in investigations to commit subséquent burglaries. One dramatic
case of the rape and murder of four women by several policemen began with the arrest
of these women on charges the policemen had fabricated themselves. Furthermore,
criminal gangs tend to have contacts among politicians and law enforcement officers who
use the prérogatives of their office to peddle protection for criminal elements.
A completely opposite interprétation is to include acts committed by any perpetrator
in the définition of human rights violations. On a conceptual level, the problem posed
by this position is how to demarcate human rights violations from common crimes. This
interprétation also poses practical problems for defining the mandate of human rights
organizations. The mandate of the Commission on Human Rights is an example of this.
At the emphatic request of the military, the Commission included acts committed by
communist rebels in its mandate. Later, it began to include abuses by private individuals.
The resulting wide scope of its operational focus and its concomitant lack of priorities
appeared to have undermined its effectiveness, at least in its early years.
Still another interprétation of human rights violations is to include acts by both
individuals and state agents, but to emphasize those committed by state agents as more
serious because the respect for and promotion of human rights is a spécial responsibility
of the state. This was the position of the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights
under Président Aquino.4
A final interprétation of human rights concerns is to distinguish between the définition
of human rights violations and the mandate and jurisdiction of human rights bodies. In
that case a limitation of the focus to a specific type of potential human rights violators,
for instance state agents, is based on practical expediency, not on philosophical and
conceptual considérations.

Politicization o f the Concept o f Human Rights

To some degree, the diverging interprétations of human rights and human rights viola­
tions reflect politicization of the concept. The explicit inclusion of - and emphasis on -
human rights violations by communist insurgents in the mandate of the Commission on
Human Rights reportedly has been manipulated by the military for propaganda purposes.5
The attitude toward the CAFGUS units is another case in point. Most of the calls to
abolish the CAFGUS are based on a sincere concern concerning the effects of their
activity on human rights. However, among communist sympathizers, the call to abolish
the CAFGUS is also partly inspired by concern over their success in fighting the rebels.
Staunch anti-communists on the other hand exaggerate the degree to which communist
sympathies inspire concern over CAFGU abuses.
The varying emphases expressed within the human rights movement in the interpréta­
tion of human rights violations have also been related to divergent political positions and
choices. The approach to human rights protection which cites as its main focus acts
allegedly produced by a systematic state campaign against dissent, appears to prevail
among segments of the human rights movement that remained outside the Aquino and
48 Human Rights and Due Process in the Philippines

Ramos administrations. Human rights violations committed by the military are considered
in this view as the logical conséquence of states policies such as the ‘total approach’.
State bodies are thus regarded with suspicion or outright hostility, whereas steps taken
by the government to promote human rights are viewed with distrust. The interprétation
of human rights, and the assessment of the human rights record of the government, thus
become statements of political opposition. An example of this was provided at the World
Conférence on Human Rights in July 1993 in Vienna. While Président Aquino received
an award from the UN for the steps she had taken to promote human rights, the record
of her administration in this area was lambasted by représentatives of Philippine NGOs
at the same conférence.
Though many human rights advocates have been maliciously labelled as communists,
it cannot be denied that communist idéologies and commitments have indeed exercised
considérable influence on certain human rights NGOs in the recent past. This was
demonstrated in 1994 when various NGOs replicated the split that occurred within the
communist NPA/CPP/NDF.6 Those following the line of the Dutch-based leadership of
the NPA/CPP/NDF are termed ‘reaffirmists’, while those opposing this line are known
as ‘rejectionists’. Reaffirmists believe that human rights concerns should be an intégral
part of, or subordinate to, a communist style struggle for national libération. Rejectionists
assert that the struggle for the defense and promotion of human rights is an important
and legitimate pursuit in its own right, a point of view which reaffirmists disqualify as
‘bourgeois’. Nevertheless, even various rejectionists still apply an explicitly Marxist
framework in analyzing current events in the Philippines.7 The split appears to have
strongly facilitated a drop in the ranks of participants in the activities of human rights
NGOs.
Those members of the human rights movement that joined the Aquino Government
tend to downplay the element of systematic state campaigns in their interprétation of
human rights. On the one hand, their interprétation of human rights violations may serve
to shift responsibility for the continuation of gross human rights violations after the
EDSA revoit, the level of which was too obvious too ignore. If these human rights
violations were natural conséquences of systematic government policies, this would imply
that human rights advocates in the Aquino Government shared responsibility for these
violations, since they were politically responsable for these policies. By denying that these
violations were a natural conséquences of policies for which the Aquino human rights
advocates were responsible - and by denying a necessary intrinsic link between human
rights violations and systematic policies in général - personal responsibility for these
human rights violations could be evaded.
An involvement in the government also changed the way various human rights
advocates perceived state agents and even the military. Though the legacy of Marcos’
military machinery proved very problematic, the military could no longer be viewed as
merely a monolithic and systematically répressive entity. This change of perception has
been very well articulated by a well known Philippine human rights lawyer who, for a
while, was a close aide to Président Aquino. During his time of office in the Aquino
Government, he was branded a communist by the military and received several death
threats. Nonetheless he said: ‘when you are in government and look at the soldiers, you
Human Rights and Due Process in the Philippines 49

see human faces with human problems, not merely robots of an oppressive machinery.
I have seen soldiers who literally fainted from hunger. Others did not have a roof over
their heads’.
Another remark by this human rights lawyer illustrâtes the politicization of human
rights in the Philippines: ‘I, as well as other cabinet members, were subject to death
threats and harassment. During one coup attempt Président Aquino’s son was almost
killed. Yet you do not find these incidents in the monitoring reports of human rights
NGOs’.
Human rights violations that are committed within the context of the army’s struggle
against insurgents or suspected insurgents form a dominant emphasis in reports from
international human rights NGOs. Consequently, these international human rights reports
have met with a politicized response. Staunch leftist and libéral critics of the Aquino
regime interpreted these reports as supporting their own position; libéral backers of the
Aquino administration acknowledged the accuracy of most of the statistics, but criticized
the reports for failing to convey the complexity of the Philippine context.8 They also
counterbalanced criticism from national and international NGOs with references to the
praise Président Aquino had received from the United Nations for her effort in the area
of human rights. For their part, right-wing soldiers and civilians have tended to regard
these international reports as products of communist propaganda.

The Values Attributed to Human Rights

The value itself of the concepts of human rights and human rights violations has also
been contested in certain circles. Under Marcos, the concept of human rights was branded
as a tool of communist propaganda. This remained the opinion among important sections
of the military after Président Aquino took over. The increasing public attention paid to
rampant and heinous crimes in the country has further challenged the concept of human
rights, and particularly the right to due process. There is a notable perception among the
public that human rights advocacy implies being soft on criminals and thus being hard
on their victims as well as on the général public, which deserves protection from crime.
This problem will be elaborated later in this chapter, in the section on ‘Crime and Due
Process’.
Perhaps the most dramatic fate to which the concept of human rights has been subject-
ed is the tendency to reduce it from a universal principle to a mere pragmatic tool for
the promotion of personal interests. Some people call everything they object to a
‘violation of their human rights’. In one instance, a former président of the Integrated
Bar of the Philippines complained through his university fraternity to the Commission
on Human Rights that his own human rights had been violated by the Supreme Court
(in the Philippines the Bar is under the supervision of the Supreme Court). Amongst other
things, the Court had denied him the right to travel. This former président had been
disciplined by the Supreme Court for gross mismanagement of personnel and funds.
During the disciplinary investigation, the Supreme Court allegedly denied him a pétition
to leave the country for a lecture and a médical check-up. The Supreme Court regarded
this request as a delay tactic. The absurdity of his ensuing complaint was underlined by
the fact that one of the main targets of his action was a Justice who had been a vétéran
50 Human Rights and Due Process in the Philippines

human rights lawyer and Marcos opponent, and who served as the Supreme Court’s
spécial conscience in human rights cases. The Commission on Human Rights dismissed
this complaint. Another example was provided by Imelda Marcos, the widow of the late
dictator. She had been part of a machinery responsible for numerous gross human rights
violations and which dismissed the validity of the concept of human rights altogether.
Yet when she was finally convicted after due process in late 1993 to 18 years imprison-
ment on only a few of the numerous charges brought against her, she complained that
her human rights had been violated. The availability of the term human rights with its
rich connotations turned out, after ail, to be useful to Mrs. Marcos.

Social and Economic Rights

A final human rights concern that needs to be mentioned specifically concerns violations
in the context of economic policies. During the Marcos era, economic exploitation and
political oppression were closely linked. The démocratie space created after the EDSA
revoit did not significantly alter the problem of mass poverty and of gross economic
inequality, due to generally poor economic performance by the country and obstruction
of reforms by the economic elite. The economic program of the Ramos administration,
Philippines 2000, aims at addressing the issue of mass poverty.
Nevertheless, Philippines 2000 poses serious problems for the promotion of human
rights, both for individuals and collectivities. The program capitalizes on the availability
of cheap labor in the country in order to stimulate investment, both foreign and domestic.
The logic of the program assumes that major sacrifices by the impoverished masses are
inévitable in the short run before the benefits of economic development can trickle down
to them over the long term. This logic, however, may easily be abused to legitimize
continuing gross exploitation in ternis of wages, labor conditions, fringe benefits and job
security. Another danger inherent in Philippines 2000 is that it may serve to legitimize
violations of the rights of spécifié groups, such as répressive and discriminatory labor
policies; the massive conversion of agricultural land into industrial sites; destruction of
the ancestral land of tribal minorities; environmental destruction; and forced resettlement
of rural and urban poor to make way for large-scale economic or infrastructural develop­
ment projects. The latter danger is particularly pressing because the development of
infrastructural projects has become the most prominent and visible aspect of Philippines
2000. In this context, human rights advocates tend to apply the term ‘development
aggression’ to describe such abuses. According to these advocates, development becomes
development aggression ‘if the people become the victims instead of the beneficiaries
of development, and if they are set aside rather than made partners of development’.9
At least until the early 1990s, civil and political rights dominated human rights debate.
But as a conséquence of Philippines 2000, social and economic rights and ‘development
aggression’ have increasingly become a major focus of interest for human rights NGOs
in the Philippines. However, the concern for social and economic rights is also subject
to politicization. Criticism of the social and economic rights record of the Ramos
administration is also used as a basis for a politically-inspired rejection of the govern-
ment’s policies and programs. In this context, the Ramos administration has been
critieized for its alleged préoccupation with rapid growth and with making the Philippines
Human Rights and Due Process in the Philippines 51

a ‘New Industrialized Country’, like the tiger économies. In actual practice, critics argue,
this préoccupation proceeds at the expense of sustainable - human - development and
ecological stability.10 Notwithstanding the merits of much of this criticism, it is striking
that communist or former communist sympathizers have joined the ranks of these critics,
leading to fears that valid concern for human rights violations in the context of Philippine
2000 will be abused for the sake of sectarian political interests. Such abuse could in turn
undermine the credibility of the struggle against ‘development aggression’ among the
wider public.
The decrease in importance of the communist insurgency on one hand, and continuing
résistance in the face of gross socio-economic and political inequalities and increasing
emphasis on social and economic rights on the other, has given momentum to NGOs
engaged in litigation and paralegal training for underprivileged groups in society, such
as tribal minorities and urban poor. These groups believe that the present laws and légal
system discriminate against the socially and economically underprivileged in society,
despite the existence of démocratie space. In their view, légal action on behalf of the
underprivileged is inséparable from non-violent social action to structurally reform
society, as well as restoration and maintenance of the ecological balance in the country.
These groups generally work on behalf of collectivities rather than individuals.”

The Commission on Human Rights

Paradoxically, the broad mandate of the Commission on Human Rights (‘CHR’), which
has constituted a major source of criticism from human rights NGOs, proves to be an
asset in the socio-political context of the Ramos administration. This broad mandate has
accounted for a degree of adaptive flexibility on the part of the CHR. In the context of
a decreasing importance of politically-inspired human rights violations, the CHR can
easily shift its focus to other kinds of human rights abuse. Nevertheless, the broad
mandate of the CHR continues to have drawbacks as well. The attention of the CHR to
an increasingly divergent number of human rights issues also disperses the application
of its efforts and resources and consequently places constraints on its effectiveness.
Generally speaking, the réputation of the CHR has remained problematic. On the one
hand, various improvements have been registered. Rejectionist représentatives of human
rights NGOs participate in the CHR’s human rights training programs for military and
the police, while one former représentative of a critical NGO has become a member of
the CHR. The appointment of the second chairman to the CHR also increased its
credibility, as did the granting of an award by UNESCO in récognition of the its police
training programs. But there have also been setbacks. In some cases, appointed commis-
sioners had very little knowledge of human rights. The third chairman of the CHR, who
was appointed by Président Ramos in 1996, was practically unknown in human rights
circles. Moreover, she is the wife of an army général, which shows at the very least that
Président Ramos demonstrates little concern for the sensitivities of the human rights
community in the Philippines.
52 Human Rights and Due Process in the Philippines

The Supreme Court, Human Rights and Survival Tactics during the
Aquino Administration12

Warrantless Arrests
During the Aquino administration, the Supreme Court made various controversial
décisions giving the Army and the police forces extensive powers to fight the insurgency.
Three cases became particularly well known in human rights circles.
The first of these was the case of Valmonte v. de Villa:n In the context of the ‘total
approach’ policy a police force had set up check points in an area of Metro-Manila. At
these checkpoints policemen stopped and searched cars and people at will, without a
warrant. Two petitioners, one of whom was a légal NGO acting on behalf of residents
in the area, requested the Supreme Court to prohibit the roadblocks and the warrantless
searches. Not only did these unwarranted roadblock searches imply a violation of basic
civil rights p er se, according to the petitioners, they also involved intimidation and
harassment. One civilian was reportedly shot dead by policemen at one of these road­
blocks after he refused to stop his car despite repeated requests.
The majority of the Supreme Court ruled that ‘checkpoints during abnormal times, if
conducted within reasonable limits, are constitutional’.14 It thus assumed that the times
were abnormal because the new urban strategy of assassinations by the communist
insurgents posed security threats. It also believed that no proof of harassment had been
provided. In the context of these ‘abnormal times’, the searches were considered to be
reasonably conducted, and therefore, according to the Court, Article III, section 2 of the
Constitution, which states that the people have an inviolable right to be secure from
‘unreasonable searches and seizures of whatever nature and for whatever purpose’, did
not apply to this case.
But the most controversial statements in the ruling played down the rights of the
individual, for the sake of peace and order. Literally the Court said: ‘between the state’s
inherent right to preserve its existence and promote public welfare and an individual’s
right against a warrantless, albeit reasonably conducted, search, the former should prevail.
The manning of checkpoints by the military is susceptible to abuse by the men in
uniform, in the same manner that ail government power is susceptible to abuse. But at
the cost of occasional inconvenience, discomfort and even irritation to the citizen,
checkpoints during these abnormal times when conducted within reasonable limits are
part of the price we pay for a peaceful and orderly society’.15
Two Associate Justices dissented. One of them issued this strong and eloquent warning:
‘Unless we are vigilant of our rights, we may find ourselves back to the dark era of the
truncheon and the barbed wire, with the Court itself a captive of its own complaisance
and sitting at the deathbed of liberty.’16
The second case became known as Guazon v. de Villa (30 December, 1990).17 A
group of petitioners, consisting of community leaders and other private citizens, com-
plained to the Supreme Court about 12 incidents in Metro-Manila in 1987, in which
soldiers and policemen conducted a so-called saturation drive or ‘area target zoning’. As
part of these campaigns, communities were raided with residents being awakened by
shouting and banging of doors, and the men of the community ordered to come out and
Human Rights and Due Process in the Philippines 53

their tattoos and other marks searched at gunpoint. The houses were scoured for incrimi-
nating evidence. Apart from inflicting damage on the houses and property, some residents
complained that soldiers and policemen stole money and valuables from them. Beatings
and other violations also occurred. A number of people were arrested, some briefly,
others for longer periods. Torture of detainees was also reported.
The petitioners requested the Supreme Court to prohibit this kind of saturation drive.
The respondents claimed that these campaigns were planned with the assistance of
community leaders who persuaded the residents to cooperate voluntarily. Furthermore,
the alleged victims themselves had not complained.
The majority of the Court ruled that, strictly speaking, the affair was not a matter for
the Supreme Court to address, but rather for the executive departments and the lower
courts, since not one actual victim had complained and no one among the alleged
violators had been charged. The Court stated in this context: ‘Well-meaning citizens with
only second-hand knowledge of events cannot keep indiscriminately tossing problems
of the executive, military, and police to the Supreme Court as if we are the repository
of ail remedies for ail evils.’18 The Court further stated that the case was more appropri-
ate for the Commission on Human Rights, and that the state agencies involved in peace
and order campaigns should set clear guidelines to restrain abusive behavior. It also stated
the need for a method to pinpoint human rights violations and to identify perpetrators.
The Court did temporarily restrain the military and police from spécifié abuses while
stating: ‘... the alleged banging of walls, the kicking in of doors, the herding of half-
naked men to assembly areas for examination of tattoos, the violations of résidences even
if these are humble squatter shanties, and the other alleged acts which are shocking to
the conscience.’19 But the Supreme Court refrained from declaring saturation drives
unconstitutional as such.
The same two Associate Justices who had dissented in the case of Valmonte v. de Villa,
dissented in this case as well. They declared that the majority of the Supreme Court had
‘passed the buck’ to the Commission on Human Rights and other agencies on the basis
of mere technicalities. In their opinion, since this case involved constitutional rights, it
fell within the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court, even without spécifié charges against
spécifié perpetrators having been brought by spécifié victims. The two dissenters regarded
saturation drives as illégal per se.
The third case, which became known as Umil v. Ramos (9 July, 1990; reconsideration
3 October, 1991), was the most controversial.20 This case concerned eight pétitions for
habeas corpus on behalf of persons who had been arrested in 1988 without a warrant.
In one case, a person was arrested by military agents while being treated in a hospital.
These agents had acted on information that a member of an urban hit squad who had
allegedly assassinated two policemen a few days earlier, was being treated for a gunshot
wound in a hospital. On another occasion, a person was arrested after some witnesses
had claimed that he had used subversive language during a gathering of drivers of public
transport vehicles, calling for a nationwide strike. In a further instance, a man was
arrested on suspicion of committing murder two weeks earlier. Upon his arrest he
implicated an accomplice in the murder, who was also arrested without a warrant on the
same day. In two other cases, several people were arrested without warrant while visiting
54 Human Rights and Due Process in the Philippines

alleged hideouts of communist insurgents. These hideouts were under surveillance with
the légal backing of a search warrant. The persons arrested were found in possession of
alleged subversive documents, as well as guns, ammunition or both. In the last case a
person was arrested without a warrant in her own house, based on documentation found
in one of the above-mentioned cases. Alleged subversive documents and ammunitions
were also found during the arrest.
Ail but one member of the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of these various
arrests. The most crucial and controversial assertion of the majority of the Court was that
the suspects concerned were lawfully arrested for subversion and/or membership of an
outlawed organization.21 In this case the Court invoked several Supreme Court décisions
from the Marcos era, including Garcia v. Enrile from 198322 and the Ilagan v. Enrile
case from 1985.23 Ilagan v. Enrile concerned three lawyers who were detained on the
basis of an unsigned warrant. The Supreme Court ordered their release, but the order was
simply disregarded by the military. Subsequently, the military asked the Supreme Court
to reconsider its décision, claiming to have filed an ‘information for rebellion’ and
obtained warrants of arrest from a lower court in the meantime. The Supreme Court
granted the military’s request for reconsideration, because the military had meanwhile
met the requirements of a légal arrest, despite the fact that the original arrests had been
illégal. In the Umil v. Ramos case, the Supreme Court invoked this ruling, stating that
habeas corpus does not apply to situations in which a person is legally arrested and in
which an information against him has been filed.24
The Garcia v. Enrile case considered rebellion as a continuing offense. The ruling
further held that arrests made by Président Marcos were valid and were beyond judicial
review. In the interprétation of the majority of the Supreme Court in the Umil v. Ramos
case, the doctrine of ‘continuing offense’ implies that a person who wants to overthrow
the government is continuously acting as a subversive, and is therefore by définition
caught in the act of subversion when arrested. The Court explained the distinction
between continuing offenses, such as subversion, and common offenses as follows:
‘Unlike other so-called common offenses, the commission of subversion and rebellion
is anchored on an ideological base which compels the répétition of the same acts of
lawlessness and violence until the overriding objective of overthrowing the government
is attained.’ The reference to the Garcia v. Enrile doctrine, however, was contested by
several members of the Supreme Court. In addition to the one dissenting justice, a
concurring justice rejected this doctrine as a valid argument applicable to the décisions
in the Umil v. Ramos case, while two other justices stated that the Garcia v. Enrile
doctrine might need to be revised in the future.
Another important argument that the majority used was that the warrantless arrests
were valid, because in ail cases there had been personal knowledge of facts of criminal
activity on the part of the arresting officers. This knowledge was based on ‘probable
cause’ - an actual belief or reasonable grounds of suspicion - coupled with good faith
on the part of the peace officers making the arrests. By its statement that the arrests were
based on probable cause, the Court rejected the anticipated criticism that its ruling would
legitimize arrests on the basis of mere suspicion of subversion or membership of a
prohibited organization.
Human Rights and Due Process in the Philippines 55

The only member of the Supreme Court who dissented completely from the ruling was
a vétéran human rights lawyer and Marcos opponent. He stated that the law defines
subversion as ‘knowingly, wilfully and by overt acts affiliating oneself with, becoming
or remaining’ a member of a subversive organization. In his opinion, ‘overt acts’ implies
that these acts must be visible to the eye. The alleged member of the hit squad was
certainly not arrested at a time when he was committing such overt acts of subversion,
since he was simply lying in his hospital bed. In the justice’s opinion it was also strange
that this man was not chaxged with subversion, for which he was supposedly arrested,
but with ‘double murder with assaults upon agents of authority’. In his opinion, neither
the Garcia v. E m ile nor the Ilagan v. Enrile doctrines rightfully belong to the jurispru­
dence of a démocratie society. He also regarded the criteria for personal knowledge
applied by the majority of the Court not merely as flimsy but also inconsistent with the
most récent révision of the Rules of Court. This révision suggests that personal knowl­
edge implies direct, first-hand knowledge, not second-hand information. In his opinion
the définition of personal knowledge used by the majority validated mere hearsay as a
ground for warrantless arrests. He believed that the Court’s ruling created a dangerous
precedent, giving the military blanket authority to seize anybody without a warrant.

The Umil v. Ramos décision stirred vigorous criticism in human rights circles. The
dissenting justice and vétéran human rights lawyer interpreted this décision as a signal
that the far right had triumphed in Philippine society after a brief shining moment at
EDSA.25 In his original dissenting opinion, he dramatically stated that: ‘Four years ago
at EDSA, and many years before it, although with much fewer of us, we valiantly
challenged a dictator and ail the evils his regime stood for: repression of civil liberties
and trampling on of human rights. We set up a popular government, restored its honored
institutions, and crafted a démocratie Constitution that rests on the guidepost of peace
and freedom. I feel that with this Court’s ruling, we have frittered away, by a stroke of
the pen, what we had so painstakingly built in four years of democracy, and almost
twenty years of struggle against tyranny.’26 Leaders of a leading human rights NGO
went one step further: ‘The Umil décision finally unmasked the true nature of the
Philippine government and stripped it of its pretensions. While it claims adherence to
démocratie goals and ideals, and boasts of the most progressive Bill of Rights in the
world, in reality, démocratie rights are "paper rights", not readily enforceable by the
people.’27 By this statement the NGO leaders not only accused the Aquino Government
of plain hypocrisy, but also implied that the Supreme Court was functioning as a mere
extension of the executive branch, rather than as an institution independent from the
executive.
The Umil v. Ramos décision was confirmed by the Supreme Court upon reconsideration
in October 1991.28 However, the size of the majority confirming the décision in the
reconsideration had diminished. The justice who completely dissented in the original
décision dissented completely again. But in the reconsideration, three other justices also
partly dissented, with an additional two justices concurring with the majority décision
but nevertheless writing a separate opinion. The majority’s interprétation of subversion
56 Human Rights and Due Process in the Philippines

as a continuing offense drew particular criticism from some of the justices in the recon-
sideration.
There appears to be a degree of both truth and untruth to the suggestion that the Court
acted as an extension of the executive in its rulings on the three major cases outlined
above. In ail probability, the Court reached these décisions without explicit pressure
having been applied by Président Aquino. At least the Président herself respected the
independence of the courts and was known not to lobby on individual cases, including
with the Supreme Court. Various Supreme Court members held a debt of gratitude
towards her because of their appointment to the Court, or their promotion to Chief
Justice. But no evidence exists that she ever took advantage of these debts of gratitude
in spécifié court cases. On the other hand, the members of the Court could have been
directed by subtle signais from Président Aquino as to what décision she favored.
Moreover, other représentatives of the administration, including the army, were generally
speaking less discrète in exercising pressure on the judiciary.
Notwithstanding explicit or implicit pressures, as an important représentative of the
post-EDSA social-political order, the Supreme Court obviously shared Président Aquino’s
concern to keep this order from breaking down. As it turned out, the décisions and
arguments of the Court reflected very much the dilemmas that Président Aquino was
facing, as well as her ambivalent and sometimes even contradictory ways of dealing with
them. On the one hand the Supreme Court was the guardian and an important symbol
of the 1987 Constitution, which stressed respect for human rights and the rule of law.
Moreover, several members of the Court, including some of those who concurred with
the majority in ail three cases mentioned, had expressed a personal concern for human
rights in one stage or another. But the communist insurgency was perceived to be a clear
threat. The urban assassination strategy of the communist guerrilla army had brought the
insurgency to the very heart of the country: Metro-Manila. Though the communist
sparrow units claimed to focus on the military and the police, and to particularly aim
their attacks at corrupt and abusive soldiers and policemen, their actions caused insecurity
and fear in many other people.29 It was uncertain whether wider catégories of people
would be targeted next. This climate facilitated the perception that tough policies toward
insurgents were necessary.
The texts of the Court rulings mentioned both the duty to uphold human rights
according to the Constitution and the right and even the duty of state agents to do what
is necessary to fight insurgents effectively. Yet these two sets of duties show an intrinsic
tension. This tension was further aggravated by the restlessness of the military. The
political order was very unstable. A Court ruling that substantially violated the military’s
perception of their interests could have triggered a successful coup, and could have put
an end to both the 1987 Constitution and the Supreme Court. In this case, it is relevant
to highlight that two of the episodes that constituted the Umil v. Ramos case concerned
the assassination of policemen, whereas several of the other cases concerned possession
of illégal firearms or ammunition, which in ail likelihood would have been used specifi-
cally against policemen or soldiers. A condemnation of the warrantless arrests might have
easily created the impression in the police and the military that the Court was more
understanding of ‘communist murderers’ than of ‘military and police victims’.
Human Rights and Due Process in the Philippines 57

In ail of the three major cases discussed above, this tension between constitutional rights
and ugly political realities proved too difficult to resolve adequately. The Umil v. Ramos
case most dramatically showed the failure of the Court to resolve this tension. The Court
basically reconciled the contrast between the constitutional rights of suspects and the
practices covered by the Umil v. Ramos case by defining individual rights and rules of
due process in a way that made these rights and rules consistent with existing military
practices. It is particularly tragic that the Supreme Court invoked two doctrines from the
Marcos era that explicitly legitimized Marcos’ power to issue Presidential Arrest Orders,
as well as other military abuses. So the guardian of the 1987 Constitution invoked a
doctrine that served to legitimize a dictatorship, whereas the leading logic underlying
the 1987 Constitution was actually the introduction of safeguards to minimize the chance
that dictatorship would recur.30
In these three rulings the Supreme Court significantly reflected the ambivalence of the
Aquino administration. The Court emphasized human rights and constitutional principles;
it called for rules and procédures to properly regulate military and police action. But the
Supreme Court also accepted that in actual practice, the police and military enjoyed
substantial freedom to fight the insurgency in whatever way appealed to them. In the end,
the Court allowed the pursuit of counterinsurgency objectives, and the effort to prevent
new coup attempts, to prevail over protection of individual human rights. The 1987
Constitution emphasized the rôle of the Supreme Court as the guardian of individual
human rights against the claims of the state. Nevertheless, in these three cases the Court
resorted to asserting the state’s claim against the claims of the human rights of the
individual. Moreover, as continuing offenses demonstrate, the Supreme Court resorted
to légal acrobaties in upholding military practices as constitutional.
The Valmonte v. de Villa, Guazon v. de Villa and Umil v. Ramos rulings showed that
the Supreme Court applied political considérations that reflected the logic of the Aquino
administration, despite the fact that the Court phrased this political logic in judicial
terms.31 This logic was geared towards political survival. The Supreme Court found it
too risky to ‘clip the wings of the military’ in its counterinsurgency efforts. In the face
of the leftist insurgency, rightist coup attempts and a discontented army, the Supreme
Court, through these décisions, weakened some of the principles of the post-EDSA
démocratie system in an attempt to keep this system from breaking down completely.

Marcos v. Manglapus - Right to Travel

The survival politics and légal acrobaties that characterized the three rulings were
paradoxically most explicit in a case that involved the former dictator Ferdinand Marcos:
Marcos v. Manglapus ,32 In late 1989, Marcos and his family requested the Supreme
Court to review the government’s décision banning Marcos, who was old and sick, from
returning from exile in Hawaii to die in the Philippines. The pétition invoked his right
of travel according to Article 4, sections 1 and 6 of the Philippine Constitution, Article
12 of the Universal Déclaration o f Human Rights and Article 12 of the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.33
A majority of the Supreme Court rejected this pétition on the basis of the political
hazards inherent in the return of the Marcoses. Five justices dissented for various reasons.
58 Human Rights and Due Process in the Philippines

Two important arguments raised by the dissenting minority concerned the conviction that
the légal basis for the déniai was too flimsy, and the opinion that the government had
not convincingly demonstrated that the return of Marcos would seriously destabilize the
country.
In its ruling, the majority stated that the Philippine Bill of Rights does not specifically
mention the right to return to one’s country, but only the liberty of abode and the right
to travel. Furthermore, in the opinion of the Court, the Universal Déclaration makes a
distinction between the ‘right to move within the borders of each state’, according to
Article 13(1), and ‘the right to leave any country, including one’s own, and to return to
one’s country’. The ICCPR speaks in Article 12(1) and 12(2) about the right ‘to liberty
and freedom to choose his residence’ and to ‘be free to leave any country, including his
own’. These rights can only be restricted by laws based on considérations of spécial
interests, according to Article 12(3). The right to enter one’s own country, of which one
cannot be arbitrarily deprived, is mentioned in Article 12(4). According to the majority
of the Court, this implies that the criteria for restricting the right to enter one’s own
country are less strict than the criteria for restricting other rights of travel and residence.
In other words, Article 12(3) which states that rights can only be restricted by laws,
applies only to the rights that are stated in Article 12(1) and 12(2); but Article 12(3) does
not apply to the right to return to one’s country as stated in Article 12(4). According to
the Court, the threat of political destabilization due to Marcos’ return is certainly a valid
rather than an arbitrary reason to ban him from returning to the Philippines.
This meticulous analysis of international instruments on human rights notwithstanding,
the position of the majority of the Supreme Court has two major weaknesses, as was
convincingly argued by one dissenting justice, who was also paradoxically a leading
opponent of Marcos during his rule. The first weakness concerns the fact that the
Philippine Constitution does not make the same distinctions as the ICCPR.34 The 1987
Constitution only talks about the right to travel in général, but it does not distinguish
between the right to travel within the country, the right to leave the country, and the right
to re-enter the country. The Court in fact went one step further. It restricted the right to
travel to the right to travel within the Philippines and to leave it, and excluded the right
to re-enter the Philippines from its définition of the right to travel, which is neither stated
nor implied in the text of the Constitution either.
The second weakness in the argument of the majority concerns the fact that the
décision of the executive to ban Marcos from returning is not based on any spécifié law.
Nevertheless Article V, section 6 of the 1987 Constitution states: ‘Neither shall the right
to travel be impaired except in the interest of national security, public safety, or public
health, as may be provided by law (emphasis added). The drafters of the 1987 Constitu­
tion had quite explicitly added the requirement that any restriction to the right to travel
should be provided by law. In fact, this requirement was the only addition to the 1987
Constitution from the provisions concerning the right to travel and abode contained in
the 1973 Constitution that legitimized the Marcos dictatorship. Marcos frequently
restricted the right to travel, invoking national security or public safety as a légitimation.
The requirement that a law was needed to restrict the right to travel was added in the
1987 Constitution, precisely to curb the freedom of the executive to invoke national
Human Rights and Due Process in the Philippines 59

security and public safety as an excuse to restrict the right to travel. The phrase, ‘as may
be provided by law ’, that was added to the 1987 Constitution implied an appeal to the
Philippine Congress to draft a law that would specify the conditions under which the
right to travel could be impaired. The décision of the Aquino Government to prevent
Marcos from returning to the country was not an act of spite, as Marcos sympathizers
would claim, but was most likely made in good faith for security reasons. Nevertheless,
the décision of the Aquino administration was not based on any law that specified the
conditions under which national security and public safety could be validly invoked in
impairing the right to travel.
In the opinion of the majority of the Court, however, section 6 of Article IV of the
Constitution was not a sufficient basis to allow Marcos to return. In the interprétation
of the majority of the Court the phrase ‘as may be provided by law’ does not imply that
the existence of a law regarding a travel ban is absolutely required. Apparently, according
to the Court’s majority, the phrase ‘as may be regarded by law’ should not be interpreted
as meaning ‘as should be provided by law’. Section 6 of Article IV of the 1987 Constitu­
tion does not allow the executive to violate légal conditions regarding a travel ban in
relation to national security, once a law setting such conditions has been passed. But this
section does not prohibit the executive from restricting the freedom of travel and abode
in the wake of a serious threat to national security, if such a law has not yet been passed.
The majority of the court believed that a return of the Marcoses could pose a serious
threat, considering the major peace and order problems being experienced by the
Philippines at that time. Considérations of the survival of the post-EDSA political order
therefore prevailed over Marcos’ individual freedom of travel and abode.
The following statement in the ruling of the Court demonstrates the logic of political
survival behind it: ‘while the military establishment has given assurance that it could
handle the threats posed by particular groups, it is the catalytic effect of the return of
the Marcoses that may prove to be the proverbial final straw that would break the
camel’s back’ (emphasis added).35

The Impact o f the Supreme Court’s Décisions

Understandably, these four major cases of the Philippine Supreme Court stirred up
considérable controversy. These rulings display a clear tension in relation to individual
human rights. Furthermore, the Court’s arguments are not very convincing, The invoca­
tion of two Supreme Court rulings from the Marcos era in the Umil v. Ramos case has
been hotly contested as well. Not only did these rulings serve to legitimize Marcos’ one
man rule, but were also symbols of the Supreme Court’s extreme restraint and impotence
in human rights cases during the Marcos era.36
However, the Court’s fear concerning the potential collapse of the post-EDSA order,
which appears to have been the driving force behind the four rulings, was not entirely
without basis. The threats of rightist coup attempts and of the leftist insurgency, as well
as the restlessness of the army, posed a clear and present danger to the post-EDSA order.
Only a few months after the Marcos v. Manglapus décision was passed, the Aquino
Government faced the most threatening coup attempt of its term. The coup attempt was
undertaken by rebel soldiers who, amongst other things, were frustrated by the govern-
60 Human Rights and Due Process in the Philippines

ment’s alleged softness on communism. If the Supreme Court had decided to restrain
the military in its counterinsurgency opérations, the discontent in the army might have
been stronger and more pervasive. Such a strong and pervasive discontent could have
increased the possibility of a successful army coup that might have put a définitive end
to the post-EDSA political order in the Philippines.
These four rulings of the Supreme Court did not meet the standards of human rights
protection and promotion that the post-EDSA aspired to at its inception. Yet from a
purely pragmatic point of view, these rulings may indeed have served to prevent the new
constitutional and démocratie order from breaking down completely. It is therefore not
surprising that most of these rulings had a negative impact on the réputation of the
Supreme Court with human rights advocates, but do not appear to have undermined the
réputation of the Court with the général public. In 1990, one weekly even pronounced
the members of the Supreme Court as ‘Men and Women of the Year’ because of their
efforts to reform the judiciary. In the early years of the Ramos administration, the
judiciary and the Supreme Court scored very low in at least one opinion poil, and faced
a crisis of credibility.37 But the rulings in the above-mentioned cases were barely at
issue in this crisis.
Nevertheless, the three rulings that concerned military practices may have had both
a substantial and a prolonged negative effect on the human rights situation in the country.
This effect exceeds the direct context of subversion or suspicions of subversion. First
of ail, the compromises that the Supreme Court made in these cases have thrown doubt
on the rôle of the Supreme Court as watchdog of people’s rights. It also set a bad
precedent. The willingness of the Supreme Court to make compromises in the area of
rights and due process in order to please the military and the police, could encourage
judges of the lower courts to make similar compromises, not just in the context of
subversion, but in other criminal cases as well. In addition, law enforcers may infer from
these compromises that the judiciary will tolerate many violations of human rights and
due process in actual practice. As will be discussed in the section on ‘Crime and Due
Process’ of this chapter, violations of due process and other rights of suspects have been
massively perpetrated throughout the post-EDSA period. Though it is hard to assess to
what extent the three said Supreme Court rulings have facilitated violations of the rights
of suspects, these rulings certainly have not contributed to diminishing human rights
violations.
The controversial doctrine of the Supreme Court that interpreted subversion as a
continuing offense ended when the Anti-Subversion Act was repealed in September 1992.

The Lower Courts and Politically-Inspired Human Rights Violations

Human rights victims, as well as advocates, have displayed great displeasure with the
way the judiciary has handled politically-inspired human rights violations. This displea­
sure was also voiced to delegates of the National Unification Committee during its
meetings throughout the country in 1992 and 1993. Common complaints voiced were
that the judiciary has not shown interest in granting compensation to human rights
Human Rights and Due Process in the Philippines 61

victims, and that it has been négligent in its dealings with perpetrators of these violations.
Another major complaint is that court cases concerning human rights violations were
processed very slowly.
There are a number of reasons for the poor réputation of the courts regarding human
rights violations and their sanctioning after EDSA. Some of these reasons can be
attributed to the actions of individual judges or justices, but others can not. The first
reason concerns the limited jurisdiction of the civilian courts over human rights violations
by the military up to June 1991, as was mentioned in the previous chapter. Président
Aquino had not been willing to abolish the jurisdiction of military courts over ail crimes
committed by the military during the first five years of her administration. This reduced
the access of human rights victims to fair and impartial justice significantly. Because
human rights abuses had become an accepted feature of conduct among the military
during martial law, and because of military loyalties and the pressure to cover up military
abuses, military tribunals could not meet elementary criteria of impartiality toward
victims of such abuses.
Moreover, this obvious lack of impartiality acted as a major inhibitor for victims and
witnesses seeking to complain or testify. Thus, up until 1991, the civilian courts were
mainly left with jurisdiction over human rights offenses committed by civilians, such as
CAFGU members, vigilantes, and members of private armies of landlords, warlords and
local politicians.
Serious factors have also inhibited access to justice for victims of human rights
violations in the civilian courts. One important factor concemed the unequal impact of
the EDSA revoit in the various régions of the country. The revoit was particularly
influential in the center of the country, Metro-Manila, and in some of the surrounding
areas. But the rebellion left many local power structures that existed under the Marcos
dictatorship practically untouched. Human rights violations, which persisted after the
EDSA revoit, were a structural feature of most of these power structures. Many former
pro-Marcos politicians who transferred loyalty to the Aquino administration did so on
the basis of opportunism, not because of sudden repentance concerning their human rights
record. Links between pro-Marcos politicians and judges were also quite common.
Leniency on the part of judges toward perpetrators of human rights violations was
therefore common as well.
The judicial reorganization in 1986 did not change this situation significantly. Ail
judges were compelled to resign and were reinstated on a discretionary case by case
basis. One criterion guiding décisions as to the reinstatement of judges was the attitude
they had displayed toward human rights violations. Though some judges were actually
not reinstated, the reorganization as a whole was not very drastic. There were three major
reasons for this. The first reason was that the leadership of the reorganization committee,
as well as various représentatives of the Aquino administration or pro-Aquino faction,
did not want to antagonize influential politicians or power-brokers. A second reason was
the difficulty encountered in gather compelling evidence against judges with a poor
human rights record. A third reason was the sensitivity of influential people in the
Aquino administration to personal lobbying by, or on behalf of, judges threatened with
dismissal.
62 Human Rights and Due Process in the Philippines

It could not reasonably be expected that judges who previously had been lenient toward
human rights violations would suddenly internalize a strong concern for human rights
after being reinstated. This is even more unlikely because political loyalties and local
power structures from the Marcos era - which could still make or break a judge - had
not changed significantly.
Other inhibiting factors involved général problems in the judiciary that also have an
impact on human rights cases. One such factor is the problem of court delay and backlog,
which also affects access of human rights victims to speedy justice.
Similarly, it is more difficult for the poor and the underprivileged to secure access to
the court due to inadéquate financial resources, psychological inhibitions and faulty
knowledge of rights and procédures. Because of this problem of access for the poor and
underprivileged, and because human rights victims form the major part of this category,
it naturally follows that the redress human rights victims receive from the courts remains
highly unsatisfactory. In this context it should be noted that the social disadvantages of
the poor and underprivileged are reproduced to a significant extent in politically-inspired
human rights violations. Though in principle anyone may fall victim to such rights
violations - even gross ones such as torture, murder and involuntary disappearance - the
poor and underprivileged are particularly vulnérable to such abuses. The great majority
of victims of politically-inspired human rights violations in the Philippines fall into this
category. Social status provides at least a measure of protection against human rights
violations. The problem of court delay and access to justice for the poor will be elaborat-
ed in chapter 6.
A final inhibiting factor is that in the Philippines, victims and witnesses have had little
effective protection against retaliation from crime suspects, including human rights
violators. These violators often have an advantage over their victims, including access
to force and the protection or outright support of local policemen, soldiers, politicians
and other powerful groups or individuals. Human rights victims and their witnesses tend
to invite more trouble for themselves if they officially lodge a complaint or testify in
court. This has made it very difficult for a human rights complaint to succeed in the
courts. Moreover, the explicit or implicit threat of violent retaliation acts as an inhibiting
factor for prosecutors and judges wishing to try human rights perpetrators boldly.
A further complication in the prosecution of politically-inspired human rights violations
is psychological in nature. Various victims do not press charges because they expect that
the effort and trouble involved in filing complaints and testifying will only hinder them
in reconstructing their lives, and in any case, will not repair the severe damage they
suffered. The practical and psychological inhibitions experienced by underprivileged
victims of politically-inspired human rights violations are quite similar to those inhibiting
victims of common crimes in securing redress from the courts. These inhibitions will
be further elaborated in the next section of this chapter.
Human Rights and Due Process in the Philippines 63

Crime and Due Process38

The tension between the rights of a suspect to due process and the requirements of
fighting crime and criminals is a universal dilemma. This tension strongly affects the
justice system in the Philippine context as well. In accordance with authoritative interna­
tional instruments on human rights, the 1987 Constitution says in the Bill of Rights,
Article III, section 1, that ‘no person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without
due process of law’. Furthermore, Section 14(1) states that ‘no person shall be held to
answer for a criminal offense without due process of law’. Section 14(2) of Article III
elaborates on section 14(1), by mentioning spécifié rights that are intégral parts of the
right to due process. It is striking in this context that, unlike authoritative international
texts, the Bill of Rights does not mention the right to presumption of innocence as a
separate fundamental right, but includes this presumption in the right to due process.39
Beyond these constitutional provisions, the right to due process is further specified by
congressional laws, and by Rules of Court and case law as promulgated by the Supreme
Court. Ail the substantive and procédural requirements and rules that specify due process,
which guarantee the right to a fair and speedy trial, will be referred to here as rules of
due process.

Criticism o f Due Process

But the rules that specify this due process clause have been subjected to widespread
criticism and debate in the Philippines. Critics have alleged that the rules of due process
are simply too much in favor of suspects, and therefore inhibit the prosecution and
conviction of criminals, making effective crime-fighting impossible. Discontent with the
protection that various specific rules of due process allegedly provide to criminals has
even grown to discrédit the very principle of due process itself. For some critics, the term
‘due process’ has come to symbolize a culture of unacceptable leniency toward criminals.
The prominence of the controversy over due process in the Philippines merits this
separate discussion of the issue in the present chapter on human rights.
Discontent concerning the rules of due process has also affected the interprétation and
public status of human rights and human rights advocacy. According to critics, human
rights advocates have narrowed the scope of human rights to mean the rights of individu-
als at the expense of the rights of the community. Consequently, critics regard human
rights advocates as soft towards criminals at the expense of the général public, alleging
that an emphasis on the rights of suspected criminals also leads to neglect of the rights
of victims. It has even been said that criminal suspects enjoy 35 specific rights in the
Filipino justice system, whereas victims can only invoke one.40 Even some former
opponents of Marcos voice similar views on due process. A good example of this is a
newspaper and télévision journalist who is also a former close aide of Président Aquino.
In his columns and télévision talk shows, he frequently promotes the interests of victims
of heinous crimes.
The controversy over the rules of due process was stimulated by a crime wave that
began in the early 1990s and the apparent inadequacy of the justice system to deal with
it. An example of this crime wave was a surge in kidnap-for-ransom cases in the Métro-
64 Human Rights and Due Process in the Philippines

Manila area. Rich Chinese businessmen in particular were victimized by this wave, for
which large organized gangs have been blamed. When the number of kidnap-for-ransom
cases decreased, a surge in armed bank robberies and drug trafficking followed. Usually
these bank robberies are executed in broad daylight and frequently involve shoot-outs
between heavily armed robbers - who may number more than ten in any given robbery
- and security guards of the banks. The possibility of innocent bystanders being killed
in the crossfire is significant.
As a resuit of the American héritage, the laws on possession of arms are not very
restrictive, and effective control over the possession and use of arms is weak in the
Philippines. A pervasive perception that the average citizen enjoys very little protection
against crimes from perpetrators of any kind has aggravated the problem. This perception
is reinforced by evidence - or at least belief - that law enforcers often protect criminals
or even play a major rôle in criminal activities.
The sense of insecurity among the public is also aggravated by widespread publicity
concerning heinous crimes and by allégations of involvement by law enforcers and
powerful politicians or businessmen. Though it is generally agreed that other factors, such
as grossly inadéquate law enforcement, also account for the problems of crime and
insecurity, the rules of due process - which are often viewed as excessively soft on
criminals - are also sharply criticized in the discussion on the spread of crime.
According to critics, the current rules of due process are inspired by American law
but their application in the Filipino social context présents major problems. One such
prominent problem concerns warrantless arrests. In the absence of a warrant, a suspect
can only be arrested if he is caught in the act of committing a crime; if a crime has been
committed and the arresting officer has personal knowledge that the suspect committed
the crime; or if the suspect is an escaped prisoner.41 The suspect has to be charged in
the presence of a lawyer of his choice within 36 hours, in cases involving grave crimes;
within 18 hours, in cases involving less grave crimes; and within 12 hours, in cases
involving light offenses. During this time, witnesses have to be located and interviewed
and a report typed up, which takes considérable time in the Philippines given the old and
inadéquate communications and transport facilities available to police stations. Moreover,
at certain moments, a lawyer is simply not available.
Another specific problem concerns cases in which no warrantless arrests can be made.
In these cases, a preliminary investigation is required before a warrant of arrest can be
issued. In cases of serious crimes, which are punishable by more than six years imprison-
ment, a suspect is allowed a maximum period of ten days to present counter-evidence
regarding the complaint that was filed against him during this preliminary investigation
before a warrant of arrest can be issued.42 This however also means that if a suspect
of a heinous crime is informed about the complaint against him, he actually has ten days
to go into hiding. Hiding from the authorities is relatively easy in the Philippines, since
there are many outlying areas and even urban areas that are barely accessible to the
authorities, and where the means of communication are very poor. It is also relatively
easy to purchase a new identity or secure a false passport and visa.
Another specific problem is that the prosecution of crimes requires prior pressing of
charges by the victims themselves. However, victims are often reluctant to do so out of
Human Rights and Due Process in the Philippines 65

fear of retaliation. The right of a suspect to confront witnesses face to face, as specified
in Article III, section 14 of the 1987 Constitution, may further reinforce fear on the part
of victims and witnesses. Given the serious difficulty of providing effective protection
for victims and witnesses - or making such persons feel effectively protected - it is not
surprising that victims who do press charges sometimes become national heroes. An
example of this is a girl who was the victim of a heinous crime in 1992. Her story was
even dramatized in a movie. Together with three girl friends, one of them pregnant, she
was rounded up by the police on a fabricated minor charge. The girls were then brought
in a police car to a deserted site, where they were raped, tortured and their bodies
dumped in an open field, left for dead. Miraculously this girl survived. Her three friends
did not. Her testimony ultimately resulted in the conviction of the perpetrators, ail active
policemen, though even after the conviction she continued to receive death threats.
However, it is not realistic to expect this kind of courage from every victim or relative
of a victim.43
Another problem is that the current rules of due process further boost the advantage
that many major criminals enjoy over law enforcement sources. Filipino criminals
frequently have access to larger budgets, better arms and more sophisticated technology
than m ostlaw enforcement officers. These criminals also have powerful protectors among
politicians and in the business sector, which makes it even more difficult for the police
to catch them or the prosecution to secure convictions. Furthermore, skilful lawyers
manipulate the justice system to keep their clients out of jail.
Another problem posed is that the rules of due process assume a certain degree of
effectiveness in the government machinery, as well as civility in society at large. But
according to critics of due process, the Philippine government is not sophisticated enough
to handle complicated rules effectively. Consequently, the present rules of due process
make it extremely difficult for any court to convict criminals or for any prison to keep
them incarcerated. As a resuit, these criminals are free to terrorize society indefinitely.
Moreover, many critics find the criminal segments of society frequently too ruthless to
deserve the protection that due process offers .
In the opinion of these critics the balance between the rights of the individual and the
rights of the community in the Philippine justice system is tilting excessively toward the
rights of the individual, and is in desperate need of correction. This problem contributes
to a pervasive sense of insecurity and unfairness, which undermines the credibility of
law enforcement and the justice system as a whole. It also provokes policemen and
citizens to take justice into their own hands through personal revenge and extra-judicial
exécutions.44
Critics of due process tend to dismiss fears that a drastic révision of these provisions
will erode the rights of citizens and faciliîate abuse of power. In their opinion, even
following a drastic overhaul of the right to due process enough mechanisms would
remain to ensure the protection of innocent individuals against abuses. The chief such
guarantee, they say, is that each criminal case would still pass through various stages
of the criminal justice process, and at each stage, any errors committed earlier could be
rectified by the higher judicial authority. Thus if a policeman wrongly arrested somebody,
the prosecutor could still correct it; and if the prosecutor failed to correct it, the judge
66 Human Rights and Due Process in the Philippines

in the case could dismiss the charges; and so forth, with the Court of Appeals and the
Supreme Court serving to overtum mistakes made by the lower courts. Furthermore,
proponents of a drastic overhaul of existing rules of due process tend to believe that
criminals who go unpunished and who continue terrorizing society represent a more
serious threat to the cause of justice and public order than does the conviction of innocent
people.
Prominent among such proponents have been the Vice-President and the members of
the Presidential Anti-Crime Commission that he is leading. The mandate of this Commis­
sion, created shortly after the Ramos administration took office, has mainly been to
coordinate the investigation and prosecution of crimes committed by organized gangs,
such as drug trafficking, bank robberies and kidnaps-for-ransom.
Rigorous criticism of at least some existing rules of due process has even come from
the very heart of the bar, the institution that could be expected to be most sensitive
toward the defense of the rights of suspects. For instance, the present laws on bail have
been severely criticized. An éditorial in the official publication of the Integrated Bar of
the Philippines illustrâtes this point. This éditorial points out that someone who is
arrested for involvement in a gang robbery needs to post bail of only 20,000 pesos. This
is true even if the money stolen in the armed robbery is as much as a million pesos. The
acceptance fee of an attorney meanwhile is only 25,000 pesos. So if a robber is released
on bail and subsequently disappears - which, as pointed out above, is not difficult in the
Philippines - he still will be free to spend most of his loot. Conditions like this make
robbery a win-win situation for criminals and therefore invite further crime.45
Most of the concrete suggestions about a drastic révision of the rules of due process
involve substantial restrictions on the rights of suspects. These suggestions concern
limitations of the right to bail; substantial increase in the amount of bail in cases of
serious crimes; a softening of the rules of evidence; an increase in conditions under
which arrests can be made without a warrant; fewer opportunities for criminal defense
lawyers to file pétitions for their clients; and an increase of the time frame during which
a suspect can be detained without warrant and without a formai charge. Related proposais
have been the introduction of preventive détention laws, and the possibility of detaining
criminals with notorious réputations without bail and without evidence being presented
regarding specific crimes committed.
Apart from these appeals for a drastic overhaul of due process, the provisions also face
the threat of graduai abolishment through an accumulation of ongoing minor adjustments.
Calls and proposais to streamline the rules of due process have been constant during the
last decade. Minor changes have already been made or are under study. A good illustra­
tion of this involves the rules governing the amount of time suspects can be detained
without being formally charged. In 1990, the Aquino Government decided to double this
time frame: from six to 12 hours for light offenses; from nine to 18 hours for less grave
offenses; and from 18 to 36 hours for serious offenses.

Arguments Against a Limitation o f Due Process

In the controversy over due process however, strong arguments have been raised against
a drastic révision of the current rules and conséquent réduction of the rights of suspects.
Human Rights and Due Process in the Philippines 67

One such argument is that further substantial restrictions on the rights of suspects will
eventually resuit in a partial return to criminal acts being committed by the state, as
during the Marcos era, when people were arrested or simply assassinated without due
process. Once due process is restricted for people with a criminal réputation, the argu­
ment goes, restrictions on everyone else will inevitably follow. From this point of view,
the low conviction rate cannot be blamed primarily on the rules of due process, but must
be explained by other factors. In order to address the law and order problem, attention
should be paid to the real causes - rather than to the rules of due process. Important
factors in this context include low salaries and lack of facilities for the police and the
judiciary, as well as problems of demotivation, indifférence and corruption among law
enforcers.
Though some rights of suspects appear to involve too much leniency toward suspected
criminals, they are nevertheless already too strict for many poor and underprivileged
citizens in the Philippines. The right to post bail is a case in point. Some consider the
amount of money required to post bail ridiculously low. Yet for many citizens who
cannot afford such amounts, the bail proves an insurmountable obstacle. CARITAS, a
Catholic organization that amongst other things supplies légal and paralegal aid to poor
detainees, estimâtes that only two out of ten prisoners in the Philippines have been
proven guilty. ‘The other eight may be innocent, but are detained because their poverty
prevents them from posting bail.’46
Defenders of due process have also pointed out that in the Philippines the attitude
concerning due process is often ambivalent. As two knowledgeable insiders of the légal
system commented: ‘there is a strange ambivalence about due process in the Philippines.
People complain that others enjoy too much due process. But when they themselves have
a case there is never enough due process’. The widespread publicity of a dramatic
incident in 1995 powerfully illustrâtes this ambivalence. In Singapore a Filipina, Flor
Contemplacion was convicted for double murder and subsequently hanged. She had
worked in Singapore as a maid, because she had not been able to support her children
and contribute to the upkeep of other family members on the salary she earned in the
Philippines. Following the murder, Flor Contemplacion was subjected to a formai
criminal investigation and trial. She was convicted partly on the basis of a confession
she had made during the police interrogation, but which she later retracted. The case
became a national scandai in the Philippines and severely affected the relations between
the Philippines and the Singaporean governments. A Philippine investigative team,
including a coroner, was sent to Singapore at the emphatic request of the Philippine
government. The team concluded that the two victims, one of them also a Filipino maid,
could not have been killed by the suspect, since the killing would have involved the use
of much more physical strength than the suspect could have mustered. As a resuit, the
Philippine government asked for postponement of the execution, in order to allow a third,
independent investigation. This postponement, however, was denied. This incident stirred
up strong passions concerning the plight of many Filipinos abroad, and caused various
Government members to resign, including the Philippine Minister of Foreign Affairs. Flor
Contemplacion had become a national symbol of the exploited and discriminated Filipino.
68 Human Rights and Due Process in the Philippines

During the course of this episode, the judicial process in Singapore was almost uniformly
criticized for being excessively speedy and unfair to the suspect. Thus, in this case, which
involved someone with whom there was widespread identification in the Philippines,
public sentiment asserted that not enough due process had been applied.

Leniency and the Application o f Rules

A complicating factor is that even if the rules of due process are strict for suspected
criminals, there is little inadéquate guarantee that these strict rules will be enforced. This
factor is related to the issue of leniency as a socio-cultural value, to which has already
been briefly referred in a previous section. As various authoritative informants and
documents have stated, the Philippines is not a disciplinarian society.47 This implies
that - particularly in face-to-face relations - there is strong toleration of violations of
rules, or even crimes. This leniency can also influence the attitudes of law enforcers and
correctional officers, as well as of prosecutors and judges. If a suspect establishes a good
personal rapport, the représentatives of the justice system may treat him or her with
substantial leniency, even if the formai rules of criminal justice would dictate that the
représentatives of the justice system behave strictly. In other words, even when the
formai rules are strict, they are often very leniently applied. In this sort of case however,
it is not the rules of due process that should be blamed for excessive leniency, but rather
the fact that criminal justice officers apply even more leniency toward a suspect or a
convict than the existing rules of due process actually require. Yet these excessively
lenient attitudes wrongly convey the impression that the rules of due process themselves
are inadéquate. From these cases it can be argued that the present rules of due process
should not be overhauled, but simply should be enforced with less leniency to suspects
or criminals than is necessary and appropriate.
The problem of an excessively lenient application of the rules of due process may best
be illustrated by two contrasting cases involving the Commission on Elections (Comelec)
in recent years. The mandate of this Commission is to organize and supervise élections
in the Philippines. In the first case, concerning the élections in 1992, a well-known
Filipino lawyer who was a prominent member of the Comelec at that time explained:
‘during the last national élections we wanted to restrain the influence of warlords. During
élections there is always a gun ban. However, people can apply for exemptions with the
régional offices of the Commission on Elections. Since the officiais of these régional
offices tend to be in cahoots with the warlords, exemptions were acquired rather easily
in the past. Therefore, we forced everybody now to apply for exemption at our national
office. Before, 90% of ail applications would be granted. This time it was only 10%.
And, we held every candidate responsible for the conduct of his followers. If a follower
would use violence, the candidate would be disqualified. I had wives of politicians on
the phone who would try to raise pity by saying that their husbands did not dare to leave
the house anymore because they could not carry guns. But we showed them and every­
body else that we meant business. Consequently we had the most peaceful national
élections since independence. We changed a few practical rules. Yet we did not violate
any principle of due process.’
Human Rights and Due Process in the Philippines 69

This contrasts sharply with the conduct of the Comelec chairman in 1995, in a case in
which also the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court simply applied the existing rules
of due process too leniently. In the élections of 1995, a popular movie actor who ran for
public office brought ten armed body guards into the office of the Comelec in defiance
of a gun ban which Comelec had officially imposed. The chairman, a former Court of
Appeals justice, did not disqualify the movie actor, and defended this décision on the
basis that no complaint had been filed. The movie actor, however, was convicted of
illégal possession of fire arms by a Régional Trial Court. He appealed to the Court of
Appeals, who a granted him bail. The Court of Appeals ignored a resolution from the
Supreme Court which stated that the bail bond of the movie actor should be canceled
and ordered that he be confined pending resolution of his appeal, in accordance with
jurisprudence of the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court, however, did not react to the
Court of Appeals’ apparent defiance of its authority, so the movie actor remained free.
The remarkable leniency that was given to the movie actor in this case, was not by any
means based on the rules of due process, but only on the laxity of various public
officers.48
An inclination toward leniency can also inhibit victims from filing complaints. For
instance, Filipinos have a penchant toward ‘smooth interpersonal relations’: relations that
are harmonious at least at the surface level, allowing interpersonal communication to
continue. In these relations, much effort is spent on avoiding matters that could break
surface harmony, such as outward anger, loss of face, severe looks, a harsh voice or open
criticism. Criticism is referred to preferably in indirect terms, or is vented through writing
or through go-betweens.49 The desire to maintain ‘smooth interpersonal relationships’
may encourage victims to refrain from seeking légal redress for their complaints, so as
not to create further antagonisms with the perpetrator and/or his social network. This
tendency on the part of victims to smooth over crimes particularly occurs when the
victim and perpetrator or their networks, are acquainted.

Other Deterrents to Witnesses

As mentioned already, a major source of difficulty in combatting crime has been the fear
of retaliation against victims and witnesses. The Witness Protection, Security and Benefit
Program was introduced in 1991 to remedy this problem. Following a slow start, it has
since gained increasing popularity. In 1994 there were 500 applications, of which 280
were approved, in contrast to 60 applications during the first year of its implementation.
In 1995, 389 applicants were admitted to the program.50
Nevertheless, the Witness Protection, Security and Benefit Program still faces problems
and setbacks. First, in spite of the provision of discretionary funds by the législature and
the executive, budgetary constraints are hampering its opérations. Because families and
other dépendants of witnesses also use the services of the program, considérable strain
is placed on the limited available resources. Second, the social costs of adopting this kind
of government protection are very high. One may have to leave behind one’s home, job
and personal network in order to receive efficient protection. The costs of this to the
individual act as an impediment to the willingness of witnesses to cooperate. Third, the
program does not contain provisions for identity change, partly because of inadéquate
70 Human Rights and Due Process in the Philippines

funds. Ultimately, the ability of the program officers to render effective protection to
witnesses over a considérable period of time will determine whether the public will
develop structural confidence in the program.
In addition to fear, there are other reasons which inhibit witnesses from testifying.
Inadéquate concern for the common good among the public - including concern for the
cause of justice - is one such reason frequently invoked by reputable members of the
judiciary.51 This allegedly inadéquate commitment to the public good stems from the
strong particularistic loyalties in the Philippines to family, friends, and région of ori-
gin.52 Consequently, people may go to very great lengths to protect members of their
personal network, even though these persons may have committed grave crimes. One
leading member of the bench illustrated this with the following comment: ‘we Filipinos
are not like the Europeans or the Americans. Our family means everything. It comes first,
even if it causes conflicts with the law. I remember an incident in America in which two
military men involved in espionage were turned in by the mother of one of these men.
This would be unthinkable in the Philippines.’
But unwillingness to testify may not necessarily be inspired by fear or particularistic
loyalties. People may refuse to act as witnesses simply because they do not want to
undergo the trouble involved. Victims may refrain from filing complaints because in their
perspective an involvement in a judicial procédure will only add to - rather than relieve
- the troubles they are suffering as the resuit of the crime.

Due Process and Inadéquate Law Enforcement

The most powerful argument advanced against drastic changes to the present rules of
due process - and consequently against the restriction of the rights of suspects that would
resuit - is that such changes would likely facilitate abuses by law enforcement officers.
Such an overhaul would certainly resuit in a dramatic increase of cases in which innocent
people are wrongly detained and convicted, given the low morale of the police, the often
sloppy investigations carried out, and the country’s poor record of gross human rights
violations. The héritage of summary exécutions and other forms of police brutality
practiced during the Marcos era still exercises a substantial influence on the organization-
al culture of the military as well as of some police forces.53 Various alleged criminals
continue to be summarily executed or threatened, either in isolated incidences or in the
context of spécial campaigns launched to rid the streets of certain types of criminals, such
as drug dealers. Suspects are still being charged falsely just to bring individual cases to
a close or to boost statistics, and some law enforcers still settle personal feuds under the
guise of crime-fighting. Under the present rules of due process, forced confessions as
a resuit of police harassment are already frequent occurrences; in the same way, many
poor Filipinos are detained without any due process at ail. One study strongly suggests
that most arrests are made without warrant, particularly in Metro-Manila. During adminis­
trative détention, many human rights violations take place, such as torture, the eliciting
of self-incriminating confessions, and the failure to inform suspects of their rights or to
grant them access to a lawyer.54 The loosening of the rules of due process and subsé­
quent réduction of the rights of suspects will also increase the likelihood of people being
arrested and framed on fabricated charges.55
Human Rights and Due Process in the Philippines 71

The right of suspects to due process is also undermined by ignorance of the law on the
part of prosecutors and judges. Particularly in remote areas, judges and prosecutors
sometimes have a limited knowledge of the rights of suspects, or have adequate knowl­
edge of this right but simply ignore violations of due process provisions committed by
policemen.
A drastic change in the right to due process is furthermore counterproductive to crime-
fighting in the long run. Part of the overall law and order problem is the low credibility
of law enforcers. Potential witnesses will avoid going to the police because of fear of
serious harassment. If the rules of due process are drastically changed, it is possible that
the police will act with even more impunity in violating the rights of citizens. This will
only further undermine the public’s confidence in law enforcers, and consequently further
inhibit citizens from collaborating with the police in solving crimes.
A dramatic incident in May 1995 illustrâtes the various dimensions of the controversy
over due process in the Philippines. Représentatives of several police forces reported that
they had killed 11 members of a bank robbery gang in a shoot-out during which the gang
members had resisted arrest. This criminal gang had originally been a religious sect in
the countryside which was used by the military as a tool in counter-insurgency opéra­
tions. Members of the sect, known as Kuratong Baleleng, had moved to Metro-Manila
and allegedly turned to perpetrating armed bank robberies. However a policeman who
witnessed the shoot-out subsequently revealed that these gang members had been
summarily executed by the policemen. His statement corresponded to ballistics reports.
The incident took a further twist when allégations were made that the gang members had
actually been killed because they were carrying a huge amount of money with them. The
policemen involved had allegedly stolen the money from the robbers and killed them in
order to silence potential witnesses.56
News reports concerning the activities of abusive and corrupt policemen sharply
increased in the aftermath of this incident, with the government announcing another
reorganization of the police forces and sending some senior officers into early retirement.
The episode also affected the credibility of the PACC, since some of its officers had
specifically been implicated. The Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights, the
Committee on National Defense and Security and the Committee on Crime jointly
investigated the alleged shoot-out. The vast majority of the members of these committees
concluded that the gang members had been summarily executed, and reaffirmed the
importance of due process as a guiding principle of justice in the Philippines.
Nevertheless, the policemen involved also had their defenders, such as anti-crime
groups like the Citizens Action Against Crime and the Movement for the Restoration
of Peace and Order.57 Some of these defenders rationalized the conduct of the policemen
on the basis of their frustration over the slowness of the judicial process and over the
difficulty in convicting criminals under the present rules of due process. Discontent with
the slowness of the judicial process has added to the controversy over the rules of due
process.
One may conclude that there is a high price to pay for a drastic softening of the rules
of due process, not just for some individual criminal suspects, but for many sections of
Philippine society.
72 Human Rights and Due Process in the Philippines

Death Penalty
Frustration over the crime rate, as well as publicity concerning sensational cases,
culminated in the réintroduction of the death penalty by Congress on 13 1993.58 The
death penalty had been abolished following the EDSA revoit, but its réintroduction by
Congress was an option left open in the 1987 Constitution. The reinstatement of the death
penalty has been applied to 13 crimes considered as heinous, including kidnap-for-
ransom, murder, drug trafficking and rape. Proponents of the death penalty have argued
that its application will serve as a major deterrent to criminals, with some advocates
proposing that the first execution be shown on télévision. In their opinion, a televised
execution would send a strong signal to criminals that the government is serious about
fighting them, and would persuade some potential félons not to run the same risk as the
persons executed in the broadcast.
Opponents of the death penalty believe that capital punishment does not accord with
the moral principles of modem civilization, and assert that application of the death
penalty will only increase the gap between the poor and powerless on one hand, and the
rich and powerful on the other. In the opinion of these critics, the death penalty will only
be employed against the powerless poor, who may not have adequate means and the
opportunity to prove their innocence. On the other hand, rich and powerful criminals will
always find a way to escape the death penalty, as long as inefficiency, corruption and
nepotism in society persist within law enforcement, the judiciary and politics. Further-
more, they say, capital punishment will most likely be applied to cases in which rich,
famous or well-connected people are the victims, but that murderers will still act with
virtual impunity if their victims are poor and uninfluential, because law enforcers and
prosecutors may not bother to invest the time and effort necessary to investigate such
cases properly.
On 20 March, 1996 a law was signed by Président Ramos designating death by lethal
injection as the means for carrying out capital punishment.59 Furthermore, it was deter-
mined that death sentences should be carried out not earlier than one year and not later
than 18 months after judgment becomes final and executory.

Judicial and Other Efforts in the Fight Against Crime

Some organizational changes to improve the record of the judiciary in dealing with crime
have been implemented or are being studied. In order to facilitate the fight against
heinous crimes and organized criminal gangs, in August 1987 the Supreme Court
designated 18 branches of the Régional Trial Courts (RTCs) in the Metro-Manila area
as particularly compétent to try heinous crimes. On September 28,1994, this number was
increased, with a further 37 RTCs in the Metro-Manila area assigned to deal with such
cases, including drug trafficking and kidnapping. On May 3,1996, this number was again
increased to 56. These spécial judicial branches deal with criminal cases on a virtually
continuous basis. Cases are tried without interruption, with a maximum time frame of
60 days for completion of the trial. Décisions in such cases must be rendered no later
than 30 days following termination of the proceedings.
The Supreme Court, however, has not acceded to emphatic demands from various
sectors of government and civil society to exempt these criminal courts entirely from
Human Rights and Due Process in the Philippines 73

trying other cases. Though the judges who work in these spécial criminal branches are
exempted from work on other cases during the course of spécial criminal trials, they
nevertheless are not restricted to dealing only with such cases. A major reason for this
is that, at least from the perspective of the Supreme Court, there are simply not enough
heinous crimes brought to trial by the prosecution to fill the dockets of these 56 courts
on a continuous basis. If these courts would deal only with heinous crimes, they would
fall idle from time to time, which would imply an inefficient use of their resources as
well as an unnecessary extra burden for the other regular criminal courts. The cases tried
in these spécial courts, other than ones falling under the définition of heinous crime, are
not just regular criminal cases but civil cases as well. An important reason for this is that
judges themselves seem reluctant to specialize on criminal cases only. This specialization
would undermine their expertise in civil cases, which would inhibit their chances for
future promotion in the judiciary.
Another organizational change has been the introduction on 19 July 1995 of the
National Council on the Administration of Justice. This Council consists of the Depart­
ment of Justice, the Office of the Court Administrator, the Philippine Judges Association,
and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines. The Council aims to address the problems
experienced by the five pillars of the criminal justice system and to propose and expedite
reforms. One proposai was to revise the Bail Bond Guide, taking into account new pénal
laws. The révision was approved by the Department of Justice and took effect on 1
February 1996. Another proposai was to use accredited private security and investigation
agencies to serve warrants of arrest, and authorize payment of their expenses for this
work. The main objective of this proposai is to reduce the increasing number of criminal
cases that have to be archived in the courts because law enforcers fail to execute warrants
of arrest. Another proposai is to organize local and provincial committees, consisting of
members of the judiciary, the police, the bar and executive représentatives. These
committees are intended to discuss and address problems of the administration of criminal
justice at the local and provincial levels. The Philippine National Police reports a steady
décliné of the crime rate since 1992.60 However, it is uncertain as to what extent this
decrease implies an increase of the effectiveness of law enforcement and to what extent
is reflects increased apathy among the général public in reporting crimes.

Comparative Crime Statistics (1992-1996)

Year Crimes Crimes Rape Index Non- Total
Against Against Crimes Index Crime
Persons Property Crimes Volume
1992 36,667 25,538 j 2,149 67,354 37,365 104,719
1993 33,603 22,796 2,285 58,684 38,002 96,686
1994 30,543 21,409 2,494 54,446 38,854 93,300
1995 26,324 15,823 2,346 44,493 34,755 79,248
1996 24,908 14,967 2,505 42,380 34,535 76,915
74 Human Rights and Due Process in the Philippines

The Bottom Line

Concerning due process, it is both legitimate and necessary to adjust such rules in the
light of historical experience. The liability inherent in effecting a sériés of small adjust-
ments to these provisions, however - as compared with debating proposais for a drastic
overhaul of due process - is that a tendency will exist to overlook resulting limitations
of citizen’s rights. Moreover, because the tension between the rights of suspects and
effective crime-fighting can never be entirely resolved, crime-fighters may never be
satisfied and, consequently, keep appealing for further réductions of due process. The
maximum time frame for détention without formai charge may serve as an illustration
of this point. Various human rights organizations have expressed that, in their opinion,
the Aquino Government already crossed a line that should not have been crossed when
it doubled this maximum time frame in 1990.61 Nevertheless, some crime-fighters find
even this extended time frame too restrictive, because it does not allow law enforcers
sufficient time to collect adequate evidence against serious criminals. Therefore, clear
lines should be drawn beyond which further réductions of the rights of suspects should
no longer be considered.
In this context, hope might be drawn from an instance in which the Supreme Court
clearly drew such a line in a ‘heinous crime case’ in May 1994. In this case, the Court
restored at least some of the moral credibility it had lost following the Valmonte v. de
Villa, Guazon v. de Villa, and Umil versus Ramos rulings:
In late 1993 the Presidential Anti-Crime Commission had accused two young lawyers
of the kidnapping and murder of a foreigner who had disappeared without a trace. The
source of evidence for the charge was an extrajudicial statement from a security guard
who had been dismissed from the police forces earlier in his life. Rumors had it that the
accusation was a frame up by an enemy of the two lawyers who wanted to settle a
personal score. Nevertheless, the judge of a spécial criminal court who handled the case,
ordered the arrest of the two lawyers without bail. A famous vétéran politician and
human rights advocate, who was also the father of an associate of the two lawyers, filed
a pétition before the Supreme Court on their behalf, claiming that their human rights had
been violated in this case. The Supreme Court ruled that the judge had committed grave
abuse of discrétion in the case by relying completely on the information provided by the
PACC prosecutors without examining the evidence himself. Since the evidence lacked
credibility, the Supreme Court threw out the case against the two lawyers and prohibited
the judge from taking any further action against them in relation to the case. Furthermore,
the Court reminded ‘judges, prosecutors, and other government agents tasked with the
enforcement of the law, that in the performance of their duties they must act with
circumspection, lest their thoughtless ways, methods and practices cause a disservice to
their office and maim their countrymen they are sworn to protect and serve’. The Court
further cautioned ‘government agents, particularly law enforcers, to be more prudent in
the prosecution of cases and not to be oblivious of human rights protected by the
fundamental law ’.62
Human Rights and Due Process in the Philippines 75

Summary and Considérations

Following the EDSA revoit, politically-inspired human rights violations have remained
an important problem, but have been increasingly overshadowed by other concerns. This
process has been facilitated by the increased démocratie space created in society and by
the loss of military backbone and of the public legitimacy of the communist left. During
the Ramos administration, this process was further facilitated by a decrease in unrest
among the military over alleged leniency by the government towards the communists.
Though some sections of the human rights movement have successfully adjusted to
the post-EDSA changes, some sections have not, particularly because of the continuing
influence of old Marxist loyalties and idéologies. The constitutionally instituted Commis­
sion on Human Rights has, after a controversial start, been able to gain legitimacy
gradually.
In four major cases involving individual constitutional rights, the Philippine Supreme
Court was faced with resolving a fundamental dilemma. On the one hand it had to live
up to its constitutional rôle as guardian of the human rights of the individual citizen and
as a watchdog over abuses committed by state agents. But on the other hand, a strict
interprétation of this rôle, as well as of the text of the Constitution itself, in a very
unstable political climate could have facilitated the collapse of the post-EDSA order and
resulted in a new dictatorship. Consequently, the Supreme Court adopted a balancing act
similar to that of the Aquino Government in solving this dilemma. In this balancing act,
the logic of political survival ultimately prevailed. As in the case of the Aquino Govern­
ment, the Court cautiously invoked the importance of human rights. But the Supreme
Court’s ‘judicial survival tactics’ tolerated quite a substantial freedom on the part of the
police and the military in their implementation of counter-insurgency opérations. These
rulings have not contributed to respect for due process and human rights by law enforc-
ers, prosecutors and judges.
The problems of the lower courts in their dealings with politically-inspired human
rights violations cannot be separated from the problems of the judicial process in général.
The victim of a politically-inspired human rights violation who does not secure redress
from the courts shares this fate with numerous victims of non-politically motivated
crimes, because of similar problems plaguing the judicial process.
The issue of due process in relation to common crimes has increasingly become the
major human rights controversy in the Philippines. On the one hand, the rules of due
process are experienced as a major obstacle to effective action on crime. But on the other
hand, the proponents of due process should not be on the defensive in supporting the
maintenance of these provisions. Due process is already massively violated in the
Philippines without producing significant benefit in terms of effective crime-fighting.
Generally speaking, Filipino citizens suffer from too little respect for due process rather
than from too much. The lives of thousands of innocent persons are seriously damaged
by illégal détention and police brutality. This is partly due to the legacy of the Marcos
era, which has greatly contributed to an organizational culture of violation of citizens’
rights. Moreover, there tends to be a degree of ambivalence toward due process in
Philippine society. People who would rally for a réduction of due process in cases
76 Human Rights and Due Process in the Philippines

involving others, may complain about insufficient due process in cases involving
themselves. It has to be kept in mind that there is no quick and easy fix to peace and
order problems in any country, including the Philippines. Many causes are related to
historically developed political, economic and socio-cultural factors that elude social
engineering to an important extent. Furthermore, it is inévitable that some tension will
remain between an effective fight against crime and terrorism on the one hand, and
citizen’s rights on the other. Nevertheless, some broad suggestions toward improvement
of both peace and order and the human rights situation in the country can be outlined.
It is to be recommended that some unworkable rules in the present situation be
adjusted. In the Philippine context a révision in the requirement that the victim press
charges would be appropriate, particularly in cases involving strong evidence against an
accused. Such a révision would prevent crimes from going unpunished simply because
victims are afraid or indiffèrent, or have decided for invalid reasons to smooth over the
crime as the resuit of family or peer group pressure. One could also envisage a restriction
of the right of the accused to a face-to-face confrontation with witnesses, if it can be
established with plausibility that such a face-to-face meeting would have a serious
intimidating effect on the said witness or victim. Such révisions however, might require
constitutional amendments, which in turn demand politically suitable timing for their
introduction. The political climate at present is not propitious for such amendments,
because the discussion that would ensue would provoke recommendations of ail sorts
of other constitutional amendments that are both controversial and sensitive. Amendments
in this area therefore have to wait.
It is also important to make sure that criminal procédures are clear and transparent to
law enforcers. Though many violations of due process have resulted from indifférence
toward the rights of suspects, other violations have been due to ignorance on the part
of law enforcement agents. This implies that the teaching of rules about evidence and
procédures, as well as the rules themselves, should be made more easily understandable
in order to help law enforcers minimize errors. The clarity and practicality of each change
in criminal procédures could also be tested using a selected number of honest représenta­
tives in the lower layers of the law enforcement hierarchy.
Nevertheless, any rule of due process, whether lenient or strict, will be interpreted as
an unnecessary restriction on the power to combat crime, and will be subjected to calls
for adjustment. Adjustment of these rules, however, will be experienced ultimately as
inadéquate, leading to calls for further révisions. Consequently, the rights and freedoms
of citizens will be severely restricted step by step. It is therefore imperative that a clear
line be drawn beyond which the rights of citizens as expressed in the rules of due process
will not be subjected to any further restrictions. Otherwise érosion of due process will
effectively be legitimized and will further aggravate the already massive violation of
these rights.
Instead of effecting a drastic change of the rules of due process, the improvement of
crime-fighting should have utmost priority. It is to be recommended that the reorganiza-
tion of police structures should be much more drastic than previous such efforts. The
police culture of brutality should be squarely addressed. This implies clearer teaching,
Human Rights and Due Process in the Philippines 77

the introduction of effective supervision, strict discipline, integrity as a major criterion

for promotion, and more extensive dismissal of corrupt and abusive elements.
The government has to display clear political will by setting an example in choosing
integrity and compétence as important criteria above that of personal and political
loyalties in the organization and reorganization of the police forces. Qualities of compé­
tence and integrity in the police will improve the fight against crime in two ways. First,
it will prevent policemen from getting involved in crimes and from protecting criminals.
Second, it will boost the public’s confidence in the police, thereby leading them to
cooperate more readily with police agents in preventing and solving crimes. This
principle also applies to the witness protection program, the effectiveness of which does
not depend merely on adequate logistic and economic assistance, but first and foremost
on police credibility.
Respect for due process is not an excuse for unlimited leniency toward suspects or
convicted criminals on the part of représentatives of the various pillars of the criminal
justice system. Respect for human rights does not contradict legitimate force under the
rule of law. Necessary and legitimate toughness and respect for due process can and
should be combined. Given the importance of modelling and example-setting in any
sphere of life, it is imperative that the leadership of the various pillars of the criminal
justice system set positive examples to their subordinates, as well as to the rest of society.
So we may conclude that value formation is very crucial in the improvement of the
justice system. This issue will be elaborated in chapter 5.

Notes

1. Human rights violations committed in the struggle against Muslim secessionists in some parts
of Mindanao can also be considered as politically-inspired. These human rights violations have
been less prominent in human rights debate than violations committed in the context of the
struggle against communism.
2. BAR Briefs. Official Publication of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines. Vol. 1, No 4, January-
March 1996: 1.
3. This is roughly the position of vétéran human rights lawyer, and later Supreme Court Justice
Abraham Sarmiento who enjoys very high prestige in human rights circles and beyond
(Commission of Human Rights: The Philippine Context. Lecture delivered at Madras, India,
December 1992). Sarmiento was a political dissenter and human rights lawyer under Marcos
and was appointed to the Supreme Court after the EDSA révolution, serving until 1991 when
he had reached retirement âge. He acted as the Supreme Court’s spécial human rights
conscience and dissented very frequently from the majority of the court in cases involving
human rights.
4. ‘Human rights are for ail human beings, and respect for these are the responsibility of every
member of the human race. However, the Committee emphasizes that the greater responsibility
for the protection, promotion and fulfillment of human rights lies on the shoulders of the
government because it is tasked by the Constitution with the sacred duty to protect the rights
of ail its citizens, to uphold the law, and to create the necessary conditions for the full
flowering of democracy and social justice in the land. Thus, when the government violâtes
the rights of its citizens, whether through breach, neglect or outright commission of a crime
78 Human Rights and Due Process in the Philippines

against them, such act becomes doubly reprehensible and doubly condemnable than if such
act were committed by ordinary citizens’ (Senate Report of the Committee on Justice and
Human Rights, Manila 1990: 4).
5. See for instance: Impunity, Prosecution o f Human Rights Violations in the Philippines. New
York: Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, 1991: 82, and A.F. Sarmiento: ‘Commission
on Human Rights: The Philippine Context.’ Lecture delivered in Madras, India, 19 and 20
December, 1992: 12.
6. The human rights organizations that were affected by this split included PAHRA, the main
alliance of human rights NGOs in the Philippines. At the 6th National Congress of PAHRA
(26-28 October, 1994) seven reaffirmist délégations out of a total number of 52 délégations
staged a walk-out.
7. A prominent example is the article of Ramon Casiple ‘Questioning Human Rights’, in which
he defended the rejectionist position against a reaffirmist critique (Human Rights Forum, IV
No 2: 87-111).
8. An example of this position is the minority reaction of CHR’s commissioners Sycam and
Mallillin to Amnesty International’s report The Killing Goes On in 1992.
9. This is the position of the Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates. See for instance
Casiple, ‘Human Rights versus Development Aggression’, Human Rights Forum, Vol. VI,
No. 1, 1996: 43.
10. ‘Philippines 2000’ Human Rights’. A policy paper by Philrights, August 1994, Philippines.
11. 19 of these NGOs have formed an association called Alternative Law Groups.
12. The discussion of Valmonte v. de Villa, and of Guazon v. de Villa is predominantly based
on a reprint of the Supreme Court décisions in the Ateneo Human Rights Law Journal
Supplément, December 1992:161-166; 178-187. The original décision, Umil v. Ramos is based
on: 187 SCRA 311-46, 202 SCRA 251.
13. 178 SCRA 211.
14. Ateneo Human Rights Law Journal Supplément, December 1992: 162.
15. Idem: 162.
16. Justice Cruz. ‘Dissenting in Valmonte v. de Villa". Ateneo Human Rights Law Journal Supplé­
ment, December 1992: 163.
17. 181 SCRA 623.
18. Idem: 165.
19. Idem: 165.
20. 187 SCRA 311; reconsideration 202 SCRA 251.
21. The différent cases constituting the Umil vs. Ramos case ail had various spécifié complex
détails. In my discussion of this case, however, 1 will limit myself to the major général aspects
of the décision of the Supreme Court.
22. 121 SCRA 472.
23. 139 SCRA 349.
24. Section 4, Rule 110 of the Rules of Court defines an information as: ‘An accusation in writing
charging a person with an offense subscribed by the fiscal (prosecutor) and filed with the
court.’
25. Sarmiento in the Ateneo Human Rights Law Journal, December 1992: 110-113.
26. 187 SCRA: 346-7. Reprinted in Sarmiento, A.F. In Dissent. Metro-Manila: A Supreme Court
spécial édition, 1991: 84.
27. Diokno, M.S.I. and Sanidad, A.V. ‘Justice and the Rule of Law.’ Paper presented before the
Solidarity Seminar on Justice, 1990: 7.
28. 202 SCRA 251, 3 October, 1991.
Human Rights and Due Process in the Philippines 79

29. Some Filipinos regarded this assassination campaign as an effective instrument for ridding
the country of corrupt and abusive law enforcers, however.
30. One Justice concurred with the majority but nevertheless objected to the invocation of Court
rulings from the martial law period (Ateneo Human Rights Law Supplément, 1992: 184).
31. However, I do not intend in any way to suggest that members of the Supreme Court acted
in bad faith.
32. 177 SCRA 310, 1989.
33. The reprint of the Marcos v. Manglapus case in Ateneo Human Rights Law Journal Supplé­
ment, December 1992: 159-161.
34. Sarmiento, ‘Dissenting Opinion in Marcos v. Manglapus. ’Ateneo Human Rights Law Journal
Supplément, December 1992: 161.
35. Marcos v. Manglapus. Ateneo Human Rights Law Journal Supplément 1992: 160.
36. See Sarmiento: ‘The Supreme Court and Human Rights. An Analysis.’ Ateneo Human Rights
Journal, Vol. 1, December 1992: 108.
37. ‘Perceptions on the Judiciary: Slow Moving and Corrupt. ’ Social Weather Bulletin, 93-13,
July 1993. Social Weather Station.
38. The right to a speedy disposition of cases, and the right of the poor to free access to the courts
and quasi-judicial bodies and to adequate légal assistance, will be discussed in chapter 6.
39. Section 14(2) states: ‘In ail criminal prosecution, the accused shall be presumed innocent until
the contrary is proved, and shall enjoy the right to be heard by himself and counsel, to be
informed of the nature and cause of the accusation against him, to have a speedy, impartial,
and public trial, to meet the witnesses face to face, and to have compulsory process to secure
attendance of witness and the production of evidence in his behalf. However, after arraign-
ment, trial may proceed notwithstanding the absence of the accused provided that he has been
duly notified and his failure to appear is unjustifiable. ’
40. Sinfuego, R.C., Manila Bulletin, 8 June, 1995.
41. Section 5 of Rule 112 of the Law on Criminal Procédure. See Nolledo, Handbook on the
Philippine National Police under the New Department of Interior and Local Government.
Metro-Manila: National Book Store, 1995: 292.
42. Section 3 of Rule 112 of the Law on Criminal Procédure. In case of lesser crimes a warrant
of arrest may be issued if the judge is satisfied by the evidence presented by the complainant
during the preliminary investigation, without requiring counterevidence to be presented by
the suspect first (section 6b of Rule 112 of the Law on Criminal Procédure). See Nolledo.
Supra, at note 40: 288-90.
43. One government prosecutor illustrated this with the story of a kidnap-for-ransom case. Two
brothers, Chinese businessmen, were abducted in their car by a kidnap-for-ransom gang. Their
mother and a domestic helper accidently were present as well. Already during the trip to the
gang’s hide-out, negotiations about the terms of release took place. The mother was released
from the car to raise the money. A spécial police squad was tipped-off about the incident.
This squad managed to locate the hide-out of the gang and to arrest its members before
ransom could be paid. In spite of the fact that the gang was arrested, the brothers and the
mother were too terrified to press charges. Fortunately in this instance, the domestic helper
did, though she was just an incidental target of the crime. She had been sexually abused by
the gang, which made her anger stronger than her fear.
44. It is striking in this context that the announcement by the Alex Boncayao Brigade, the urban
hit squad of the CPP/NPA, that it would assassinate criminals met a positive response amongst
various non-communist newspaper joumalists. Another recent manifestation of extra-judicial
justice was the killing of suspected drug peddlers in downtown Manila in late 1993. The
victims usually carried a message stating that they had been killed because of drug trafficking.
80 Human Rights and Due Process in the Philippines

It is not certain yet, however, whether these killings were conducted by secret police hit
squads or were the resuit of a war between rivalling drug gangs. These extra-judicial killings
have also met a positive response from various sectors of society.
45. The making o f injustice. Editorial by Léonard S. de Vera. BAR Briefs, January-March, 1996.
46. ‘Is There Life Behind Bars? Prison Justice and Development Program.’ Flyer from Caritas
Manila.
47. This leniency is also characteristic of child-raising which is predominantly non-disciplinarian.
See for instance Kabisig, Filipino Values and National Development, Readings on the Moral
Recovery Program. Metro-Manila: Kabisig People’s Movement 1993: 18.
48. This remarkable leniency was clearly exposed and strongly criticized by a retired Supreme
Court justice in his column in a well-read newspaper (Justice Isagani A. Cruz in the Philippine
Daily Inquirer of 14 May, 1995). The movie actor’s luck with the judiciary ran out when a
Régional Trial Court Judge gave him a long prison sentence for illégal possession of firearms.
Nevertheless, he was given preferential treatment in prison as well. For instance, he was
allowed a celebrity wedding held on the prison grounds.
49. Another term in this context is pakikisama. It refers to a tendency to get along with others
in such a way as to avoid outward signs of conflict, including the acceptance of conduct from
others that one actually dislikes or of which one disapproves. It is related to a deeper value
called pakikipagkapwa which refers to a shared human identity and a desire to be treated as
an equal. Pakikisama also refers to a spirit of unselfish comradeship. Related to the second
meaning of the latter term is tayo-tayo which refers to spécial in-group relations. Despite the
penchant toward ‘smooth interpersonal relations’, socialharmony breaks down very frequently.
In those cases smooth interpersonal relations may turn into bitter feuds and rivalries that may
go on for a long time, even among relatives and former friends.
50. Department of Justice.
51. See for instance Narvasa, Challenge and Triumph. Reflections on Law and Justice Part III.
1995, Metro-Manila: Supreme Court Press: 178.
52. Kabisig, Supra, at note 46:13-14. This allegedly inadéquate commitment to the common good
is frequently explained on the basis of the colonial experience. Because the Philippines was
under colonial raie for many centuries, and for the most part even under very direct colonial
raie, the realm of the nation-at-large was experienced as alien, as part of the world of the
colonizers. This experience further facilitated the strength of particularistic loyalties and
inhibited the development of a commitment to the interests of the nation at large.
53. This ‘salvage’ culture has been analyzed by, amongst others, Amando Doronila in his column
in the Philippine Daily Inquirer of 26 June, 1995.
54. Study by the Ateneo Law School’s Human Rights Center, as quoted in the Philippine Daily
Inquirer of 17 November, 1994.
55. A good example of such a frame-up is the case of a former Filipino boxing champion who
dismissed his manager. The manager was offended by this décision and retaliated. Through
the promise of some material benefits, he persuaded the boxer’s housemaid to file a complaint
against the boxer for rape. The boxer was arrested and denied bail. After a while, the former
manager changed his mind and publicly confessed that he had framed the boxer. Yet charges
against the boxer could not be dropped. Since the housemaid filed the complaint, only she
could retract it. She went home to a locality far from Manila and was not able or willing to
retum to retract her statement. Since a motion for bail had been denied, the boxer had to stay
in jail for the time being (Joaquin Henson in the Philippine Star, 24 November, 1993).
56. As of July 1996, the case was still dragging on. FLAG, a leading human rights NGO is
presently acting as counsel for the policemen who ‘blew the whistle’. Out of discontent with
Human Rights and Due Process in the Philippines 81

the treatment of these whistleblowers, FLAG has even taken the case to a United Nations
body.
57. Philippine Daily Inquirer, 4 June, 1995.
58. Republic Act No 7659, 13 December, 1993.
59. R.A. 8177, 20 March, 1996.
60. Case Monitoring Division, ODI, PNP, as quoted in Philrights, Growth 2000: Selective
Prosperity. Metro-Manila: the Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates, 1997: 63.
61. Diokno, M.S.I. and Sanidad, A.V. ‘Justice and the Rule of Law.’ Paper presented before the
Solidarity Seminar on Justice, 1990: 11.
62. Alledo, et al. v. Judge Diokno, G.R. 113630.1993-1994 Annual Report of the Supreme Court".
42.
 Chapter 4

Politics and the Independence of the Judiciary and the Bar

Fiscal Autonomy and Administrative Supervision of the Courts

During the 20 years of his rule, Marcos controlled the judiciary through a system of
appointments, manipulation of debts of gratitude, subtle pressures, active discouragement
of dissent through repression and - when necessary - by circumventing or ignoring the
courts.1 Strikingly, however, Marcos actually increased the formai independence of the
judiciary after declaring martial law in 1972.
This paradox of increased formai - and decreased effective —independence stems from
the fact that Marcos was both a skillful tactician as well as an eminent lawyer himself.
Therefore he was quite resourceful in legitimizing his de facto monopolization of power
with plébiscités, institutional changes, populist or nationalist rhetoric and constitutional
provisions regarding the independence of the judiciary.
His 1973 Constitution granted the Supreme Court substantial powers. Marcos had
adopted from the 1971 Constitutional Convention the proposai to transfer the supervision
of the lower courts from the Department of Justice to the Supreme Court. This supervi­
sion included both practical care of the material facilities and labor conditions of the
courts plus the disciplining of judges, justices and court personnel. Before 1973, supervi­
sion over the courts was primarily the duty of the Judicial Superintendent, who was an
official of the Department of Justice under the executive arm of the government.
An important argument advanced by the 1971 Constitutional Convention in favor of
the transfer of disciplinary supervision over the courts from an officer of the executive
branch to the Supreme Court, was that such a shift would reduce political influence on
the dispensing of discipline. A further argument was that the Judicial Superintendent
exercised sizeable powers in disciplinary matters and consequently could easily use
favoritism in his administrative and disciplinary actions as well as in the transferring of
judges. A shift of administrative and disciplinary responsibilities would therefore increase
the independence of the judiciary. The 1973 Constitution further assigned ultimate
responsibility over organization and discipline of the bar to the Supreme Court as well.
The 1987 Constitution adopted the provisions from the 1973 Constitution concerning
supervision over the lower courts and the bar. Clearly, the new démocratie order after
the EDSA revoit could not legitimately afford to grant the judiciary less formai powers
of independence than had the Marcos dictatorship. The extensive supervisory powers
made the renovated Supreme Court a powerful instrument in devising and implementing
much needed reforms in the légal system. In this judicial reorganization only five
incumbent justices of the Supreme Court under Marcos were reappointed by Président
Aquino.
84 Politics and the Independence of the Judiciary and the Bar

The Administration o f the Supreme Court

A few years after the EDSA revoit, the extensive supervisory powers of the Supreme
Court raised considérable problems. One such problem was that the détails of administra­
tive supervision represented a considérable strain on the work load of the Supreme Court.
Marcos had already created the Office of the Court Administrator to deal with the
administrative burdens. This office remained in charge of judicial administration in the
post-EDSA era. Nevertheless many décisions regarding administrative matters were still
presented to the Supreme Court justices for confirmation. A knowledgeable insider
estimâtes that in 1993, around 40% of the en banc meetings of the Supreme Court were
dominated by administrative matters, such as how many pendis should be allocated to
a particular court, how many typists, etc. Furthermore, the Office of the Court Adminis­
trator has limited staff and facilities.
A more fondamental objection to the extensive powers of administrative supervision
exercised by the Supreme Court, is that the justices of the Court are simply not capable
of efficient judicial management, since they have not been recruited on the basis of
managerial or administrative skills. This objection also applies to the staff of the Court
Administrator’s office, which, according to critics, consists of former judges with little
training and experience in management.
The notion that the administrative burden of the Supreme Court has become too heavy
is widely accepted, even by the Court itself. Therefore there appears to be ample support
for a transfer of at least a part of the administrative responsibility over the courts to the
Department of Justice. A major problem posed by this, however, is that such a transfer
would require a constitutional amendment. But proposai of constitutional amendments,
as mentioned earlier, is very risky in the Philippine political climate of the 1990s, since
this would trigger numerous other proposais for less desirable constitutional amendments.
In addition, no consensus exists concerning to what extent responsibilities over the courts
should be transferred. The least controversial proposai involves shift of responsibility
for the material resources of the courts, such as books, pencils, typewriters, computer,
etc. back to the Department o f Justice. The shift of responsibility for human resources
décisions, such as transfer of judges from one sala to another and the allocation of court
staff, is already much more contested.
The most controversial part of a potential transfer of responsibility to the Department
of Justice concerns the disciplinary supervision of judges and court staff. Proponents of
a shift of disciplinary supervision argue that disciple by the Supreme Court cannot be
adequate, as justices will naturally be inclined to be too lenient on their fellow members
of the judiciary. Such persons believe that the degree of favoritism on the part of the
Judicial Superintendent in judicial organization before 1973 has been exaggerated. In
disciplinary matters against judges complaints first had to be investigated by the Office
of the Solicitor-General. This office would articulate recommendations regarding disci­
plinary actions which were binding on the action of the Judicial Superintendent. So the
rôle of the Office of the Solicitor-General acted as a check on the power of the Judicial
Superintendent in disciplinary cases.
The Supreme Court has consistently defended itself against accusations of being too
lenient in disciplining judges by referring to its disciplinary record, which will be
Politics and the Independence o f the Judiciary and the Bar 85

discussed in the section on ‘Supervision and Discipline’, in chapter 5 of this study.

Furthermore, disciplinary cases against judges are always reviewed by the Supreme Court
as a whole. This inhibits favoritism by individual justices in disciplinary cases and acts
as a check against possible favoritism from the Court Administrator or his deputies.
A fondamental argument against the transfer of disciplinary supervision to the Depart­
ment of Justice is that it increases the possibility that such supervision of the judiciary
will become politicized again. The executive can, in principle, be tempted to use disci­
plinary measures to punish judges who décidé cases against the executive’s interests.
Furthermore, fear of retaliation through disciplinary action will act as a form of self-
censorship, so that judges and justices feel pressured to décidé cases in favor of the
interests of the executive. Disciplinary supervision by the executive over the courts is
therefore a serious potential threat to the independence of the judiciary. The foreseen rôle
of the Office of the Solicitor-General in disciplinary cases against judges would not
diminish this threat, as this Office is as much a part of the machinery of the executive
as that of the Department of Justice. The involvement of the Office of the Solicitor-
General therefore constitutes an insufficient guarantee against politicization of the
disciplinary supervision of judges. Such a threat to judicial independence also exists if
the Department of Justice is put in charge of the administrative transfer of judges. The
executive may punish judges it feels are too independent-minded by transferring them
to salas in remote areas.

Fiscal Autonomy
According to the 1987 Constitution, the judiciary exercises fiscal autonomy. In actual
practice, however, this autonomy has not been respected. Until 1993 the budget proposais
for the judiciary as drafted by the Supreme Court were integrated into the overall budget
proposai for government branches that the Department for Budget and Management
offered for ratification by Congress. This départaient tended to introduce considérable
changes in the budget for the judiciary, even without Consulting the Supreme Court. In
1993, the Supreme Court decided to send its budget proposai directly to Congress, and
to urge the Department of Budget and Management to consult the Supreme Court before
proposing any changes. However, the budget proposai for the judiciary may still be
subjected to considérable changes, both from Congress and from the Department of
Budget and Management. The timing of the release of the allocated funds is also still
determined by this Department.
In practice, this means that both the executive and législative bodies exercise substan-
tial control over the budget for the judiciary. It also implies that the extent to which the
financial demands of the judiciary are met by Congress and the government is to a large
extent an outcome of political bargaining rather than a matter of automatic appropriation.
Success in this bargaining process depends greatly on the political skill of the Supreme
Court, notably of the Chief Justice.
The budget for the judiciary has been grossly inadéquate. The Supreme Court has
estimated that an effective judiciary would require a raise in its budget from less than
1% to at least 2.5% of the annual total government budget. The low allocation of funds
to the judiciary have often been legitimized by the fact that the judiciary has to compete
86 Politics and the Independence of the Judiciary and the Bar

with other important concerns in the country, such as éducation and médical expenses.
Moreover, a significant portion of the budget is ‘eaten up’ by expenditures related to
repayment of the country's huge international debt, which the Aquino and Ramos
administrations inherited from the Marcos era.
In 1995, the Ramos administration and influential members of Congress promised a
substantial amount of extra money for the judiciary on top of the regular allocations. This
amount is the judiciary’s share of a spécial allocation to the various sectors of the
criminal justice system. This spécial allocation was expected to be financed from the sale
and conversion for commercial uses of former military land. Initially, the amount of
money that was promised as the resuit of the sales was one billion pesos. Later, the
promised amount dropped to 600 million, and consequently to 300 million pesos. Since
many agencies lobbied to secure a large share of the fund, by July 20, 1996, it was
uncertain whether the amount to be allocated for the judiciary might drop even further,
and whether the original promise to release the amount in one lump sum, rather than in
a piecemeal fashion, would be kept. Apart from that, this allocation was to be released
through the Department for Budget and Management, rather than transferred directly to
the Supreme Court.
Although quite welcome from a purely pragmatic point of view, a huge incidental lump
sum also has its drawbacks for the independence of the judiciary. In the Filipino context,
in which reciprocal favors and obligations play a crucial rôle in the political field as well
as in society in général, such a lump sum is like a large political spoil for the judiciary.
Such a spoil consequently exercises pressure on the judiciary to reciprocate to the
government - or to the ruling party or politicians primarily responsible for fixing this
amount - by means of favorable rulings. Strictly speaking from the perspective of the
independence of the judiciary, it appears to be more appropriate for the government and
the Congress to provide the judiciary adequate funds through structural, automatic
appropriations rather than through incidental spoils.2
In addition to funds from the national budget for the judiciary, individual judges also
receive an allowance of about 25% of their salaries from the local governments of the
areas in which their salas are located. However, the local authority can withhold the
allowance at its discrétion. Because the salaries of judges are modest and the Supreme
Court is unable to provide sufficient extra resources, this allowance from the local
government is widely accepted in the judicial system. However it holds obvious risks
for the independence of the lower courts, since the allowances can be - deliberately or
indeliberately - used by local governments to exercise undue pressure on judges to décidé
in favor of their interests.
Another provision of both the 1973 and 1987 Constitutions is the security of tenure
that judges and justices enjoy. The national executive branch does not have the right to
‘punish’ uncooperative judges and justices by dismissing them. Congress has the right
to impeach the members of the Supreme Court, but for this a two-thirds majority is
required. A drawback of tenure security is that it acts as an inhibiting factor in dismissing
incompétent judges. The judicial reorganizations in 1972, under Marcos, and in 1986,
under Aquino, in which judges were forced to resign and were reappointed selectively,
were supposed to cleanse the ranks of the judiciary of bad elements. The reorganization
Politics and the Independence o f the Judiciary and the Bar 87

in 1973 partly served to subordinate the judiciary to the Marcos regime, while the
reorganization of 1986 was insufficient, as was pointed out in the section on ‘The Lower
Courts and Politically-inspired Human Right Violations’ in chapter 3, since, amongst
other things, this reorganization was impeded by political considérations exercised in the
reappointment of judges.

The Appointment of Judges and Justices

The most important change that the 1987 Constitution introduced in order to increase
judicial independence concerned procédures for the appointment of judges and justices.
Prior to 1987 judges and justices were directly appointed by the Philippine Président,
with the décisions having to be confirmed by the Commission of Appointments, a
congressional body that reviews a range of presidential appointées for public service. In
actual practice this meant that each appointée had to be backed by a powerful politician.
This arrangement did not contribute to judicial independence in a country in which the
principle of utang ng loob or ‘debt of gratitude’ (literally debt from within) runs strong.3
Another reported drawback of the old system was that it gave the Judicial Superintendent
power, which he could use to promote friends or allies to positions in the judiciary.
Since 1987 prospective members of the judiciary are selected by the Judicial and Bar
Council (JBC). This is a committee consisting of seven members representing the
Supreme Court, the Department of Justice, Congress, the Integrated Bar of the Philip­
pines, the academic community, the private sector, and a retired member of the Supreme
Court. It is assisted by several consultants, the most important of whom is the Court
Administrator. Formally the Judicial and Bar Council operates under the supervision of
the Supreme Court. However the appointments of specific members to the Council have
to be approved by the Commission of Appointments.
In principle every citizen has the right to file names of candidates for the judiciary with
the JBC. For each vacancy the JBC selects three to five formai candidates, from whom
the Président appoints one. The three to five candidates are not hierarchically listed; the
JBC does not explicitly express preference for one of the three to five candidates that
it recommends to the Président. This procédure reduces - but does not altogether
eliminate - the influence of both the executive and the législative branches. Before the
Judicial and Bar Council formally présents candidates to the Président, their names are
made public (though these names are generally not widely publicized in the press, unless
the nominations concern vacancies in the Supreme Court). It is a prérogative of the public
to raise potential objections to candidates selected by the JBC, for instance if a nominee
has a réputation for corruption. The JBC assesses these objections and déclarés them
valid or invalid. Candidates must file individual applications as well, and are interviewed
once or twice by the JBC.
Initially, the JBC tried to strike a balance between candidates from the private sector,
academia, the bench and government agencies, such as quasi-judicial bodies. During the
last few years it has started to put more emphasis on career options for members of the
bench. Increasingly, Régional Trial Court Judges have been promoted to the Court of
88 Politics and the Independence o f the Judiciary and the Bar

Appeals, which had been an emphatic request from the Philippine Judges Association.
Similarly, candidates for the Supreme Court increasingly tend to be selected from among
senior justices of the Court of Appeals and from the Sandiganbayan. This tendency
deviates from that of the first years following the EDSA revoit, in which many private
lawyers and law professors were appointed to the Supreme Court. Between 1993 and July
1996, ail except one of the new Supreme Court justices were appointed from the ranks
of justices from these higher courts.
The Chief Justice is directly appointed by the Président at his or her discrétion from
among the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court. In the post-EDSA era, four Chief
Justices have been appointed, ail by Président Aquino. The degree of seniority has been
an important, though not always decisive, criterion in the appointaient of the Chief
Justice, as in the appointment of the Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeals.

The JBC has remained controversial in the Philippines. The judges generally seem to be
relieved that they no longer need to be screened by the Commission of Appointments.
One of the reported problems of this congressional body is that it is frequently abused
by politicians for personal grandstanding. Candidates for the bench who were screened
by this committee were subjected to a severe review by politicians who wanted to show
their toughness to the public.
Yet it was also argued that the Commission of Appointments exercised a positive
impact on the quality of the members of the bench, particularly when it concerned
vacancies for the Supreme Court. The tough screening by the Commission of Appoint­
ments ensured that only the very best candidates for a position in the higher courts
remained. One senior lawyer recalled that on one occasion in the past, when a candidate
for the bench still had to pass the Commission of Appointments, a rumor that a specific
candidate for the Supreme Court had consulted a psychiatrist resulted in close scrutiny
of his mental stability. In this lawyer’s opinion, the screening procédure of the JBC is
not by any means strict, thus allowing vacancies in the higher courts to be filled by rather
mediocre candidates: ‘a few decades ago the members of the Supreme Court were légal
giants you would look up to. If you would meet them, you would keep your hands on
your back because you did not feel worthy to shake their hand. Their décisions were a
pleasure to read, profound, Creative and eloquent. Many members of the present Supreme
Court are adequate, but not of top quality. And some members cannot even write
intelligible English’. In his opinion, the negative influence of meddling politicians in the
previous procédures for appointment of judges and justices tends to be exaggerated: ‘if
a politician actively lobbied for the appointment of a candidate, he really had to make
sure that candidate was good. If he supported a candidate of poor quality, it would
backfire on him. He would lose credibility with his colleagues’.
For the staunch defenders of the JBC, however, the réduction of the influence of
politicians on the appointment of judges and justices is primarily one of principle, not
of practical expediency. In their opinion, politicians should have only a limited impact
on the appointment of the members of an independent judiciary.
Because the Philippine Président ultimately appoints one candidate from the list
submitted by the JBC, he necessarily exercises an important influence on the judiciary.
Politics and the Independence o f the Judiciary and the Bar 89

Although Président Ramos inherited a full Supreme Court from his predecessor, he has
had the possibility of drastically influencing the composition of the Court. Between his
inauguration in 1992 and July 1995 he replaced 10 justices from the Aquino period, due
to retirement, death or voluntary résignation.4 So as of July 1995 he had appointed two-
thirds of the members of the judicial institution that must review the constitutionality of
his décisions.5 Thus naturally Président Ramos appointed candidates whom he expected
would be at least relatively favorable to his government, or expected loyalty from these
new appointées because of their debt of gratitude toward him.
Nevertheless, the debt of gratitude expected by the Président has not always worked
in his favor, as was shown in a controversial décision by the first division of the Supreme
Court in June, 1996. In this ruling, earlier décisions by a Régional Trial Court and by
the Court of Appeals were upheld restraining the government from continuing a prelimi-
nary criminal investigation against the cigarette companies of an industrial tycoon and
former Marcos crony. The Ramos administration filed a pétition for review on certiorari
with the Supreme Court, arguing, amongst other things, that the RTC and Court of
Appeals had committed ‘grave abuse of discrétion amounting to lack or access of
jurisdiction’. The government’s pétition was dismissed by the smallest possible margin:
3 against 2, with one of the three members of the majority dissenting in part. It is striking
however that the two justices who formed the heart of the majority were both recent
Ramos appointées, and the chairman of the division, who dissented in the strongest
possible terms, was an Aquino appointée. This controversial case will be further dis-
cussed in chapter 5.

The Politics o f the JBC

Though the JBC has somewhat reduced the influence of powerful politicians on judicial
appointments in terms of formai procédures, its introduction has not precluded informai
lobbying for appointments. The set-up of the JBC does not even automatically prevent
the Président from appointing a candidate he already was considering before the JBC
recommendation procédure started. If he, or another executive représentative or political
ally in Congress, is able to convince the JBC to include his favorite candidate on the list
of three to five nominees, he can freely and legitimately appoint his own candidate, ail
the hard work by the JBC in screening candidates notwithstanding.
Apart from the informai meddling of politicians there is also the influence of other
personal networks, such as fraternities, business, and cause-oriented civil groups. Some
critics of the JBC even doubt whether the influence of powerful lobbies in the appoint­
aient of judges and justices is any less now than under Marcos: ‘the judiciary under
Marcos was not independent of course. Yet the impact of the Marcos administration was
very subtle. You hardly noticed it. But these days the lobbyists are so conspicuous in
what they are doing.’ Apart from lobbying by third parties, direct lobbying by prospective
candidates for an appointment or promotion in the judiciary has by no means disappeared.
The influence of networks in the appointment and promotion of judges and justices
is stronger in the higher courts: i.e. the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals. These
courts have relatively few members (15 for the Supreme Court and 51 for the Court of
Appeals) and many interested candidates for available positions. The influence of
90 Politics and the Ind.epend.ence of the Judiciary and the Bar

networks is less relevant in the appointment of members of the lower courts, since there
are actually few qualified and interested candidates for the many vacancies available.
Critics argue that the members of the JBC themselves base their recommendations
predominantly on personal and political considérations rather than on professional
qualifications. This has allegedly resulted in the admission of misfits into the judiciary.
However in ail probability in the early stages of selection by the JBC, personal and
political factors tend to be subordinate. The increasing tendency to promote career judges
to the higher courts automatically restrains political and personal considérations to a
certain degree. But in the final nomination and appointment of justices personal and
political considérations certainly play a rôle. As a court official put it: ‘if you have to
choose between two candidates with good paper qualifications, you naturally want to
minimize risks and choose the person you know best’.
The JBC is further unable to prevent candidates from exercising ‘self-censorship’ to
boost their chances for appointment or promotion. Generally candidates for a promotion
or prime appointment to the bench receive advice not to antagonize powerful interests
in their judicial décisions, particularly when they aspire to a high position in the judicia-
ry.

Quality o f Judicial Candidates

Another important challenge to the credibility of the JBC concerns its ability to present
competent and honest candidates. The JBC has been subjected to heavy criticism on this
issue. Critics argue that many recent candidates for the bench are of low professional
quality and sometimes of dubious moral character. They cited a case in 1993 in which
a former member of a quasi-judicial body, who allegedly had a réputation for corruption
in the exercise of his previous public office, was appointed as a judge to a Régional Trial
Court. Some critics are clearly biased in their judgments, however, and have hidden
personal motivations for articulating this criticism. One staunch critic is a former senator
who served as the running mate of Marcos during the ‘snap élections’ in 1986 which
finally resulted in the EDSA revoit, and was also involved in the first coup attempt
against the Aquino regime in 1986. Another very vocal lawyer-columnist holds various
personal grudges against the Supreme Court which he vents in his newspaper columns.
Nevertheless, honest and well-informed représentatives of the légal system also voice
criticism of the Judicial and JBC’s lists of candidates for the bench.
Staunch defenders of the JBC do acknowledge that there are still serious problems.
One such defender, a reputable former leading member of the bench, stated that she is
sometimes shocked by the ignorance of the law demonstrated by many judges, even
among those appointed after 1986. Another reputable defender of the JBC partly blâmes
the public for the fact that some judges with notorious réputations are appointed to the
bench. In her opinion, the JBC does its very best to screen candidates, frequently calling
upon the National Bureau of Investigation to keep out lawyers with poor réputations. But
she thinks that the public often fails to notify the JBC of complaints against candidates,
or publicizes these complaints only after a candidate has already been appointed. The
public’s reluctance to file complaints against notorious candidates seeking a position in
Politics and the Independence o f the Judiciary and the Bar 91

the judiciary is comparable to the reluctance that many witnesses and victims display
whenever they have to testify in crime cases.
Two factors that obviously inhibit the efforts of the JBC in finding competent and
sincere candidates are that corruption is often hard to prove and that a shortage exists
of eligible and willing candidates for the bench, particularly for the MTC’s and RTC’s.
This problem is aggravated by the great number of vacancies in these courts. In certain
cases, the JBC has to choose between two evils: either to nominate candidates of
questionable compétence, or to leave yet another judicial position vacant.
Because of this shortage of eligible candidates, the JBC’s method of opération has a
serious practical drawback: it slows down the appointment of judges in the lower courts.
Because each vacancy in the judiciary requires at least three candidates, the Président
cannot appoint and fill that vacancy, even if there is only one good candidate for the
position. This requirement further facilitâtes complicated and artificial stratégies to cope
with the problem of unfilled vacancies. The problem of filling the vacancies in the 220
new Régional Trial Court salas after 1986 is a case in point. The majority of these new
salas are still vacant. If one wants to fill 220 vacancies immediately, one has to nominate
660 candidates. There are simply not that many candidates available. Consequently, these
vacancies are filled in a piecemeal fashion. First several salas are completed. Candidates
not appointed for posts in these salas are placed on the list of three candidates for another
vacancy. When that vacancy is filled, candidates not selected will be presented for
another vacancy, and so forth. Another implication of this is that very few candidates
are ultimately rejected. Most candidates will be appointed somewhere in the end accord­
ing to this scheme of opération.
The problem of finding suitable candidates is much less pressing in relation to the
higher courts, such as the Court of Appeals and the Suprême Court, since these courts
have quite a restricted membership and consequently few vacancies. Since an appoint­
ment in one of the higher courts is also rather prestigious, despite the comparatively low
salary, it is less problematic to find a sufficient number of candidates for vacancies in
these courts. Nevertheless, it is increasingly becoming problematic to attract the very best
candidates for these posts. As a resuit, the quality of decision-making in the higher courts
has become subject to criticism, and the Supreme Court has been plagued by several
public scandais and controversial décisions. Therefore reputable members of the légal
system currently no longer consider it a great honor to be appointed to the Supreme
Court. The classic idea that membership in the Supreme Court forms the crown in the
career of every lawyer is now subject to érosion. This trend poses a serious problem,
because the very heavy responsibilities with which the Supreme Court is charged under
the 1987 Constitution - and the complex nature of the various issues it addresses, such
as commercial disputes and economic policies - require the very best candidates that the
Filipino légal system has to offer.

The Appointment o f the Chief Justice

A spécial case among the procédures for appointing judges and justices is the appoint­
ment of the Chief Justice. Though he is formally a primus inter pares in the Supreme
Court, his influence is formidable. He heads various important committees, such as the
92 Politics and the Independence o f the Judiciary and the Bar

Judicial and Bar Council; he présidés the en banc délibérations and plays a key rôle in
the décision making process; he is the ultimate supervisor of ail activities of the Supreme
Court; and he is the central link in the chain of contacts between the judiciary and the
other main powers in society. Because of the important rôle of the Supreme Court in the
post-EDSA political order and the central rôle of the Chief Justice in this Court, the Chief
Justice faces strong and multiple pressures in his work. His central rôle makes the work
and appointment of the Chief Justice easily subject to a high degree of politicization.
The Chief Justice is appointed by the Président from among the incumbent Supreme
Court justices at his or her discrétion. The Constitution does not mention any additional
substantive or procédural requirement for the appointment of the Chief Justice, apart from
the fact that he or she has to be an incumbent justice of the Supreme Court. Between
1986 and July 1996 four Chief Justices were appointed, ail by Président Aquino. Though
seniority played some rôle in the appointment of these chief justices, the criterion of
seniority was not strictly or consistently followed.
The criteria applied in appointment of the Chief Justice have also been subject to
debate in the Philippines. Some persons favor seniority as the sole criterion, pointing to
the clarity of its application and the opportunity it offers to prevent politicization of the
appointment. A disadvantage of the seniority criterion is that the most senior justices may
not necessarily constitute the most competent candidates. Other alternative proposais have
also been advanced. One retired justice, for instance, has proposed that the Chief Justice
be elected by the justices of the Supreme Court themselves at least every two years.6
He asserts that this arrangement seems to work well in certain Latin-American countries.
An important argument for this proposai is that élection by his or her peers will guarantee
that the Chief Justice is really trusted by the other justices, which is an absolute require­
ment for an effective functioning of this position. Another argument suggests that if the
Supreme Court is truly independent, then the appointment of its head, the Chief Justice,
should be the exclusive prérogative of the Supreme Court itself. An argument against
this proposai, however, is that élection by peers might increase rivalry between justices
who aspire for the position of Chief Justice, and may lead to active lobbying and
factionalism in the Supreme Court.
It seems that the criteria for the appointment of the Chief Justice cannot be isolated
from the scope of the Supreme Court’s responsibilities, nor from its internai division of
labor. The wide range of administrative responsibilities assigned to the Supreme Court
in the Philippines makes it difficult to apply the same criteria for appointment of the
Chief Justice as are used in other national contexts in which the Supreme Court merely
deals with issues of law. The broad scope of administrative responsibilities requires
substantial compétence in the area of management and administration. The most senior
associate justice may not necessarily meet this profile. One could address this issue by
delegating administrative responsibilities to a spécial administrative division in the
Supreme Court which would be in charge of the supervision of the Office of the Court
Administrator. The chairman of this division should be specifically selected on the basis
of management and administrative qualities. As a resuit the Chief Justice would be
relieved from administrative duties, and therefore not need to be appointed partially on
the basis of qualities in the area of management and administration.
Politics and the Independence o f the Judiciary and the Bar 93

The criteria for appointaient of the Chief Justice also cannot be isolated from the quality
of the criteria and procédures for appointment of justices of the Supreme Court in
général. If the appointed justices of the Supreme Court are consistently of top quality,
the criteria for the appointment of the Chief Justice are somewhat relativized and the
chances of an inadéquate Chief Justice being appointed are consequently low, provided
that the executive does not resort to appointing a complété outsider to the Court as Chief
Justice. Consistent top quality and integrity among the Associate Justices further acts as
a check on potential usurpation of excessive power by the Chief Justice. Lastly, even
if the Chief Justice does not prove adequate in his tasks, the consistent top quality and
integrity of the associate justices guarantees that other justices will step in to compensate
for the Chief Justice’s inadequacy, and thus guarantee the continuation of proper adminis­
tration of justice by the Supreme Court.

The Economic and Political Power of the Judiciary

The 1973 Constitution of Marcos retained and even increased the powers of judicial
review over executive décisions that the Supreme Court had exercised under the pre-
martial law Constitution of 1935.7 But the 1973 Constitution did not include, at least
not explicitly, the power of judicial review over presidential decrees, whereas these
presidential decrees formed the main instrument through which Marcos exercised his
power.
The 1987 Constitution remedied the omission in the 1973 Constitution by explicitly
subjecting presidential decrees to the Supreme Court’s powers of judicial review.
According to the 1987 Constitution, the Supreme Court has the power to déclaré any
décision or action by an executive agency or législative body unconstitutional by a mere
majority vote. But the power of review also includes the power to déclaré executive
décisions invalid because of ‘abuse of discrétion amounting to a lack or excess of
jurisdiction’. A dominant objective of these provisions was to protect civil and political
liberties as a reaction to the excesses during the Marcos dictatorship. During the Marcos
era, the courts were often denied the right to order the release of political detainees, or
to deal with other measures regarding civil liberties, because Marcos regarded these
measures as political matters and thus as exclusively within his executive jurisdiction.
In a number of cases the judiciary accepted the invocation of the political argument and
refused to review these measures affecting civil liberties. The 1987 Constitution enlarged
the provisions on judicial review in order to prevent this abuse of the political prérogative
from occurring again.8
The influence of the Supreme Court on the political life of the country, and more
significantly on issues of economic policies, increased as a conséquence of the enlarged
judicial review. If there was ‘abuse of discrétion amounting to a lack of excess of
jurisdiction’ on the part of a government official or agency, individuals or organizations
whose interests were affected by government décisions could approach the courts to seek
redress. This provided aggrieved parties, including large companies, the opportunity to
address pétitions to the courts pertaining to economic policies or specific décisions by
94 Politics and the Independence o f the Judiciary and the Bar

government agencies that in some way affected their economic interests. Since aggrieved
parties eagerly sought this kind of redress from the courts in economic disputes, the
Supreme Court became a final arbiter in matters of economic policy on many occasions.

Political Influence
The extensive influence of the Supreme Court on the political and economic life of the
country through the power of judicial review has been seriously criticized.9 One fonda­
mental objection to this review is that it is undemocratic because a body that is not
elected by the people can overrule décisions made by an elected président and/or
Congress. A related argument is that judicial review may tempt the judiciary to unduly
interfere in matters of the executive and législature, and thus violate the doctrine of the
séparation of powers.
A case in 1992, in which the Supreme Court became involved in the spécifié composi­
tion of an important législative committee, may illustrate this point. The Commission
of Appointment, which has to approve presidential appointments in the cabinet and
various other important offices, consists of 12 senators and 12 members of Congress,
in addition to the Président of the Senate serving in an ‘ex officio’ capacity. The
members of the Commission are elected by the Senate and the House of Représentatives
on the basis of equal représentation. Following the 1992 élections, four party coalitions
were represented in the Senate. The number of their Senate seats determined the number
of seats to which they were entitled on the Commission, according to the following
schéma:

Coalition Senate seats Entitled Actual

Commission Commission
Coalition No. 1 15 7.5 8
Coalition No. 2 5 2.5 2
Coalition No. 3 3 1.5 1
Coalition No. 4 1 0.5 1

Coalitions 1, 2 and 4 decided to pool their resources, thus becoming entitled to 10.5 seats
collectively, for which they claimed 11. To achieve this, the largest coalition received
a total of eight seats, whereas it could officially claim only 7.5, the second group agreed
to two seats, whereas it could have claimed 2.5, and the smallest coalition received one
seat, whereas it was entitled to only 0.5. seats. Faction number three, which was left with
only one seat, whereas officially it could claim 1.5, protested to the Supreme Court,
claiming that the pooling of resources was a breach of the constitutional principle of
proportionate représentation. The Supreme Court agreed with this protest, interpreting
the constitutional requirement of proportional représentation as meaning that no coalition
could convert a claim to half a seat into a whole seat in the Commission. Consequently
it annulled the élection of two members of the Commission and articulated three specific
guidelines for the future appointment of its members. The Court further argued that if
Politics and the Independence o f the Judiciary and the Bar 95

the requirement of proportionate représentation presented difficulty in filling ail the seats
in the Commission of Appointments, some seats should better remain vacant, as long
as there was the required quorum in the Commission meetings.10
Judicial review also makes the judiciary, and particularly the Supreme Court, a key
player in major political controversies. This has become dramatically evident in a few
cases involving initiatives to extend the terms of elective officiais.11 According to the
Constitution, a so-called people’s initiative can directly propose constitutional amend-
ments upon a pétition of at least 12 percent of the total number of registered voters, of
which every législative district must be represented by at least three percent of its
registered voters. Subsequently, such a people’s initiative has to file a pétition with the
Commission on Elections (Comelec). Subsequently, the Comelec has to organize a
plébiscité in which the electorate at large will vote on the proposed amendment, provided
that Comelec considérés the pétition as valid. In the course of 1996, an organization
called PIRMA, filed such a pétition with the Comelec. The main amendment proposed
by this organization consisted of a change in the maximum term that the 1987 Constitu­
tion had imposed on elective officiais. This and accompanying amendments would allow
Président Ramos to run for another term of office, and permit various other politicians
reaching term limits in 1998 to stand for re-election as well. Various opponents to the
proposed constitutional amendments filed a pétition with the Supreme Court to stop the
Comelec and PIRMA from proceeding with the initiative toward constitutional amend­
ments. One of the arguments raised by the opponents was that the 1987 Constitution does
not allow a people’s initiative to propose drastic changes such as the extension of terms
of elective officiais. Section 1 of Article XVII of the Constitution permits Congress to
propose both amendments to and révisions of the 1987 Constitution. But according to
section 2 of the same Article, the 1987 Constitution restricts the people’s initiative to
proposing amendments. In the opinion of the opponents, an extension of the maximum
term of office of elective officiais would so violate the spirit of the Constitution that it
would amount to an overhaul of the Constitution rather than a mere amendment of it.
On 19 March, 1997, the Supreme Court upheld the pétition of the opponents to the
constitutional amendments. The Supreme Court unanimously ordered the dismissal of
PIRMA’s pétition toward constitutional amendments to the Comelec. On 16 December,
1996, the Supreme Court had already issued a Temporary Restraining Order preventing
the people’s initiative from proceeding while the case was pending in court. The Supreme
Court ordered the dismissal of PIRMA’s pétition for constitutional amendments mainly
on technical grounds. According to the Supreme Court PIRMA had failed to ‘append the
number of signatures required for the initiative to proceed’. Eight of the justices also
mentioned a more fondamental reason for dismissing the pétition. In their opinion the
Constitution requires that an appropriate law be passed regarding the implementation of
the right to a people’s initiative and that such a law does not exist yet. Six justices
disagreed with this opinion. In their view such a law should not be necessary, and in any
case one existing law may be regarded as already adequate for the implementation of
the right to a people’s initiative.
Since the people’s initiative has been facilitated by the ruling Ramos faction, and since
both Président Ramos and various of his supporters are important beneficiaries of such
96 Politics and the Independence of the Judiciary and the Bar

a people’s initiative, this décision implies a clear counteracting of the political interests
of the powers-that-be. More importantly, it is difficult for the Supreme Court to act, and
appear to act, as a completely neutral arbiter in a case like this, since its own interests
are also at stake. If such a people’s initiative toward constitutional amendments succeeds,
it would allow powerful opponents of judicial power, and particularly Président Ramos,
to remain in political office, and would increase the possibility of their eventually
materializing their recurrent threat to reduce the scope of judicial review and power.
A related décision bearing a high degree of politicization concerns a pétition by two
organizations of barangay officiais who asked for the postponement of barangay
élections for two years. Critics of the government regard this pétition as a move by the
government to help pave the way for the extension of the terms of other elective officiais.
The Supreme Court unanimously decided that neither the Constitution nor the laws allow
a postponement of barangay élections and the extension of the terms of incumbent
barangay officiais.

Economic Influence
Discontent with judicial power in the realm of économies is both stronger and more
widespread than with that of such power in the realm of politics. Many critics object
emphatically to the enlarged judicial review because they believe it impedes economic
development in various ways. To begin with, the judiciary may force the abolition of
projects that are vital for the economic development of the country. Second, judicial
review may lead to significant delay in the execution of important projects. When a case
involving an economic project is pending before the courts, the complainant in a dispute
may ask the courts to issue a restraining order to prevent the other party or parties from
proceeding with the project until a judicial verdict has been reached. Third, the extensive
review implies a degree of unpredictability which allegedly frightens away foreign
investors. Such investors can negotiate with the national or local governments about the
terms of investment before they make a décision to invest, but they cannot negotiate with
the courts about how these courts will review cases or décisions affecting their invest­
ment.
This criticism of the extensive powers of judicial review has been reinforced by the
perception of some critics that the Supreme Court had adopted a rather activist interpréta­
tion of its rôle in economic controversies - at least up until 1991 - in reaction to the
docile attitude of the Supreme Court under the late dictator Marcos. They charge that
the Court has resorted to considération of economic policy in various cases, though it
has been broadly inconsistent in its presumption of jurisdiction in cases pertinent to
economic policy.12 A major criticism of the trend toward judicial activism, in which
the Supreme Court assumes considérable liberty in shaping public policies, is that it
inhibits the executive from implementing a coherent and effective economic program in
a context of economic crisis requiring such a program.
Another objection to judicial activism on economic issues is that it présumés an
economic and technical expertise that the Supreme Court simply does not have. Defend-
ers of the powers of judicial review tend to argue that the influence of the courts on the
economic and political life of the country is purely incidental to their légal considérations
Politics and the Independence o f the Judiciary and the Bar 97

and décisions. Though it inevitably influences politics and économies, they say, the
judiciary does not intend to step into explicitly technical, political, or economic argu­
ments in its exercise of this review. According to critics, however, in actual practice the
Supreme Court frequently resorts to such explicitly non-legal arguments. For instance,
in a case involving the transfer of a petrochemical plant in 1990, the Court used in its
argument the ‘clear advantages’ of the original site, and the ‘murky reasons for the
transfer’, which were technical and economic in nature, to oppose the transfer.13 In an
earlier case involving the same transfer in 1989, the Court had recognized that it did not
have the knowledge and expertise to judge whether the transfer was good for the
country.14
Judicial activism also allegedly results in inconsistent décisions and argumentation.
In the case involving the petrochemical plant in 1989, the transfer was allowed by the
Supreme Court, whereas the same transfer was denied in the case in 1990. Some critics
attribute the dramatic drop of Taiwanese investment from 3.4 billion pesos in 1990 to
328 million pesos in 1991 to this specific case.15
In another case in 1990, the Supreme Court approved the permission which the
National Télécommunications Commission had granted to a foreign company to operate
a mobile cellular phone system. The Philippine Long Distance Company, the PLDT
objected to this permission before the courts. The interest of the public in breaking the
virtual monopoly of PLDT, whose télécommunication network had been grossly inadé­
quate, was an important argument in the approval of the permission of the new competi-
tor. In 1992 the PLDT filed a suit to prevent another competitor from exploiting a mobile
phone system. The Supreme Court withheld the permission this time, interpreting the
franchise that the National Télécommunications Commission had granted to this new
competitor very strictly. The fact that the télécommunication system of the country was
still grossly inadéquate, and that it might thus be in the public interest to allow another
téléphoné company to operate in the country, was ignored in the case.16 In 1994 howev­
er, the Supreme Court reversed itself in this case. Deciding on a motion for reconsidera-
tion, the permission to exploit a mobile phone system by the new competitor was
approved after ail.

The Government Response

Some degree of discontent among government officiais over the economic and political
effects of judicial power is universal. But judicial power has particularly explosive
potential in contexts like those of the Philippines under Ramos. In this context, an
extensive judicial review and an urgent push toward economic development by the
government occur at the same time. Inevitably, the Supreme Court has clashed with the
Ramos administration over the issues of judicial review and judicial activism. The Ramos
administration has created an economic program to swiftly boost the country’s economic
growth. According to this program, which is known as Philippines 2000, the Philippines
should become a Newly Industrialized Nation by the year 2000, and embark on the
launching of steady and substantial economic growth. As has been mentioned in chapter
one, the proponents of this program look enviously at surrounding countries, such as
Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, which have less democracy and a less independent
98 Politics and the Independence o f the Judiciary and the Bar

and powerful judiciary, but which have overtaken the Philippines economically. An
important part of the ‘Philippines 2000 plan’ is to reinforce the earlier attempts of the
Aquino administration to break up existing monopolies of the traditional elite. Large-scale
investment in spécial projects to improve the country’s infrastructure and efforts to attract
foreign investments are also part of this program. An activist Supreme Court assuming
a strong and independent rôle in economic cases and controversies could constitute an
obvious hazard to the implementation of the program.
The Ramos administration and its proponents have exercised considérable pressure on
the Supreme Court to refrain from judicial activist tendencies. An important strategy of
the proponents of the administration was to stimulate a discussion of proposed amend-
ments to the 1987 Constitution which would limit the powers of review of the judiciary.
Even if these amendments would ultimately not be accepted, their very public discussion
sent a message to the Supreme Court to back down on judicial activism regarding
economic issues.
During the early days of the Ramos administration, a wave of negative publicity
concerning the judiciary appeared, lasting for more than a year. Anonymous letters, or
letters with false names and addresses and containing charges of corruption or other
irregularities against judges and justices, were sent to newspaper editors and to people
of some influence. Negative newspaper reports and columns reproduced the charges.
Powerful advisers to the Président were suspected of orchestrating this campaign. This
suspicion enjoyed a degree of credibility - though there has never been hard evidence
of such an involvement - and demonstrated the tense relation existing between the Ramos
administration and the Supreme Court, or at least the public perception of it. The alleged
purpose of this publicity campaign was to intimidate the judiciary into judicial restraint
or force the Supreme Court to resign, so that the incumbent justices could be replaced
by others who would be more coopérative with the executive. In the chapter on challeng­
es to judicial independence, impartiality and credibility this wave of negative publicity
will be further elaborated.
The tension between the judiciary and the government over judicial review and over
the substantial influence of the judiciary on economic matters in général, has been a
constant factor in the post-EDSA period, though its intensity has varied from time to
time. One important source of conflict regarding judicial review concerns infrastructure
or development projects that are wholly or partially financed, implemented and/or
operated by the private sector. These projects concern a variety of contractual agreements
between the government and the private sector which are referred to as ‘build, operate
and transfer agreements’.17 These projects are often allocated through a public bidding
that is organized and supervised by a government agency. The procédures of public
bidding are vulnérable to law suits. Losers in these biddings often feel cheated because
the government agencies allegedly tend to manipulate the process of the bidding in order
to favor a particular bidder. A loser consequently may complain about indiscretionary
use of government power in the bidding and pétition for an order, thus restraining the
winner of the bidding from initiating the execution of the project as long as the case is
pending in the courts. As a resuit of these court procédures, important projects can be
significantly delayed. A remedy to this particular problem, as proposed by some, is to
Politics and the Independence of the Judiciary and the Bar 99

prohibit the filing of restraining orders which may delay important projects executed or
operated by the private sector. Under this proposai, a losing bidder may still file a protest
in court if he feels he has been cheated, but can only ask for financial compensation, not
for the court to restrain the winning bidder from implementing or executing the develop­
ment project concerned. However the 1994 version of the Build, Operate and Transfer
law has not yet incorporated this proposed remedy.
In 1994, tension over judicial review seemed to decrease somewhat. Président Ramos
had the opportunity to change the composition of the Supreme Court substantially
through filling various vacancies that arose on the Court. The Supreme Court also took
some action to block restraining orders filed against government agencies concerning
infrastructural projects. During his rule, Marcos had issued a presidential degree prohibit-
ing the filing of restraining orders against government agencies regarding execution,
implementation and/or opération of infrastructure and natural resource development
projects of public utilities.18 The Aquino and Ramos Governments did not repeal this
presidential decree. In a décision in 1989, the Supreme Court validated the use of the
decree during the Aquino administration.19 Nevertheless, some lower court judges still
issued restraining orders against government agencies in the context of such projects.
The Supreme Court disseminated circulars in which strict compliance to this presidential
decree was imposed.20
An indication of the temporary decrease of tension between the judiciary and the
Ramos administration can be seen in the fact that the former Chief Justice was allowed
to join the ticket of the Ramos faction for the sénatorial élections in 1995. This former
Chief Justice had resigned in 1991 in order to run for Vice-President the following year
on a ticket opposing Ramos, but was not elected. He subsequently had been clearly
identified with tendencies toward judicial activism. Following the 1995 élections,
however, the tension over judicial review increased again.
The controversy over judicial review demonstrates the difficulty that various propo-
nents of the government program Philippines 2000 seem to experience in respecting the
important rôle of the judiciary in the post-EDSA political order. At the same time, the
judiciary must also take part of the blâme for this controversy. In a context where the
effects of judicial power on the economic and political situation in the country is
seriously contested, judicial décisions can be expected to be very closely monitored, by
friend and foe alike. In such circumstances, it is important that judicial décisions with
far-reaching economic or political effects be carefully legitimized in the eyes of the
government and the général public, both in terms of the légal arguments invoked and
the procédures followed. The absence of such a legitimization will only facilitate criticism
of the extensive rôle assigned to the judiciary by the Constitution. In the opinion of the
author of this study the legitimization of some Supreme Court décisions are inadéquate.
A case in which the first division of the Supreme Court upheld décisions of an RTC
judge and the Court of Appeals - with a narrow margin of three votes against two -
illustrâtes this problem of inadéquate legitimization. The décision restrained the govern­
ment from continuing a preliminary criminal investigation against a business tycoon for
alleged tax évasion. This case was extremely important for the government, who believed
that the Supreme Court’s décision represented a great setback for the government’s larger
100 Politics and the Independence of the Judiciary and the Bar

campaign against major tax evaders and for its efforts to gain some degree of control
over big business in général. The split décision with a very narrow margin already posed
a problem vis-à-vis securing public acceptance of the décision. The partial dissent of one
of the three concurring justices further undermined this public acceptance, but arguments
used by one of the dissenting justices were perhaps more serious. This justice, the
chairman of the first division, argued that the majority décision changed existing Supreme
Court jurisprudence on two counts, whereas the Supreme Court can only effect such
broad jurisprudence changes in en banc décisions. The lack of public acceptance was
further aggravated by a quarrel and scandai that broke out over this case, which will be
elaborated in chapter 5. The government filed a motion for reconsideration and urgently
requested the Supreme Court to décidé on this motion en banc.

Culmination o f the Friction over Judicial Review

The frictions between the Supreme Court and the Ramos administration over the Court’s
rôle in economic matters culminated in February 1997. At stake was the issue of majority
shares of a government-owned hôtel, the Manila Hôtel.21 In the context of the govern­
ment’s privatization campaign, a government organization had sold these majority shares
to an international consortium headed by a Malaysian company. This consortium had
entered the highest bid in bidding conducted in September 1995. A Filipino company,
Manila Prince Hôtel, which had made a lower bid during the bidding procédure contested
the décision before the Supreme Court, charging that the décision went against the
‘Filipino-first’ provision in the Constitution. In response to the pétition by Manila Prince
Hôtel, the Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order, preventing the govern­
ment from selling the hôtel while the case was pending in the court. In February 1997
a majority of 11 justices decided to overrule the government’s décision to sell the Manila
Hôtel to the international consortium. It further compelled the government to sell the
majority shares to the Philippine organization, after this organization clarified that it
would raise its original bid to the level of that made by the international consortium
headed by a Malaysian company.22 The Supreme Court ruled that the hôtel for sale was
not merely a hôtel, but a part of the cultural héritage of the Philippines, since it had
played a rôle in many historié events. And because the hôtel formed part of the national
patrimony, the Filipino-first policy, articulated in paragraph 2 of Section 10 of Article
XII of the Constitution, applied.
Two justices wrote dissenting opinions and two other justices wrote separate opinions
concerning this ruling. An important argument of the dissenters was that the Filipino
company had agreed to the rules of the bidding, including the participation of foreign
consortiums. It had not raised the nationalist issue before the government institution that
had organized the sale, and therefore did not have the prérogative of subsequently
contesting these rules after it had lost the bidding. Furthermore, the ‘Filipino-first’ policy
only applies when the bids of a foreign entity or individual and that of a Filipino one
are comparable. But during the official bidding for the hôtel, the bid of the international
consortium had clearly been higher. The Filipino company raised its bid only after the
bidding was completed. No law or constitutional provision allows bidders to raise their
bids after the official procédure of bidding has been terminated.
Politics and the Independence o f the Judiciary and the Bar 101

The Supreme Court’s décision raised considérable criticism for several reasons. First,
critics did not understand on what objective and explicit grounds the Manila Hôtel really
qualified as national patrimony. Second, the critics agreed with the dissenting justices
that no légal basis exists for allowing a bidding company to raise its bid after the bidding
process has closed, particularly if this company has agreed to the terms of the bidding
beforehand. Third, the Supreme Court’s décision was considered by critics to be a case
of clear favoritism. The Filipino company to which the Supreme Court gave the right
to buy the Manila Hôtel, was led by the publisher of a national newspaper that has a long
and consistent track record of writing favorably on the judiciary. Fourth, according to
critics, if the Supreme Court did not approve the outcome of the bidding, it would have
been more appropriate for it to have ordered a rebidding process.
The government was furious, since it regarded this décision as constituting a serious
discouragement to foreign investment. This fury was fuelled by reports that the Malaysian
prime-minister had sent a warning signal in the aftermath of the case.23 In a speech
before the Philippine Constitution Association, Président Ramos called the décision
‘intrusive’, and publicly announced an initiative for a constitutional amendment that
would seriously reduce the scope of judicial review.24 Though the threat to undertake
such an initiative has not yet materialized, it gave another strong signal to the Supreme
Court, warning it not to meddle in affairs that the Président considers the exclusive
domain of the executive.
In ail probability, judicial power will remain a major source of controversy in Philip­
pine political debate. It seems inévitable that the scope of judicial review according to
the 1987 Constitution will be subject to amendments at least at some point in the future.
On the other hand, the long tradition of formai judicial review in the history of the
Philippines appears to be an inhibiting factor against any drastic overhaul of judicial
powers. Ail three of the country’s Constitutions - those of 1935, 1973 and 1987 - have
attributed power of review to the judiciary to a greater or smaller extent. A drastic
réduction of formai judicial power would appear to go against the grain of Philippine
history.

Politicians and Judicial Décisions

The constitutional provisions limiting the influence of the executive and législative
branches on the judiciary notwithstanding, politicians try to influence judicial décisions
in actual practice. They do so both directly and indirectly through third parties supposedly
having influence on the judges. If a third party is involved one speaks of ‘influence-
peddling’. ‘Influence-peddling’ refers to a practice in which people make their real or
imagined influence with a judge or justice available to others in exchange for money or
other favors.
The degree to which politicians are willing to use personal influence, or the influence
of powerful connections, is a matter of personal discrétion. For instance, former Président
Aquino was a dedicated constitutionalist who played everything by the book. During her
term she never lobbied with the judiciary, neither with the Supreme Court nor with lower
102 Politics and the Independence of the Judiciary and the Bar

courts. Yet this policy of non-interference was not adopted by ail of her political allies.
Influence-peddling by powerful legislators for instance, was rather common. But the
succeeding Ramos administration appears to exercise such pressure on judicial décisions
as a matter of routine.
The relation between the Ramos administration and the judiciary has been ambivalent.
On one hand, many judges and justices respect Président Ramos highly, particularly those
who have been appointed or promoted by him. The Président has expressed his commit-
ment both to democracy and to the rule of law on several public occasions. Yet at the
same time, as mentioned in the previous section, the extensive powers of the judiciary
in cases affecting economic policy have been a major and permanent source of tension
between the judiciary and the administration.
Apart from représentatives of the executive, the exercise of informai influence by
legislators and local government officiais is quite persistent in the Philippines. Indeed,
local governments pose a further danger to the independence of judges. Judges tend to
join clubs structured along lines inherited from the Spanish colonialists and generally
composed of the local mayor, the judge, the chief of police and a few other notables.
In short, such clubs consist of the local elite. The members develop a mentality, particular
to in-group relations, referred to as tayo-tayo in the Philippines, which involves reinforc­
ing social bonds through granting mutual favors. Among other things, these social ties
tend to hinder the prosecution of court cases against mayors who have become local or
régional warlords. The court case against a mayor who was convicted in 1994 for the
rape and slaying of two students is a case in point. The local MTC judge ordered the
cleaning of a van which has been used to transport and dump the two corpses of the
students, before the van was inspected by investigators. As a resuit, potentially vital
evidence in the case was destroyed.
The exercise of undue influence has proven to be very tenacious in the Philippines,
despite constitutional provisions and practical measures taken to combat it. The security
measures applied in the present Supreme Court building illustrate this point. The building
housing the offices of the Supreme Court justices is quite inaccessible. Persons visiting
a justice must pass through two checkpoints manned by armed security guards. When
the justice’s secretary has confirmed the meeting through the intercom, the visitor is
personally accompanied in the elevator by a security guard with a sophisticated automatic
gun. The main reason behind this tight security is not fear of terrorist attacks, but the
wish to discourage influence-peddlers and lobbyists from visiting the offices of the
justices. But as one of the justices pointed out realistically: ‘if the lobbyists mean real
business, they will always find a way. They may visit you in your house at night or on
the weekend. Or they wait for you outside the gâte after you leave the office. Or they
call you over the phone, wherever you are.’

The Independence of the Bar

Article 24 of the United Nations Basic Principles on the Rôle o f Lawyers states: ‘lawyers
should be entitled to form and join self-goveming professional associations to represent
Politics and the Independence o f the Judiciary and the Bar 103

their interests, promote their continuing éducation and training and protect their profes-
sional integrity. The executive body of the professional association shall be elected by
its members and shall exercise its functions without external interference.’ Other authori-
tative international instruments also call for a self-governing bar.25
In the Philippines, however, the Supreme Court supervises the bar, and has exclusive
jurisdiction over the discipline of bar members. This jurisdiction covers the budget and
administrative affairs of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP), of which every
Philippine lawyer is a compulsory member. The Court also has the right to interfere in
the élection of IBP board members.
The jurisdiction of the Supreme Court over the bar has been controversial in the
Philippines. Not only is this jurisdiction not in line with international standards regarding
the independence of the bar, but a practical objection has also been raised against this
jurisdiction. Supervision over the bar, in casu the IBP, adds to the heavy work load of
the Court and thus undermines its efficiency and effectiveness.
Unfortunately, the recent history of the IBP has thrown some serious doubts on its
ability to live up to the necessary standards of self-governance and independence in the
short run. Not only has the record of the IBP in the exercise of discipline and promotion
of integrity been rather poor, its national leadership has been subjected to disciplinary
action on several occasions, as will be expounded here below.

From July 1985 until the controversial élections of June 1989, the 15 main officers of
the IBP were elected by the House of Delegates, consisting of the présidents of local
chapters, or their alternâtes, during a national convention. Among the elective positions
were the office of Président, of Executive Vice-President, and offices of régional
governors. Normally the presidency of the IBP is a much desired position and the
élections for it are intensely contested, since the position may serve as a spring board
for career advances, notably in politics. One particular law fraternity of the University
of the Philippines has been quite influential in the IBP, and has provided various IBP
présidents from among its ranks. In 1989, the élection for the presidency was again
intensely contested. The winning candidate also happened to be the wife of a cabinet
minister. Since the minister was a member of the fraternity that has dominated the IBP
leadership, this fraternity provided active support to his wife. A public scandai then arose
about these élections. Reports appeared in several newspapers alleging that the candidates
had bribed delegates, used various other forms of improper lobbying and spent excessive-
ly on their campaigns. Furthermore, the winner was accused of having used resources
and manpower from her husband’s office, and of using a plane that the Philippine
National Bank had lent to the government.
On the basis of its supervisory powers over the IBP, the Supreme Court formed a
committee which investigated the rumors and allégations. The findings of the committee
were quite devastating for the IBP. The committee concluded that the IBP by-laws had
been grossly violated, and that the conduct of the candidates was unbecoming of lawyers.
One important finding was that the élections had been highly politicized, which implied
a gross violation of the principle that the IBP should be a non-political body. The three
candidates for the presidency had each formed their own individual list of candidates
104 Politics and the Independence of the Judiciary and the Bar

covering ail 15 elective positions. The list of the winning candidate for président
consisted entirely of members of the dominant law fraternity in the IBP, or of people
closely linked to it. Each of the three factions in the élection had organized their cam-
paign headquarters in a five star hôtel, had lobbied with excessive intensity for their
candidates and had spent excessive amounts of money on their campaigns. Furthermore,
the candidates had paid travel expenses and/or had given free lodgings to various
delegates during the convention, or had offered to do so. The investigating committee
of the Supreme Court stated: ‘investigation revealed that the parties had been less than
candid with the Court and seem to have conspired among themselves to deceive it or
at least withhold vital information from it to conceal the irregularities committed during
the campaign’.26
The Supreme Court annulled the élections and imposed a drastic révision of the
procédures governing élection of officers of the bar. The Court abolished the House of
Delegates of the IBP as well as four of the 15 elected positions. The nine régional
governors must now be elected within the respective régions themselves, and must elect
a national executive vice-president from within their own ranks. Every two years the
executive vice-president automatically succeeds the président. As a temporary provision,
the Court ordered that the first président chosen following the annulled élections had to
be directly elected by the nine governors as well.
As a resuit of this annulment, new élections had to be held to choose the IBP officers,
including a président. Apart from the fact that the new rules made it more difficult for
a law fraternity to dominate the élections, the scandai had created a great deal of
embarrassment in IBP circles, particularly among the dominant fraternity/sorority. The
new situation opened the door to the subséquent élection of a member of a différent
fraternity from Ateneo Law School.
When the newly elected IBP président took office, he fired various staff members, and
replaced them with his own people, allocating them salaries three to four times higher
than those of the old personnel. The ousted employees turned to the Supreme Court for
help. The Président challenged the right the Supreme Court to interfere, asserting that
the matter was a simple labor relations case. The Court disagreed, invoking its jurisdic-
tion over the IBP and noting that IBP funds come partly from the Supreme Court. In
addition to mismanagement of personnel, there were also allégations of financial malver­
sations, though the budget had been approved by the government’s Commission on Audit.
The IBP Président was also accused of using IBP funds to buy favorable press releases.
A committee of three Supreme Court justices conducted a formai investigation over
a period of almost six months in which 25 witnesses were heard, and in which the IBP
Président was given the opportunity to testify. He had secured the assistance of représen­
tatives of two international lawyers organizations, asserting that the principle of the
independence of the bar was at stake. The Supreme Court countered that the matter was
as of no concern to international organizations, and refused any médiation by these
représentatives in the case. The IBP Président also sent statements conceming the issues
under investigation to the press, to many individuals and to judges of the Régional Trial
Court in Metro-Manila.
Politics and the Independence o f the Judiciary and the Bar 105

During the investigation, the IBP Président requested the right to participate in a confér­
ence in Taiwan, as well as permission to travel to the United States for médical treatment
of his only functioning eye. The Supreme Court considered these requests to be delay
tactics and denied them.27 Before the investigative Committee had made its final report,
the Court suspended the IBP Président, who decided to resign. His official term of office
came to an end some time thereafter. Though the Président was no longer in office when
the investigative committee issued its findings, the Supreme Court dismissed him and
officially reprimanded him for mismanagement of funds and personnel. The Court also
reinstated the IBP staff members who had been fired by him.
The former IBP Président contested this verdict. First, he filed a sériés of motions for
reconsideration with the Supreme Court which were ail denied. This culminated in a
Supreme Court resolution in which he was warned that he would be subjected to
discipline if he filed additional motions. Subsequently he asked a spécial ad hoc commit­
tee of the Supreme Court charged with looking into widely published charges of corrup­
tion in the judiciary and which was headed by the Chief Justice, to review the matter.
The committee refused to do so, since the case was considered closed and terminated.
Next, he brought his case to the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), though officially
the case was filed by his university fraternity. He claimed that the Court had violated
his human rights to travel and to médical treatment during the investigation, and had
treated him rudely in général. The CHR dismissed the complaint, since it considered the
Supreme Court to have exclusive jurisdiction over the matter. Nevertheless, a draft report
from the Légal Office of the CHR was leaked to the newspapers indicating that a three-
member panel of the CHR had indeed found the Court guilty of violating the human
rights of the former président. The Commissioners of the CHR, however, denied the
existence of such a committee and stated that the internai draft document on which the
newspaper report was partly based, did not reflect the views of the CHR on the matter
and was later corrected by the CHR chairman.28
When negative reports on the judiciary started to accumulate in the press in 1992, the
former IBP Président publicly voiced his discontent over the Supreme Court’s disciplin-
ary measures against him, and filed an impeachment case with the Philippine Congress
against the justices who had participated in the disciplinary proceedings against him. Six
congressmen were willing to sign the impeachment suit. Since some of the justices who
participated had already resigned, the former IBP Président filed an anti-graft suit against
them with the Sandiganbayan. The main argument in these suits was abuse of power by
the Supreme Court in its disciplinary action against him. The anti-graft case was obvious-
ly hopeless from the outset, since a court under the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court
can not - and will never - accept jurisdiction over actions taken by former justices during
their time of office.
The impeachment case in Congress also encountered serious difficulties. The chairman
of the Committee on Justice and Human Rights of the Lower House proposed outright
dismissal, so that the case would not be discussed by Congress at ail. The IBP président,
however, called upon this chairman to disqualify himself from the case. He argued that
the chairman could not be impartial, since he is also a member of the Judicial and Bar
Council, in which capacity he must work closely with the Chief Justice. The six con-
106 Politics and the Independence of the Judiciary and the Bar

gressmen who had signed the impeachment suit insisted that the case be placed on the
agenda of Congress despite its slim chances of success, because they wished to send a
clear signal to the Court about their discontent with the way it had handled complaints
about corruption in the judiciary. The former IBP président published the intégral text
of the official complaint in two full pages of a daily newspaper that had been quite
critical of the Supreme Court, and that had written regularly in his favor.
The Supreme Court considered this impeachment suit, as well as the previous com­
plaint with the CHR, as ‘forum shopping’, and merely based on personal spite. One close
insider remarked: ‘when this suit is dismissed, this former IBP Président will probably
take his problem to the United Nations. And what about these congressmen who signed
his request? Some congressmen will sign anything that you put under their noses.’ The
Committee on Justice of the Congress dismissed the case unanimously, with one member
disqualifying himself. The war between this former IBP Président and the Supreme Court
finally ended when the former IBP Président became the victim of a heinous crime in
1994.
This case illustrâtes various problems of the Philippine légal system which are dis-
cussed in sépara te chapters of the present study: the influence of networks, corner-cutting
tactics, unwillingness to accept defeat, litigation journalism and the dilemma of strict
versus lenient judicial discipline. On the one hand the Supreme Court refrained from
reacting to the former IBP Président’s animosity by disbarring him, which was a serious
option available to the Court, considering his outright acts and déclarations of war. On
the other hand, various critics believe that the Court had dealt too harshly with this
former IBP Président, injuring his amor propio unnecessarily and thus provoking this
intense animosity. They find it inconsistent, for instance, that the Court had not disci-
plined the previous winner of the élections that were annulled. She was allowed an
honorable way out which was not granted to her successor.
Whatever mistakes the Supreme Court may or may not have made in dealing with the
IBP, or in disciplinary matters regarding the bar specifically, the events outlined here
did not encouraged confidence in the bar’s compétence for self-governance. The subsé­
quent leadership has expressed willingness to set the IBP’s house in order. Nevertheless,
the traumatic impact of this case acts as a serious inhibitor against possible acquisition
of independence by the bar, at least in the short run.

Summary and Considérations

The post-EDSA political order has taken various steps to promote both the formai and
the effective independence of the judiciary, in line with numerous authoritative instru­
ments from UN bodies. The promotion and increase of formai independence, as laid
down in various constitutional provisions, has proved to be much easier than an increase
in effective independence from the executive branch, as well as from individual politi­
cians. Moreover, in some respects the increase in formai independence of the judiciary
has also put a strain on the quantity and quality of work performed by the judiciary, most
notably the Supreme Court.
Politics and the Independence o f the Judiciary and the Bar 107

The administrative and disciplinary supervision exercised by the Supreme Court over
lower courts has been rather controversial. This supervision has given substance to the
principle of independence of the judiciary. But a major drawback of such supervision
is that it has increased the work load of justices with duties for which they have only
limited expertise. It is thus a challenge to the compétence and credibility of the judiciary.
There are advantages and disadvantages to transferring parts of this responsibility to the
Department of Justice (DOJ). It is imperative, however, that responsibility for the
disciplining of judges remains with the Supreme Court as a formai guarantee against
politicization of such discipline. Similarly, if the supervision of human resources is going
to be transferred to the DOJ, the need exists for a guarantee that transfer of judges will
not be subject to political considérations. One could think, for instance of a provision
stating that each administrative transfer of a judge requires approval from the Chief
Justice or from other Supreme Court members who have been specifically assigned to
review transfers.
If the Supreme Court maintains extensive administrative duties, its organizational
structure should be adjusted to exercise these duties efficiently. For instance, administra­
tive duties could be entirely delegated to an extended office of the Court Administrator,
possibly in conjunction with a spécial administrative division in the Supreme Court. The
members of this spécial division, as well as of the Court Administrator’s office, need
to be specifically appointed on the basis of managerial and administrative expertise,
training and experience.
The budget for the judiciary needs to be substantially increased, in spite of budgetary
constraints on the government as a resuit of debt payments and other important social
concerns. Fair and speedy justice for ail citizens constitutes a very important human right,
but is not possible without adequate funding being provided for the judiciary. Both
government officiais, members of Congress and représentatives of civil society have
complained about the inadequacy of the justice system for many years. If these various
sectors of society are really serious about their desire to see the justice system improved,
they should be willing to pay the price.
It is commendable that in recent years some ideas have been proposed for a drastic
increase in funds for the judiciary, for example the allocation of proceeds from the sale
and conversion of former military land. Incidental lump sums, however, should not
function as political spoils for which specific politicians can claim crédit, which would
pose dangers for judicial independence. Furthermore, the executive government and the
Senate and House of Représentatives should respect the fiscal autonomy of the judiciary
in practice through adequate automatic annual appropriations, rather than through mere
lip service to this fiscal autonomy.
The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC), as introduced by the 1987 Constitution, has been
a valuable institution, at least in principle. This Council restrains and regulates the
influence of politics on the appointment and promotion of judges. Its composition as well
as its procédures further aim at involving wide sections of society in its efforts. At least
in principle, it tries to involve individual citizens and sectors of society in active concern
that the quality of the bench be safeguarded. Nevertheless, the JBC has had its shortcom-
ings and frustrations. It has not been able to avoid political and other forms of lobbying,
108 Politics and the Independence of the Judiciary and the Bar

including from prospective candidates themselves. Nor has it been able to guarantee a
continuous influx of competent and reliable candidates. There is certainly room for
improvement of the functioning of the JBC. For instance, the suggestion that the JBC
could recommend a single candidate for judicial vacancies that are difficult to fill,
provided that he or she is competent and honest, should be taken very seriously.
It is questionable, however, whether the abolition of the JBC and a subséquent return
to the procédures of appointment before 1973 would be a real improvement. Lobbying
by politicians, both in the appointment of judges and in specific judicial décisions, has
been pervasive and extremely tenacious in the Philippines. No organizational procédure
would likely prevent lobbying and the impact of personal and political preferences any
more effectively than the JBC. Organizational changes will simply be inadéquate to solve
problems that are primarily and predominantly moral in nature. An ethical shift towards
a genuine respect for judicial independence among politicians who would refrain from
interfering in judicial processes is required. Furthermore, the difficulty in finding capable
candidates is related to inadéquate salary levels on the bench and to insufficient coopéra­
tion from the public in screening candidates. Over these factors, the JBC has only limited
control.
Yet the procédures for appointment of judges and justices do need constant reconsider-
ation. The suggestion that the Supreme Court should review the candidates for the
judiciary that are proposed by the JBC in en banc sessions would appear to be an
imperative step in this context.29 With regard to the higher judiciary, and particularly
the Supreme Court, a negative spiral must be prevented in which the most competent
members of the légal system no longer find it an honor to sit on the Supreme Court, as
a conséquence of which more mediocre candidates are appointed, leading in turn to a
further lessening of interest among prominent figures. Perhaps recommendations of the
JBC and thorough screening by the congressional Commission of Appointment could
be combined in the selection of justices of the higher courts. Such a joint effort between
the JBC and the Commission of Appointment would require more time and effort than
the present and former procédures of appointment, and would not constitute an automatic
guarantee that only the very best people would be appointed. But such combined efforts
would at least make sure that appointées have the compétence and integrity needed in
the higher courts. Nevertheless, such a change would require a constitutional amendment.
The criteria applied for appointment of the Chief Justice need to be more consistent
and explicit. The possibility of the position of Chief Justice - and the procédures of his
appointment - becoming politicized should be minimized. However, criteria for the
appointment of the Chief Justice cannot be isolated from the scope of administrative
responsibilities incumbent on the Supreme Court or its internai division of labor, nor from
the quality of criteria and procédures of the appointment of Supreme Court justices in
général.
Judicial review should be boldly and extensively applied in the area for which it was
primarily meant to function: the protection of fundamental civil and political liberties.
The judiciary should exercise appropriate restraint in using the review for settling
economic and political disputes, in which these fundamental liberties are not clearly at
stake. Judicial activism may tempt the judiciary, and most notably the Supreme Court,
Politics and the Independence o f the Judiciary and the Bar 109

to overstep its expertise, frustrate economic development unnecessarily and undermine

its own credibility and compétence. In addition, the legitimacy of judicial décisions with
far-reaching economic or political ramifications requires careful attention, lest the
exercise of judicial power undermine public confidence in the judiciary.
More time is needed to study and discuss important cases. It is therefore necessary
to reduce the work load of the Supreme Court. A decrease of the work load would give
the Supreme Court more time to deal convincingly with important cases. This issue will
be further discussed in chapter 6, in the section on ‘The Work Load of the Supreme
Court’.
The primary meaning and scope of judicial review could be further specified and
clarified through constitutional amendments in the future. However, this needs to be
handled with extreme care, lest the scope of judicial review becomes too narrow.
Philippine history shows that judicial checks against potential abuse of people’s rights
are invaluable. The current political atmosphère with its heated controversy over the rôle
of the judiciary in economic affairs, is not conducive to the articulation of a careful
amendment of judicial review. Therefore such an amendment should only be considered
after the presidential élections of 1998.
An independent and self-governing bar is needed, as has been called for in the United
Nations Basic Principles on the Rôle ofLawyers. Recent events have cast serious doubt
on the ability of the bar to govern itself. In the near future, however, the issue of self-
governance needs to be reviewed. Not only would self-governance of the IBP bring the
Philippines in line with authoritative international standards, it would also lighten the
heavy work load of the Supreme Court.

Notes

1. The judiciary has not been completely docile ail the time, however. For instance, Justice
Cecilia Palma, who had initially approved of the déclaration of martial law, had become
increasingly critical. In 1984, she joined the ticket of the Marcos opposition during parliamen-
tary élections. Another relatively critical justice was Claudio Teehankee. In 1985, the Supreme
Court unanimously threw out a subversion case against a vétéran Marcos opponent. The
lawyer who defended this oppositionist, and who became Chief Justice under Président Aquino
for a short period, paid a high price for his defense. His son disappeared without a trace.
2. The promise of a huge lump sum présents an apparent and complicated problem for judicial
independence. The government sold former military land to a consortium after a procédure
of bidding. The promise of the lump sum to the judiciary and to the other pillars of the
criminal justice system, was based on the expected profit from the winning bid. However,
another consortium that lost in the bidding filed a complaint with the Supreme Court, because
it had doubts about the honesty of the procédures that the government had followed. This
implies that the Supreme Court has to rule in a case in which it has become an interested
party itself. If the Supreme Court would not uphold the govemment’s décision regarding the
winning bid, it could jeopardize the big lump sum that was promised to it from the winning
bid.
110 Politics and the Independence o f the Judiciary and the Bar

3. Utang ng loob refers to a sense of gratitude for a favor or favors that cannot really be repaid.
Consequently the person who has been the object of the favor will reciprocate through strong
and persistent loyalty toward his benefactor. Favors that generate this kind of gratitude may
consist of action to save someone’s life, help in obtaining a job or promotion, support that
enables one to send his children to school, etc. Debts of gratitude are frequently exploited
by ‘benefactors’ for their own interest. A classic example of this is the patron-client network
between powerful politicians and new politicians on the rise. The more powerful politician
may use his power and network to help his client to acquire a political position. This client
is consequently expected to reciprocate through strengthening the power base of his benefac­
tor. Such problems may also occur in the relation between a judge and a politician that
supported his appointment or promotion. The politician may exploit the debt of gratitude of
the judge, by influencing particular décisions of this judge on that basis. Or the judge may
thus reciprocate the favor of the politician at his own initiative.
4. Not included in this computation are the justices who were appointed by Président Ramos
in order to replace other Ramos appointées who retired rather shortly after their appointment
to the Supreme Court.
5. However, the remaining five members of the Aquino Supreme Court will reach their âge of
retirement only after the 1998 presidential élections are scheduled.
6. Justice A.F. Sarmiento in his Validictory speech on the occasion of his retirement from the
Supreme Court, 1991: 6. This point of view has been elaborated in: A.F. Sarmiento, ‘Constitu­
tional and other reforms toward a more independent Supreme Court.’ The Judges Journal,
Vols. 6&7, 1991-1992: 3.
7. Section 5. of the 1973 Constitution. See Nolledo, The Constitution of the Republic of the
Philippines Explained. Metro-Manila: National Book Store 1992: 376-7.
8. Ricardo J. Romulo, ‘The Supreme Court and Economic Policy: A Plea for Judicial Absti­
nence.’ Philippine Law Journal, Vol 67, March 1993: 349-350.
9. The spécial issue of the Philippine Law Journal on the fonction of judicial review, Vol 67,
March 1993, contains several critical articles, notably: ‘Judicial Overreaching in Selected
Supreme Court Décisions Affecting Economic Policy’, by Perfecto V. Femandez; ‘The
Supreme Court and Economic Policy: A Plea for Judicial Abstinence’, by Ricardo J. Romulo;
and ‘The Economic Policy Determining Function of the Supreme Court in Times of National
Crisis’, by Ricardo Solomon B. Castro and Martin Israël L. Pison. These articles form
important sources for this section.
10. 1992-1993 Annual Report o f the Supreme Court: 22-23.
11. The discussion in this section is largely based on various newspaper articles which were
reprinted in Kilosbayan Magazine, 16 April, 1997: 6-14, and on Philippine Graphie, 3 March,
1997: 6, 8; Philippine Graphie, 7 April, 1997: 14-6; Philippine Free Press, 8 February, 1997:
2, 8-10; and Philippine Free Press, 19 April, 1997: 12.
12. Castro and Pison, ‘The Economic Policy Function Determining Function of the Supreme Court
in Times of National Crisis.’ Philippine Law Journal, Vol 67, March 1993: 381.
13. Garcia v. Board o f Investments, 191 SCRA 288.
14. 177 SCRA 374. See Castro and Pison, Supra, note 13: 390-2.
15. Castro and Pison, Supra, at note 13: 394.
16. Castro and Pison, Supra, at note 13: 385-9.
17. Republic Act No. 6957, 9 July, 1990, which was revised by Republic Act No. 7718, 5 May,
1994.
18. Presidential Decree No. 1818, 16 January 1981.
Politics and the Independence o f the Judiciary and the Bar 111

19. The national Power Corporation vs. Hon. Abraham Vera, G.R. 83558, 27 February, 1989,
170 SCRA 721.
20. Circular No. 13-93, 5 March, 1993 and Circular No. 68-94, 3 November, 1994.
21. Manila Prince Hôtel v. Committee on Privatization and GSIS. G.R. No. 122156. Promulgated
3 February, 1997. The discussion of the décision is based on excerpts from this décision as
published in Philippine Graphie, 24 February, 1997: 16-8; Philippine Graphie, 22 March,
1997: 30-1; and Philippines Free Press, 22 February, 1997: 1-5.
22. The original bid of the Filipino company was 636 million Philippine pesos, whereas the
winning bid was 673 million Philippine pesos.
23. Philippine Free Press, 22 February, 1997.
24. Idem.
25. For instance articles 97 and 103 of the Draft Universal Déclaration on the Independence of
Justice (or ‘Singvhi Déclaration’), E/CN.4Sub2/1988/20 and E/CN.4Sub.2/1988/20/Add. and
Add.Corr.l, and articles 33 and 40 of the Draft Principles on the Independence of the Légal
Profession (Noto Principles), E/CN.4/Sub.2/1982/23 and E/CN.4Sub.2/1985/18, Annex III.
Both déclarations are reprinted in: CIJL Bulletin, 25-26, 1990: 38-58; 72-83.
26. 178 SCRA 398.
27. See section on lawyers and court delay in chapter 6. In this context one must bear in mind
that in the Philippines it is quite easy to obtain a médical déclaration stating the need for
treatment abroad.
28. The letter of the CHR on this issue was reprinted in: Faith and Trust. The Bedrock of the
Justice System. Narvasa 1993. Supreme Court Historical Society: 200-201.
29. A.F. Sarmiento. ‘Constitutional and other reforms toward a more independent Supreme Court.’
The Judges’ Journal, Vols. 6&7, 1991-1992: 4.
 Chapter 5

Challenges to Judicial Independence, Impartiality and

Credibility from Non-Political Actors

Personalistic Pressures on Judges and Justices

Undue Influence from Lawyers and Litigants

Représentatives of the executive and législative branches are by no means the only
persons or agencies involved in lobbying or pressuring the judiciary. Rich individuals
and business firms for instance are also very active in this respect. The cases involving
the PLDT monopoly mentioned in an earlier chapter are a clear example of this point.
Government représentatives were not the only actors who attempted to influence the
décisions of the Supreme Court. Various parties involved tried to lobby or exert pressure
in diverse ways. Because actual power is somewhat fragmented in the Philippines, the
lobbying of ‘informai powers’ may be more successful than lobbying conducted by
executive or législative représentatives. Attempted lobbying and influence-peddling are
a common phenomenon in the lower courts as well.
Any company, organization or private individual may resort to the tactic of pulling
strings in court. The exercise of personal influence is not automatically condemned by
most Filipinos. There is a widespread conviction that one can and should always try one’s
luck in using personal influence, whether or not this will ultimately prove successful.
This attitude recalls the American dictum ‘if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again’.
This spirit of persistence is resorted to initially. In case of failure, one can always apply
the spirit of lusot, which ‘literally means to escape from something by wriggling into
a hole or through a split. It points to a mentality that is concerned with getting away from
an undesirable, unpleasant or altogether difficult situation with cunning.’1 The lusot
mentality may resuit in side-stepping any formai rule that is not in one’s personal
interest, including the rule not to use personal influence to interfere in the judicial
process.

Socio-Cultural Pressures on Judges

Strictly speaking, it is forbidden for litigants and lawyers to discuss a pending case
privately with a judge, unless the other party in the case is also present and agréés to
discuss the issue. In 1993, the Supreme Court sharpened this prohibition by explicitly
forbidding judges to receive any lawyers or litigants in his office during office hours.
This rule, however, is not strictly applied by ail judges. A problem involved here is the
clear tension illustrated by this rule with regard to the personalistic character of the socio­
culturel system in the Philippines. In order to properly understand this point and the
following ones, it is necessary to describe certain characteristics of this personalistic
approach, and why these characters make it difficult for judges and justices to strictly
obey the written and unwritten rules of judicial conduct.
114 Challenges to Judicial Independence

Face to face interaction and personal networks are of prime importance in the Philippines.
Even in dealings between public officiais, or private citizens and public officiais, the
awareness of person-to-person interaction is very strong. The démarcation line between
professional contacts and those which are purely personal tends to be quite blurred in
the Philippines. In the judiciary for instance, the professional interaction is often not so
much experienced as an interaction between a lawyer and a judge but as a dynamic
between two individuals, one of whom happens to be a judge and the other of whom
happens to be a lawyer. This also implies that professional acts of conduct are often taken
personally. A déniai of a lawyer’s pétition by a judge for instance is easily interpreted
as a personal offense and as evidence of personal bias on the part of the judge.
Personal networks are actively created and sustained. On one hand, this reflects the
importance of close personal contacts for the sense of identity or well-being of many
Filipinos. But personal networks are also of prime importance in achieving utilitarian
objectives. Without such networks, one tends to be isolated in the Philippines. Personal
networks are built and also manipulated for concrete pragmatic purposes. An example
of this is the compradizgo or godparent system. In this system, people are invited to act
as sponsors at weddings or baptisms. For the rest of their lives, these sponsors will have
a ritual kinship with the people they sponsored, as well as with their parents. In addition
to relatives and close friends, people of power and status are frequently asked to act as
godparents. On the one hand, the ritual kinship reflects and reinforces emotional ties
between the compadres and commadres, like affection and respect. But the system also
serves very practical purposes. Not only does some of the status of the godparents reflect
on that of the godchildren, but ritual kinship bonds with people of status and power can
be used by the godchildren later in life to obtain a job, to receive help in schooling, etc.
The sponsors may also benefit from this relationship. It confirms their social status and
it provides them with loyal supporters who may be useful in the future.
Another example of ‘networking’ that has spécial relevance to the judiciary is fraternity
ties. The ties developed in university fraternities and sororities are useful throughout
one’s life. Members of one’s fraternity, including senior members who graduated long
ago, can be relied upon for help in one’s future career. Membership in a powerful
fraternity is an investment in the future. Students, particularly of the prestigious law
schools of Ateneo de Manila and the University of the Philippines, may go to great
lengths to be accepted as members of a powerful fraternity or sorority, enduring even
the sometimes decidedly cruel and dangerous hazing practices involved, in which senior
members with high social positions often participate.
An important conséquence of this personalistic socio-cultural context for the judiciary
is that it is difficult for judges not to allow people to discuss matters with them personal­
ly, even if this would constitute a violation of a formai rule. In other words, in this
instance there is a clear tension between judicial formality and socio-cultural logic.
As in many areas of judicial conduct, each judge tends to draw the line for himself.
A judge defended his policy to allow litigants and their lawyers into his office as follows:
‘a judgeship is a public office. So one should be open to the public. If somebody wants
information about his case, I will talk to him, in my office or outside. If his opponent
in the case cornes along, I am willing to talk to him as well.’
Challenges to Judicial Independence 115

In the informai discussion of the case with a judge, a litigant or his lawyer will not
merely elaborate on the merits of a case, but also invoke pity or common points of
reference between himself and the judge in order to raise sympathy. Such points may
include specific friends in common, fraternity ties, mutual région of origin, invoking of
high social connections etc. But sympathy may also be raised by means of socializing
with the judge, for instance by inviting him for a meal.

Personalistic Stratégies N o Guarantee fo r Success

It should be stressed, that the influence of personal and informai lobbying with judges
is by no means a guarantee of a favorable décision. Nor, as mentioned earlier in the
PLDT cases, can a favorable décision automatically be attributed to the influence-
peddling of the proponents of the case. As one lawyer described it: ‘in the town of
Central Luzon where I have many cases, the légal community is small. Judges and
lawyers know one another very well and meet regularly. They cannot help discussing
pending cases. But when you see the judges render their décisions, you would think they
do not know the lawyers at ail. The judges really décidé on the merits of the case.’
The exact extent to which personal meddling actually influences judicial décisions, is
difficult to assess. There are some tendencies in the Philippines that exaggerate this
influence. For instance, it is not uncommon for lawyers, politicians and other individuals
to be vocal about their influence-peddling, claiming certain court décisions have been
made as a resuit of their clout with the judges. These claims, however, may be mere
personal grandstanding with little factual basis. When made by lawyers, such claims may
serve to impress clients or to attract prospective new ones, suggesting they can manipu-
late judges successfully. Another relevant tendency in this context is a common suspicion
that the décisions of people other than oneself are based on personal meddling and biases.
This suspicion is also applied to judicial décisions. Consequently the impact of lobbying
and influence-peddling on judicial décisions may be quite exaggerated.
Another factor that may facilitate an overestimation of such lobbying and influence-
peddling in judicial décisions, is that in the Philippines, it is rude to reject requests
openly. This implies that if a personal friend or a person of influence approaches a judge
with a request for a favor, the judge may listen out of courtesy. This code of courtesy
may further induce the judge to tell the person who requested the favor that he will look
into the matter, even if the judge already knows he is going to reject the request. The
person who asked the favor however may interpret these acts of courtesy wishfully and
expect that the favor will be granted. If it is not granted, he may conclude that a more
influential rival became involved in the case which turned the tables against him. At both
stages of the process, the judge’s attitude is falsely interpreted as having been shaped
by personalistic considérations.

The Problem o f Socializing

There are not only rules that regulate the interaction between judges and parties involved
in law suits. There are also written and unwritten codes that regulate his social contacts
in général. In order to limit the possibility of undue influence on a judge or justice, he
or she is supposed to minimize socializing in général. This requirement is part of the
116 Challenges to Judicial Independence

judge’s code of delicadeza, and is formally rooted in several sections of the Code of
Judicial Conduct.2 This code not only seeks to prevent the judge from succumbing to
the temptation of discussing pending cases with litigants or lawyers personally, but also
from getting too close to spécifié persons or social groups who might undermine his
impartiality - or the appearance of impartiality - in future cases. This code is particularly
important in small communities where it will be immediately known with whom the
judge is socializing, and where suspicion can be generated easily.
Just as there are judges who are strict in their interaction with parties involved in law
suits, there are also judges and justices who are very strict in the area of socializing in
général. These strict judges and justices reduce their social contacts to the bare minimum
and accept professional satisfaction as their main reward. One Supreme Court justice has
even refrained from attending birthday parties that were organized on his behalf. Howev­
er, this code runs counter to the personalistic character of Philippine culture in général,
with its emphasis on face-to-face contacts and thus on frequent socializing. In this
context, someone who refrains from joining important social events, such as parties and
fiestas, can easily get the réputation of being a maverick or of being snobbish (called
suplado in the Philippines). And even if a judge would prefer to abstain from socializing
and partying, his family often pressures him to join.
The pressure on Philippine judges and justices to socialize and join social célébrations
is further aggravated by the status the office of judge or justice traditionally enjoys. Since
judges and justices enjoy high status in the community, they are frequently asked to act
as sponsors in weddings or as godparents in baptisms. These requests are difficult to
décliné. Turning down such requests may easily be taken as a serious insult. Upon their
appointment, some judges and justices make it clear to everybody they know that they
can no longer act as sponsors or godparents. Others wait until the occasion arises and
then try to explain gently why they cannot do so, attempting not to give offense. But for
many members of the bench, it is hard to retreat from what is felt as a social obligation.
There is another important reason why it is problematic to restrict socializing by judges
and justices, in spite of formai codes and unwritten rules. As was noted earlier, in the
Philippines it is hard to succeed without actively building and making use of a personal
network. Thus judges who restrict the extent of their socializing also restrict their chances
for promotion. A high court official illustrated this dilemma by citing the case of a judge
who served for more than 20 years as a Régional Trial Court judge before he was finally
promoted to the Court of Appeals. This judge had a public réputation for dedication,
sincerity and compétence. However, he spent so much time and energy on deciding cases
that he neglected to invest in the development of his personal network. This was the main
reason why he was overlooked in promotions until 1993.
In actual practice, many judges are actively involved in networking. In Metro-Manila
for instance, they may join social clubs which are quite popular among professionals in
the city. The favorite meeting places of these clubs are the coffeeshops of luxurious
hôtels. Some clubs meet once a week, others more frequently, one club even meets daily
(though it does not appear that this club has a judge as a member). Club meetings take
place over breakfast or lunch or in some cases simply over coffee and snacks. The clubs
spend time discussing current public issues and gossip (called tsismis in the Philippines).
Challenges to Judicial Independence 117

The Im pact o f Personalistic Stratégies on Judicial Credibility

In spite of the fact that lobbying, influence-peddling and networking in the judicial
system are not automatically condemned by the général public - because of the personali­
stic character of the socio-cultural system - these practices nonetheless constitute serious
threats to the credibility of judges and justices. First of ail, considering the importance
of personal ties, and given the pervasiveness of attempts to influence judges unduly, it
cannot be ruled out that personal factors indeed play an inappropriate rôle in a number
of judicial décisions. Second, the informai discussion of cases that are sub judice also
feeds suspicions of foui play on the part of judges, even in those many cases in which
judges have based their décisions on the merits of the case. Third, influence-peddling
and lobbying greatly favor the rich and powerful over the poor and underprivileged in
terms of access to the courts. This latter issue will be elaborated in the chapter on Fair
and Speedy Justice for ail Filipinos.
Pervasive lobbying and influence-peddling also have a negative effect on the réputation
of the law profession. There is a pervasive public perception that lawyers concentrate
as much on influence-peddling as on elaborating the merits of cases. Lawyers are
frequently selected on the basis of their alleged influence, rather than on their profession-
al qualities, just as some lawyers try to attract clients on the basis of claims that they
can influence certain judges. Another expression of this public perception is that law
firms closely tied to powerful legislators or executive représentatives are often particular­
ly successful because of their connections. This implies that with every change of
administration there is a shift in popularity among law firms. Firms identified with the
new administration prosper, those identified with the former administration décliné.
Another expression of this perception is that lawyers who are close relatives of
members of the judiciary have an edge in professional recruitment by law firms. A
personal connection to a Supreme Court justice is perceived to be a particularly valuable
asset in this context, because the candidate in question is perceived as being able to
capitalize on this connection in future légal dealings. Consequently, relatively inexperi-
enced lawyers may be given large and complicated cases on the basis of the personal
influence they are perceived to have in the courts. An illustration of this is the very
sensational case of the rape and killing of two students from the University of the
Philippines in a town south of Manila, referred to briefly in the section on ‘Politicians
and Judicial Décisions’ in chapter 4 of this study. Being a man of considérable resources,
the may or hired the services of a well-known experienced defence lawyer. However the
général public was greatly shocked when the name of the second lawyer was disclosed.
This turned out to be the son of the incumbent Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. The
son at that time was in his early thirties and unlike the mayor’s first choice had not yet
made a name for himself as a defense lawyer. This contributed to the widely publicized
conviction that the young lawyer was not chosen by the mayor for his professional
qualities as a lawyer, but merely because of his connection to the Chief Justice. However,
in this specific case, the Chief Justice’s son withdrew from the case after intense pressure
from public opinion.
118 Challenges to Judicial Independence

Corruption and Perceptions of Corruption

The Philippines has a long history of corruption - and perception of corruption - in

public office. Corruption proliferated during the Marcos era, stimulated by the negative
example set by the political leadership during that period. In the post-EDSA era, réduc­
tion of corruption has proven to be no easy task.
Though there have always been suspicions of corruption in the judiciary, until recently
the général perception was that this phenomenon has not been quite as rampant in the
judiciary as in executive departments. In the early 1990s, this perception changed: since
then rumors of corruption have been the subject of recurrent and sustained attention in
newspapers and public conversation.
It is quite difficult to assess the scope of this problem precisely. Corruption is hard
to prove, since it is usually committed discretely. An indication of the extent of this
phenomenon can be had partially by studying people’s perceptions of the problem, which
are not necessarily accurate. As part of the research on which the present study is based,
knowledgeable and reliable représentatives of various sectors of the judicial system were
asked in the context of in-depth interviews for their assessment of the scope of corrup­
tion. Views varied greatly among respondents. In 1993, the lowest estimate given was
between 2 to 5 per cent of judges; various other estimâtes ranged between 25 and 50 per
cent; several respondents asserted that nearly ail judges are ‘on the take’. The most
frequently cited proportion of judges engaged in corruption was 10%, though one gets
the impression that the frequency of this estimate was influenced by the fact that the
figure of 10% has been mentioned in various newspaper articles.3 In June 1996, a few
respondents that were interviewed again were more pessimistic about judicial corruption
than in 1993.
In the Philippines, a certain amount of quantitative research has also been conducted
on public perceptions concerning the scope of judicial corruption. In early 1993 and 1994
a reputable quantitative research organization, Social Weather Stations, published public
survey reports on a sériés of judicial issues including public perception of judicial
corruption. In the 1993 survey, 39% of respondents stated that they believed few judges
are corruptible, 37% that many are corruptible and 20% that most judges are corrupt­
ible.4 In the 1994 survey, 5% of the respondents said they believed that none of the
judges are corrupt, 44% that few are corrupt, 39% that many judges are corrupt and 10%
that most of them are corrupt.5 The 1994 survey also confirmed the popular view that
public respect for the honesty of judges has substantially decreased.6 It must be noted,
however, that both these surveys and the interviews previously mentioned were conducted
during a period marked by a particularly high degree of negative publicity about the
judiciary, which of course could have influenced the responses.
Whether the décliné in the public réputation of judges actually means that corruption
in the judiciary has been increasing substantially is also hard to prove. There are only
circumstantial indications that this is actually the case. The memories of senior lawyers
5eem to suggest this increase is a reality. One senior lawyer with a réputation for high
ntegrity said: ‘when I started in the law practice in 1964 you did not hear so much about
;orrupt judges. I knew of one judge in Manila who was notoriously corrupt. But that is
Challenges to Judicial Independence 119

why I knew about him specifically: because he was rather exceptional. These days you
are bombarded with rumors and stories about corrupt judges.’
The perception of these senior lawyers that judicial corruption has increased sounds
plausible in the light of recent historical developments. The subjugation of the judiciary
and the pervasive corruption that occurred under Marcos exercised considérable pressure
on judicial integrity. Furthermore, the judicial reorganization undertaken in 1986 follow­
ing the EDSA revoit was not very radical.
The perception of corruption has not been restricted to judges in the lower courts and
their supporting judicial staff. The higher courts, including the Supreme Court, have not
been exempt from suspicion. Some of the perceptions about corruption in the higher
courts might be based on sensationalism, ignorance or clear malice, as will be elaborated
in the sections of the rôle of this press in this chapter. But perceptions that even the
higher courts are not clean also exist among honest and reputable members of the légal
system.
Nevertheless, instances of judicial corruption cannot be blamed solely on judges. In
every instance of corruption at least one lawyer and his or her client have also been
involved. Without corrupting lawyers and clients there can be no corrupt judges. It is
even likely that the majority of the cases of corruption are initiated by lawyers, rather
than by their clients or the judge in the case. One top lawyer, who is also a journalist,
has even estimated that about 80% of ail corruption cases are initiated by lawyers.
Generally, the client tends to follow the advice of his counsel, and will not often object
if the lawyer suggests that bribery is necessary. However, there also seems to be a degree
of symbiosis between client and lawyer. Clients who do not have fondamental objections
to corruption tend to choose lawyers who may engage in bribery, while clients wishing
to play by the book tend to choose lawyers with a réputation for honesty. On the other
hand, a lawyer may have encouraged corruption only after having received a subtle signal
from a judge suggesting to the lawyer that the judge required a bribe. An example of
such a signal might be an unexpected delay introduced by the judge in a case without
a convincing rationale.
Normally, corruption is practiced indirectly and discretely: go-betweens and coded
language are often used.7 Bribery may begin with an anonymous phone call, or interme-
diaries such as relatives and staff members are drafted into service. Large law firms may
assign the most junior partners to do the dirty work, while a judge may use the court
clerk or an administrative aide. The aide may request the intermediary proposing the
bribery to speak ‘loud and clear’, meaning to be explicit about the bribe. The advantage
of coded language is that when a judge or lawyer is accused of bribery he can always
assert that his words have been misinterpreted. And the use of go-betweens offers the
advantage of shifting the responsibility to the intermediary if the bribery attempt becomes
public.
Sometimes a judge may be faced with acts of bribery that are not only difficult to
resist but also difficult to reverse. For instance, a judge might discover that a hospital
bill of a close relative, or tuition fees for a child’s college éducation, have been suddenly
paid anonymously. This might have occurred without the judge being consulted. Though
the judge will have a reasonable suspicion as to who has paid the bill, there is no clear
120 Challenges to Judicial Independence

proof, and the judge may therefore not know how to return the money even if he or she
wishes to.
The success of a bribery attempt is further facilitated by an already existing personal
rapport between the judge and the lawyer and/or litigant. Personal relations lower the
barrier against entering into the delicate negotiations around a bribe. Furthermore, these
relations lower the hazards of a bribery attempt in case the offer is declined. A judge
may reject an offer of money from a lawyer friend in exchange for favorable décisions,
but nevertheless refrain from reporting this attempt to the Supreme Court in order not
to subject this friend to a severe punishment.
Sometimes lawyers who are involved in bribery are the victims of resourceful court
staff members. An employee of a judge who discovers the prospective verdict the judge
intends to hand down in a case may approach the lawyer of the party marked to win.
The court employee may suggest that the judge wants money in exchange for a positive
verdict, and without being aware that the judge is not involved in the attempt, the lawyer
may pay the employee, who proceeds to pocket the money. When the positive verdict
becomes public, the winning lawyer mistakenly attributes this décision to his bribe.
A lawyer may also deceive his client by telling him that the judge wants money to
render a favorable décision, but the lawyer keeps the money himself. A positive verdict
will serve as evidence of the efficacy of the bribe. If the verdict is negative, the lawyer
will either complain that the judge did not keep his promise or he will suggest that the
opposing party paid the judge an even higher sum.
A more elusive form of bribery is the gift. As noted above, in the personalistic society
of the Philippines, a thin line of démarcation exists between professional dealings and
personal relations. Consequently, colleagues or people who frequently interact with one
another professionally may treat one another like friends, providing each other with gifts
on particular occasions such as Christmas, birthdays, the weddings of children, etc.
Moreover, présents may be given as spontaneous tokens of appréciation for well-valued
professional services. For instance, teachers and doctors often receive gifts from grateful
parents or patients. In the judicial context, a client’s appréciation of a favorable outcome
may make the client feel so generous that he or she gives gifts not only to his or her
lawyers but to the presiding judge as well.
Gifts, however, are also often used to win professional favor. For instance, it is
common for students to give présents to teachers to facilitate the chances of a smooth
graduation. Similarly, lawyers frequently provide présents to judges to win their favor,
even though judges are officially prohibited from accepting gifts.8 If somebody raises
objections to these gifts, pointing to their potential for corruption, a lawyer may defend
the practice by saying that the gift was only intended to show personal appréciation and
courtesy.
The success of the strategy of gift-giving is facilitated by the system of reciprocal
favors so dominant in Filipino society. Furthermore, it is not easy to décliné gifts,
because culturally this is considered to be rude and offensive. The présents usually
involve clothes or material for clothes, or items such as bottles of liquor for men or
perfume for women. But sometimes much more expensive gifts are involved as well. So
cultural considérations can highlight a tension surrounding some of the formai require-
Challenges to Judicial Independence 121

ments of judicial conduct, and which lawyers or litigants may manipulate to their
advantage.

Judicial Corruption and Income

Inadéquate income for judges is very frequently cited as a major factor facilitating
corruption in the judiciary. The salaries of judges are standardized nationwide in accor­
dance with the général compensation and classification system of the civil service. The
system currently in effect, which was established in August 1989 and revised most
recently in 1994, foresees the following monthly salary scales for judges in the various
catégories, applied according to seniority:9

1989 1994

Chief Justice 22,000 pesos111 44,000-47,547 pesos

($830) ($1,160-1,794)

Associate Justices of the Supreme Court 19,500 pesos 35,000-41,604 pesos

($738) ($1,321-1,570)

Presiding Justices of the Court of 19,500 pesos 30,000-35,661 pesos

Appeals and Sandiganbayan ($738) ($1,132-1,346)

Associate Justices of the Court of 18,975 pesos 25,000-29,717 pesos

Appeals and Sandiganbayan ($716) ($943-1,121)

Régional Trial Court Judges 17,075-18,307 pesos 22,811-27,115 pesos

($644-691) ($861-1,123)

Metropolitan Trial Court Judges 15,180-16,275 pesos 21,090-25,096 pesos

($573-614) ($796-947)

Municipal Trial Court Judges/Municipal 12,650-13,563 pesos 19,499-23,178 pesos

Circuit Trial Court Judges ($477-512) ($736-875)

On top of his regular salary, a Philippine judge receives a supplément from the Supreme
Court - which amounted to approximately 3,000 pesos in 1993 - and an allowance from
the local administration which may equal up to 25% of his salary. In addition, the higher
court justices receive extra allowances, whereas the justices of the Supreme Court are
provided a car with driver. Because of these extra allowances, the income of judges is
higher than that of most other catégories of employees in government bureaucracies, and
may exceed the income of most top ranking officers in the executive branches. Further­
more, the judge’s salary is usually not the sole source of income for his family, since
it is common in the Philippines for both husbands and wives to work.
122 Challenges to Judicial Independence

Nevertheless, the income of judges leaves something to be desired, particularly in the

Metro-Manila area where the costs of living are high and continue to rise steadily. In
1993, a three-room apartment in a middle class neighborhood easily cost 8,000 to 10,000
pesos a month. The combined costs o f médical expenses for which judges receive only
modest compensation, schooling for children, food etc., can render it a struggle to make
ends meet. This struggle strengthens the temptation to engage in corruption, particularly
when a judge is suddenly confronted with a major expense. Furthermore, many judges
cannot afford even a second-hand car, forcing them to use the very uncomfortable and
time-consuming public transportation. Obviously the income is least adequate in those
cases in which the spouses of judges have even lower salaries. One particular Régional
Trial Court judge in Manila is a good case in point:
The wife of the judge is a primary school teacher. In 1993, primary school teachers
in the Philippines earned barely more than 3,000 pesos a month, though the pay of
teachers, at least in public schools, will be more than doubled gradually over a period
of four years according to the new compensation and position classification scheme of
1994. In this instance, the judge’s eamings accounts for more than 80% of his family
total income. He has to travel four hours a day in open jeepneys, which is a common
means of public transport in the Philippines for the poor and lower middle class. Though
traditionally the jeepney has been somewhat romanticized as an example of Filipino
ingenuity and adaptability, it is an extremely uncomfortable means of transportation.
Jeepneys are usually overcrowded - particularly during the rush hour - and slow, because
they stop constantly to disembark or pick up passengers. They are furthermore very
unhealthy, since they are completely open vehicles and thus constantly expose passengers
to the extremely polluted air of Métro Manila. Moreover, a passenger runs considérable
risk of being the victim of pickpockets or even of armed robbery. In order not to be too
conspicuous and thus attract potential thieves, this judge wears an old polo shirt in the
jeepney and carries his barong, a native formai shirt, in his bag. Sighing, he compared
his situation with that of colleagues in Singapore: ‘the moment you become a judge in
Singapore you receive two sets of keys: one for your new home and one for your car’.
Another factor that affects the actual living standards of judges relates to their specific
family circumstances. A judge may be assigned to a position in the countryside, whereas
his spouse works in the city where the children also go to school. It may be inconvénient
and unprofitable for the wife to leave her job in the city and for the children to transfer
to a rural school, particularly as rural schools generally occupy a lower place than urban
ones in the hierarchy of educational institutions. So the judge may décidé to rent a second
home in the countryside for use during the week and travel from there to the city for the
weekend. Such an arrangement of course involves extra costs. Some judges solve this
problem by simply sleeping in their rural salas at no charge, but this is not always
feasible.
The low level of income paid to judicial court staff also accounts to a large extent for
the pervasive practice amongst lawyers of donating gifts and providing financial rewards
to court staff members. Under the 1989 compensation and position classification scheme,
most court employees - such as administrative assistants, typists and légal researchers
- received between 2,000 and 6,000 pesos per month. Court clerks and sheriffs earned
Challenges to Judicial Independence 123

slightly more. A Court of Appeals Justice noted that one of his secretaries had been with
the court for thirty years already, but still earned only 3,500 pesos per month in 1993
(approximately US $125), which was several thousand pesos below the poverty level for
a family of four in the Philippines. He further reported that one administrative assistant
had stayed home for more than a week, not because she was ill, but simply because she
was unable to raise the public transport fare to travel to work. Fringe benefits for court
employees are also small. For instance, there is no compensation for overtime work.
The revised compensation and classification system of 1994 will more than double the
salaries of the lowest paid court employees gradually over a period of four years. A
stenographer, for instance, earned between 2,250 and 2,412 pesos monthly according to
the 1989 system (which is équivalent to between $85 and $91). Under the revised system,
this salary will be raised gradually by 1998 to between 5,646 and 6,711 pesos per month
(équivalent to between $213 and $233). Although such raises have certainly been very
welcome, the salaries of court staff remain problematic. The official annual inflation rate
swallows a significant part of the salary increase. Equally important, as noted in the
introduction, the complaint is frequently voiced in the Philippines that the official
inflation rates as provided by the government do not adequately rèflect the constant
struggle experienced by common Filipinos in dealing with continuously soaring prices.
Pervasive embarrassaient over the low salaries of court staff exists among judges and
justices as well as among private lawyers. Some lawyers provide a measure of compensa­
tion for these low salaries and benefits, for instance by driving court employees home
themselves if the employees have to do engage in overtime work on their cases, paying
an extra amount per page for typewriting on major cases, providing small présents at
Christmas and other occasions, etc. Such measures however are not merely based on pity
for the underpaid court staff. Through this practice lawyers hope to receive favors in
return, notably the smooth and speedy processing of resolutions concerning their clients’
cases. Aware of this motive, some court employees explicitly mention a price to private
lawyers for their dedicated and speedy coopération.
Although the giving and receiving of small gifts and rewards for underpaid court staff
enjoys a degree of cultural acceptance, it is nonetheless formally forbidden, like the
granting of gifts to judges.11 Violators can be charged with and convicted of corruption.
Apart from being formally prohibited, these practices reinforce substantive problems in
the judicial system. They facilitate a climate in which speedy justice is provided only
to the highest bidder, and also degenerate sometimes into more serious forms of corrup­
tion. For instance, court staff may be bribed to grant lawyers access to confidential
information or to steal spécifié documents that may be incriminating for a particular
client.

Judicial Income and Social Status

In the Philippines, the problem of inadéquate income in the judiciary is reinforced by
the gap between the perceived status of the position of the judge and the salary he
receives. Judges generally cannot afford a lifestyle befitting their status. It is relevant to
repeat that one can only be appointed as a judge if one has five to ten years (five years
for a MTC judge, ten years for a RTC judge) of experience as a private lawyer or in a
124 Challenges to Judicial Independence

relevant government position. The standards of reference for a judge are not those of
government employees —who may have even lower salaries and benefits than judges -
but private or company lawyers who earn much more. A company lawyer having 10 to
15 years experience may earn 75,000 pesos a month, and senior associâtes of major law
firms or top company lawyers considerably more than that. Moreover, even a moderately
successful lawyer tends to have his or her own car with driver. Consequently a judge
may be tempted to engage in corruption to afford a lifestyle which he feels is more in
keeping with his status and comparable to that of private lawyers.12
The gap between perceived status and income is particularly wide in the higher courts:
the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals and the Sandiganbayan. The Chief Justice is
the highest paid member of the judiciary. He has the same salary scale as the Vice-
President, the Président of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Représentatives,
with only the Président receiving a higher salary in the public sector. Despite the
substantial raise as a conséquence of the révision of the général compensation and
classification scheme of 1994, in the context of an annual inflation rate of 11 to 12%,
the income of higher court justices is low in comparison to the most successful private
lawyers in the country, who earn more than a million pesos in income monthly. This
implies that the salaries and allowances of higher court justices, including the Supreme
Court, by no means enable them to afford a lifestyle approximating the life style of top
lawyers, even though the formai status of justices in the légal system might be higher.

Obstacles to a Raise o f Income in the Judiciary

If low salaries are indeed the main reason for corruption in the judiciary, the obvious
solution to the problem is to increase substantially the salaries of judges, justices and
court staff. The revised compensation and classification of the public sector, which
includes judges and court staff, thus implies a measure of improvement in this context.
A main bottleneck to a further increase in salaries in the public sector however is that
the Philippine government is traditionally short of funds. The present level of economic
development and the country’s foreign debt burden inhibit such salary increases in the
public sector. Moreover, it may be socially and politically difficult to single out court
employees, judges, justices and their staff for a dramatic further salary increase without
also increasing other salaries in the public sector. After ail, other important public
officiais such as teachers and policemen face much tougher economic hardships than
members of the judiciary. Even the President’s official salary is not much higher than
that of a judge or justice.
Comparatively speaking, the retirement benefits of judges are also reasonable. Judges
receive a lump sum to cover the first five years following retirement. If the judge is still
alive at the end of these five years, he or she begins to receive a monthly pension equal
to his or her final salary, plus various allowances. These comparatively reasonable
retirement benefits have acted as a stimulus to prosecutors to apply for judicial positions.
Since the salaries of government prosecutors are not higher than those of judges and their
retirement benefits are less, prosecutors who pass the âge of 50 are therefore interested
in joining the bench. This acts as a drain on the govemment’s prosecution machinery
which is plagued by vacancies as much as the judiciary. If the salaries and retirement
Challenges to Judicial Independence 125

benefits of judges would be further increased and the gap between judges and prosecutors
widened in this respect, the shortage of public prosecutors would certainly increase
further.

P lans and Stratégies to Increase the Incom e o f Justices, Judges and Court S ta ff
Nevertheless, there have been various suggestions for improving judicial income further
without drastically upsetting the salary system in the public sector. One such suggestion
is to exempt the judiciary from income tax. Another is to provide them with additional
fringe benefits, such as an elaborate médical Insurance also covering their families. An
automatic increase in the retirement benefits of judges has also been proposed. However,
it remains an open question whether such improvements would raise judicial income to
such an extent that judges would be relatively free from economic worries and pressures
and thus shielded from the temptation to engage in corruption.
It is striking that the ones most concerned about the depressed pay of court staff seem
to be the judges themselves. This concern is again related to the personalistic nature of
Filipino society. An employer or supervisor feels - or is supposed to feel —a sense of
personal responsibility for the concerns and problems of his subordinates. Moreover, the
willingness of court staff to serve a judge for such little rémunération creates a sense of
obligation on the part of the judge to reciprocate this loyalty.
Judges employ various stratégies to boost the income of their staff. Some allow their
employees to accept présents or financial rewards as long as these are small, even though
this practice is formally forbidden. The problem with this approach is that it is hard to
pinpoint where a small reward ends and where ‘real’ corruption begins. One former judge
placed a box in the office where lawyers could donate anonymously for the court staff.
The measure was meant to provide the staff with a little extra income, which they could
use, for example, for a Christmas party or an outing. By the anonymous character of the
donations, the giving was depersonalized and thus would not create a sense of personal
obligation on the part of spécifié court employees toward spécifié lawyers/benefactors.
Another judge organized a handicraft project as a sideline for his staff. The staff fabricat-
ed small items like keyhangers with judicial symbols as motifs, which were sold to other
court rooms and the income used for spécial occasions. The judge also organized a
program to help his staff make savings from their meager incomes. Another measure
involves allowing court staff to sell products in the office to fellow workers. This is a
very pervasive and accepted practice in Philippine offices in both the commercial and
public sectors. The employees get the products- usually clothes and processed foodstuffs
- Wholesale from a distributor and sell them at a small profit margin.13 In some cases,
employees are assigned a space in or around the court building at which to buy and sell
products to one another. A further strategy is to reallocate budgetary left-overs in the
form of additional bonuses for the staff. For instance, in 1993 some vacancies in the
Court of Appeals were not filled immediately and the resulting savings on salaries were
partly used for court staff bonuses.
Ail these various stratégies imply that the financial situation of court employees varies
somewhat, depending on the judge served or the court for which one works. An employee
working for a lenient or inventive judge may be somewhat better off than one working
126 Challenges to Judicial Independence

for a strict and less inventive one. However the extra benefits that may dérivé from these
hustling stratégies remain rather marginal.

Judicial Incom e and D ifférent Criteria fo r Recruitm ent

Another proposai to deal with the relation between moderate salaries and the temptation
to corruption is to change the recruitment of judges. This means that rather than raising
salaries one must appoint the kind of people that are able and willing to content them-
selves with moderate rémunération. In this scénario, one does not focus on private
lawyers whose income will drop when they are appointed to the bench. Instead young
lawyers are recruited who are not yet used to a relatively high standard of living, and
who might manage to make ends meet with a moderate salary. This could involve for
instance, members of légal NGOs or alternative law groups. Other target groups might
be government employees used to a moderate salary (provided of course corrupt govern­
ment employees are not selected) and possibly lawyers who have passed the bar only
recently.
This proposai is not based solely on financial considérations but also on pessimism
about the chances of significantly improving the judiciary with the existing corps of
judges. It was advanced in the context of général dissatisfaction with the effects of the
1987 reorganization of the judiciary, as well as with the efficiency of existing training
programs for judges. Despite the efforts that have been made to reorganize and improve
the judiciary, various knowledgeable and reliable informants have complained that many
judges function poorly and have an inadéquate knowledge and grasp of the law. Such
observers argue that it would better to invest in a whole new génération of judges, rather
than waste time and resources on the present selection.
An important counterargument to such a drastic change in recruitment policy is that
new graduates and lawyers from other sectors of government lack the experience with
litigation that a newly appointed judge needs to have.
Other objections have been voiced to the proposai to appoint young lawyers. To accept
a moderate salary one needs to be somewhat idealistic. While idealistic young lawyers
do indeed exist - as evidenced by the opération of various alternative law groups - apart
from some notable exceptions, idealism is not generally promoted in law schools, as
many people from the law profession itself have emphatically stressed. In particular, the
atmosphère in the top law schools is geared towards money and status. Ethics plays a
subordinate rôle, both in the curriculum and in the interests of the students. Therefore
young lawyers interested in a career in the judiciary might come predominantly from
second and third grade law schools, which according to those who object to this proposai
would not boost the quality of the judiciary. In addition, there is no guarantee that new
and young judges will remain free from corruption, given the various pressures of wider
society.
A final objection to the appointment of young judges is that they may have difficulty
exercising authority effectively, particularly in relation to older lawyers and litigants. This
is because seniority is often an important indicator of authority in the Philippine context.
Challenges to Judicial Independence 127

Corruption, Status, Nepotism and Ethics

Nepotism and Patronage

Generally speaking, though economic hardships may facilitate corruption, corrupt
practices are by no means restricted to people struggling to make a living. It is a
universal phenomenon that corruption on a grander scale is also practiced by the wealthy.
Thus other factors operate that facilitate corruption. One such factor, to live according
to a perceived social status that one cannot really afford on the basis of one’s salary
alone, has already been discussed in the section on ‘Judicial Corruption and Income’ of
this chapter.
Another important set of factors facilitating corruption - and contributing to public
perceptions of corruption - are nepotism and political patronage: the appointment of
people to judicial positions on the basis of personal connections rather than merit or
moral integrity. People appointed as the resuit of personal networking often feel free to
engage in corruption because they believe that their patron will protect them from
disciplinary action. In the public perception the appointment of family members to one’s
professional staff is easily identified with corruption.
The fact that various justices, both in the Court of Appeals and in the Supreme Court,
employ close relatives as assistants has therefore provoked criticism of judicial integrity.
Such appointments have led to fears that some of these relatives may abuse their
connections to incumbent justices. Moreover, the appointment of relatives to the public
court staff has contributed to suspicions that members of the higher judiciary give jobs
to relatives who are allegedly incapable of finding a job for themselves. As a resuit, such
appointments have constituted a challenge to judicial credibility.
Upon doser investigation, however, the relation between nepotism and corruption in
the judiciary is quite complex. It is related to the various facets of personalism in the
Philippines. On the one hand, the appointment of relatives and other trustées certainly
présents great potential for corruption. On the other hand, in a personalistic social
climate, the degree of professional dedication is to a large extent determined by the
personal loyalty workers feel toward their boss. Despite the corrupting potential involved,
it is therefore commonly accepted in every sector of Filipino society that important
positions are given on the basis of network considérations. One senator who has a
réputation for high integrity, for instance, nevertheless has recruited nearly ail his staff
from the circle of his former law school.
Sometimes persons with strong personal loyalty are appointed to stratégie positions
because the boss needs to be certain of the integrity and confidentiality of his assistant.
This implies that appointment on the basis of personal relations may potentially facilitate
corruption in a number of instances, while practically inhibiting corruption in others. One
Court of Appeals justice with a record of exceptional dedication and integrity noted that:
‘when I got appointed I asked my wife, who is a practicing lawyer, to become my
assistant at least during my first year of office. I need somebody I can surely trust to
supervise the office and tell me what is going on. Otherwise records might get lost or
people will try to get money from lawyers claiming they speak on my behalf.’
128 Challenges to Judicial Independence

There is another important counterargument to the perception that the appointment of

family members to stratégie positions on the court staff facilitâtes corruption. Normally
these family members are lawyers themselves. It would be more profitable for them to
remain in or join a private légal practice than to abuse their position as an assistant to
a justice. They would certainly earn more money in private practice than they would in
a justice’s office, and in principle could raise the price of their counsel to clients by
suggesting a high success rate in litigation before the higher courts as a conséquence of
their spécial personal relation.
The Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officiais and Employées allows
the practice of appointing close relatives as staff members in some cases.14 The Code
of Judicial Conduct does not explicitly allow this practice for judges, though it does not
categorically prohibit the appointment of close relatives as assistants either, as long as
appointment is made strictly on the basis of merit and qualifications, and nepotism and
favoritism are avoided.15 However, it cannot be ruled out that the appointment of
relatives by members of the judiciary is in fact based on nepotism rather than on
qualifications and merit. Moreover, even in cases in which such appointments are based
on objective qualifications, they may still raise suspicion and thus undermine judicial
credibility.
Various other threats to judicial independence and credibility are posed by relatives
and friends. Pressures from relatives may tempt a judge to incur extraordinary expenses
that he cannot really afford. For instance, relatives may require financial assistance in
order to celebrate birthdays, graduations, weddings and other events, or in times of need,
such as for funerals, calamity relief, etc. Even a judge who is honest in nearly ail cases
could be tempted to make an exception to his normal conduct in order to finance such
family célébrations or assist in meeting family obligations.

Campaigns A gainst Corruption

Though an insufficient salary may have a bearing on corruption, such corruption obvious-
ly cannot be reduced to economic factors. Moral, social and cultural issues also play a
rôle. This was illustrated earlier in the discussion of the tendency of lawyers and clients
to win court cases at ail costs and in every possible manner, including that of cutting
corners.
Various measures and campaigns have been launched to raise the ethical standards of
the bench and the bar. These can be divided into campaigns aimed at society in général
and those focused on the judiciary in particular. In the former, corruption and other
ethical déviations in the judicial system are dealt with as an intégral part of the ethical
problems of wider society.
By far the best known example of such a général campaign is the Moral Recovery
Program. This is an initiative established shortly after the EDSA revoit, based on the
notion that more than economic measures alone are needed to move the country forward.
The program assumes that partly because of the effects of colonialism and the Marcos
dictatorship, no strong concern for the larger society or the common good has developed
in the Philippines. As a conséquence, corruption and indifférence to the welfare of ail
Filipinos are widespread. The Moral Recovery Program believes that without assigning
Challenges to Judicial Independence 129

top priority to attempts to address this phenomenon it will not be possible to solve the
economic and related problems of the country.
The Moral Recovery Program began its efforts with an inventory of Filipino character-
istics, both positive and negative. This inventory was developed on the basis of inter­
views with experts on Philippine society, a large scale public survey and a intensive study
of a poor urban neighborhood. Results of the inventory were published in a report
presented to the government and Congress. As a resuit, a government-sponsored organiza-
tion, the Kabisig Movement, was created to devise a strategy of action to address these
findings. The organization gives lectures to groups interested in the issue of moral
recovery and how to implement this principle in their social environment. At the same
time, it works to change the moral climate in government sectors. In coordination with
the leaders of government agencies, the Kabisig tries to recruit employees in these
agencies who are well-respected and appreciated by their colleagues. These persons
receive intensive training aimed at ‘enriching their personalities’ and providing practical
recommendations for action. The trainees are asked to devise a strategy to boost the
interest of their agency colleagues in the principles of honesty and dedication to the
common good.
The Moral Recovery Program has met a varied response. On the one hand, appréciation
has been expressed that issues of corruption and civic spirit are so explicitly addressed.
On the other hand, the Moral Recovery Program has encountered serious criticism,
suspicion, and indifférence in certain circles. Some people have assumed that the program
serves an ulterior political motive. The initiator and main driving force of the program
is a senator who has been ascribed presidential ambitions. She has thus been suspected
of initiating the program merely to boost her public image and sustain and enlarge her
power bases. Some critics have stated that the program focuses too much on outmoded
negative stéréotypés of Filipino culture, whereas others have described it as excessively
ambitious or moralistic, charging that it produces mere talk and no action.
A further criticism is that the Moral Recovery’s training programs rely too heavily on
syncretistic ‘new âge’ groups, thus alienating the rapidly growing Catholic Charismatic
and Protestant groups, which by virtue of their priorities and sheer numbers are potential
allies of the organization.
The impact of this Moral Recovery Program on the judiciary has been minimal, due
mainly to the général problems facing the movement. Moreover, less comprehensive
programs dealing with ethics in the judicial system itself already exist, rivaling the efforts
of the Moral Recovery Program. Some représentatives of the judicial system think that
the MRP should be restricted to the executive branches, whereas the bench and bar
should have their own ethical campaigns, thus underlining the independence of the
judiciary from the executive branches.
An important step toward raising ethical standards specifically tailored to the judicial
system has been the promulgation of official codes by the Supreme Court to regulate the
conduct of judges, lawyers and prosecutors. The Code of Professional Responsibility for
lawyers and prosecutors, which partly applies to judges as well, was issued in June 1989.
To date the actual impact of this document has been rather small. According to critics,
one reason for this limited impact is that the code is too comprehensive, containing 22
130 Challenges to Judicial Independence

canons which are subdivided into 77 rules. They say that the document contains too many
prescriptions without a clear prioritizing in order of importance.
Some of the rules of the Code of Professional Responsibility are also controversial.
A case in point is rule 1.01 which states that ‘a lawyer shall not engage in unlawful,
dishonest, immoral or deceitful conduct’. As several cases of dismissal or disbarment
have shown, the prohibition of immoral conduct forbids lawyers or judges from having
a mistress or engaging in any other kind of extramarital affairs.16 It is important to bear
in mind in this context that marital infidelity is a criminal offense in the Philippines, both
for men and for women. In actual practice, this law has not been enforced, however,
partly because prosecution requires an official complaint from the aggrieved spouse,
which usually constitutes a major obstacle to enforcement.17 Traditionally it has been
common for married men to have one or more mistresses,18 and critics believe it unnec-
essary or superfluous to attempt to deny judges and lawyers the same prérogative
exercised by most Filipino men in actual practice. They also do not believe that having
a mistress qualitatively influences the performance of a lawyer or judge.
Arguments in favor of prohibiting judges and lawyers from having mistresses point
to the potential relation that can exist between this practice and corruption. Maintaining
more than one family can involve a substantial strain on a person’s budget. Public
officiais, including judges and prosecutors, may easily be tempted to engage in corruption
in order to cover such costs, particularly when the official’s salary is modest.19 Addi-
tionally, it is viewed as incongruous to allow représentatives of the légal system to
engage in a practice which is still a criminal offense, even though the law regarding this
issue is not enforced.
The main reason for the small impact of the Code of Professional Responsibility,
however, does not appear to lie in the controversial nature of some of its rules, but rather
in the relative indifférence of lawyers. The principal author of this Code discovered at
a lawyer’s conférence that many lawyers barely knew the content of the Code.
The second code promulgated by the Supreme Court in September 1989 is the already-
mentioned Code of Judicial Conduct. This Code has five canons subdivided into 30 rules.
In addition, several other efforts have been undertaken to address the question of
judicial ethics. The issue is a subject in the Supreme Court’s programs for judges, and
plans exist to give ethics higher priority in the training of future lawyers. Currently, the
emphasis on ethics in law schools is rather minimal, ethics having become subordinate
to money and success. Some believe that judges and lawyers who have been disciplined
for violation of the code should be given training in ethics as an intégral part of their
penalty. Ethics and values have also been the theme of the annual meeting of the
National Committee on Peace and Order which were attended by the représentatives of
the five pillars of the Criminal Justice System in 1995.
While ail these various efforts at raising ethical standards are encouraging, their
eventual success is hard to predict. At present, many lawyers and judges use their
Personal discrétion in drawing a clear line between what is still acceptable and what is
not. This even applies to relatively idealistic lawyers, who sometimes reluctantly resort
to practices that do not go strictly by the book. Observing that the opposing parties tend
to gain undue advantage from grossly violating the code of professional responsibility,
Challenges to Judicial Independence 131

these lawyers themselves resort to violations of the code - such as informai lobbying
with judges - in order to ‘level the playing field’ for their clients.
The codes of professional conduct have not resulted in a standardization of ethical
behavior or internalization of commonly accepted norms in the légal system. Therefore
it appears that the most important rôle of these codes is to serve as objective points of
reference in the disciplinary supervision of the bench and the bar.

Supervision and Discipline

In the Philippines, disciplinary supervision over the bench and the bar is mainly the
responsibility of the Supreme Court. The Court alone exercises the power to discipline
judges. The Executive Judge of a court sala can discipline a court staff member with up
to as much as one month’s suspension or loss of one month of salary. More severe
disciplinary measures have to be imposed by the Supreme Court. Likewise, the Integrated
Bar of the Philippines, of which ail lawyers in the country are compulsory members, can
take some disciplinary action against erring members. Heavy penalties, such as disbar-
ment or suspension from practice, however, are the responsibility of the Supreme Court.
Complaints about the misconduct of judges and lawyers are primarily referred to the
office of the Court Administrator, composed of the Administrator himself, assisted by
several deputies. The office of the Court Administrator conducts an inquiry into the
complaints, in which the police, the executive judge of the sala to which the judge under
investigation belongs and the National Bureau of Investigation may be asked for assis­
tance. Usually an RTC judge plays a leading rôle in the investigation of a complaint
against an MTC judge; a Court of Appeals justice plays this rôle in the investigation of
an RTC judge; and a Supreme Court justice leads the investigation concerning a justice
of the Court of Appeals.20 The cases are subsequently referred to the Supreme Court
justices. Heavy penalties, particularly disbarment and dismissal, are decided in en banc
sessions on the basis of majority opinions. Décisions regarding discipline are written by
a Supreme Court justice, and referred back to the Court Administrator for resolution.

Res Ipsa Loquitur

In principle, the Supreme Court can discipline lawyers and judges on the basis of the
so-called res ipsa loquitur rule (‘the matter speaks for itself’). In the case of a res ipsa
loquitur procédure the Court disciplines on the basis of strong evidence that it has
collected, but without applying the basic rules of due process, which consist of the right
to a formai investigation by an impartial tribunal and the right of the accused to be heard
and present evidence in support of his defense.21 The only exception to this policy
concerns cases that may resuit in dismissal or disbarment. These cases are considered
pénal rather than administrative in character and therefore always must involve the
application of the rules of due process of criminal law.
The res ipsa loquitur procédure has been thé subject of strong objections from
members of both the bench and the bar. RTC judge Davidas-Farrales for instance wrote
in two articles - aptly called Justice for Judges - that ail disciplinary cases are criminal
132 Challenges to Judicial Independence

in character, not merely administrative. She further objected to the fact that the Supreme
Court in actual practice divided disciplinary cases into three catégories, for each of which
différent criteria of evidence apply. In her opinion, judges should have the same rights
to due process in cases involving discipline as normal citizens have in criminal cases.
Furthermore, she says judges should be protected against malicious or merely unsubstanti-
ated attacks against their integrity.22 Protests against the res ipsa loquitur rule have also
come from the légal profession. In a public statement the président and the director of
a major voluntary bar organization declared: ‘the Philippine Bar Association joins the
concerned members of the Bench and the Bar and respectfully submits that this res ipsa
loquitur rule is violative of due process and the law’.23
Following these protests, the Court more or less suspended the res ipsa loquitur rule,
and resorted to the application of the full rules of due process in ail disciplinary cases,
particularly the right of the accused to explain his side of the issue. In addition, in cases
involving gross misconduct, the Supreme Court only conducts a disciplinary investigation
if a formai complaint against a judge has been filed.
Apart from the application and retraction of the res ipsa loquitur rule, the Supreme
Court introduced several important measures to improve its disciplinary supervision over
the judiciary. One of these is the appointment of régional coordinators consisting of
former judges and justices.24 These coordinators monitor the courts and judges in a
particular région, for instance through surprise visits to the courts. Additionally, in 1993
a committee was introduced, consisting of retired bench and bar members, to handle
complaints of corruption in the bench and bar. The committee investigates and passes
the information it has gathered, as well as its recommendations, to the Supreme Court
for further action.

The Supreme Court’s Disciplinary Record

Between 1980 and 1992, the Supreme Court undertook 156 disciplinary actions, as well
as various investigations. A total of 42 out of these 156 actions were dismissed. Despite
the self-imposed restrictions introduced concerning the res ipsa loquitur procédure, the
Supreme Court has since continued to pursue disciplinary actions. During the first six
months of 1993, the Supreme Court penalized 28 judges for various offenses.25 A
further 63 disciplinary actions were conducted by the Court between July 1, 1993 and
June 1994 at a time when the judiciary was under heavy attack in the media: 13 judges
were dismissed, 22 fined, 9 reprimanded, 17 admonished and two given warnings.26 In
1995, 12 judges were dismissed and a further 54 fined or disciplined in some other
fashion.27 It is striking, however, that none of these disciplinary actions explicitly
concerned corruption or other forms of undue influence on judicial décisions. The
disciplinary actions concerned issues such as immorality, gross ignorance of the law and
failure to adhéré to the instructions of the Supreme Court regarding case management
and court administration. As a resuit, on its disciplinary record, the Supreme Court has
been vigorously accused of exercising too much leniency with regards to judicial
corruption. Examples of such alleged leniency include: judges accused of corruption
being transferred rather than dismissed; judges suspected of corruption being dismissed
Challenges to Judicial Independence 133

on the basis of a lesser charge, such as ignorance of the law; and some erring judges
being allowed to retire with benefits rather than being dismissed.

The Criticisms
Staunch critics believe that the Supreme Court is not strict enough on judges because
of an ‘old boys’ mentality, whereas it often is strict with lawyers who are critical of the
Court. Some critics also believe that the Court has set wrong priorities in its disciplinary
supervision. They argue that the Supreme Court can be very harsh on judges in outlying
areas of the country who do not follow the rules and régulations of the Supreme Court
strictly, for instance regarding the time frame in which a case should be decided. In their
opinion, the Supreme Court does not take the poor working facilities of these judges into
account, as well as the poor infrastructure of communication. As a resuit, some orders
from the High Court reach these judges very late, or not at ail. The same problem
pertains to changes in the law or jurisprudence, of which judges in outlying areas
sometimes are not properly informed.
These critics further argue that the requirement to comply with administrative provi­
sions which are unrealistic in their situation also tempts some judges in outlying areas
to falsify certificates o f service, out of fear that they will be disciplined for non-compli-
ance. Each judge is required to complété this certificate, regularly and submit it to the
Supreme Court. By the certificate the judge déclarés, amongst other things, that he has
complied with the rules of the Court regarding working hours and mandatory trial
periods.28 At the same time, according to these critics, the Supreme Court seems impo­
tent when it comes to fighting corruption in the judiciary.
Another form of criticism of the present disciplinary policies of the Supreme Court
is that the procédures of investigation work in favor of corrupt judges. Investigations
often take a considérable amount of time. In the meanwhile, the corrupt judges are not
suspended and can continue with their corrupting influence on the judiciary. Moreover,
the requirement that a formai complaint has to be filed forms an enormous hindrance
in fighting corruption. Lawyers are afraid to accuse judges publicly, because this will
invite retaliation against these lawyers by the accused judges, or by other judges sympa-
thetic to the accused. The awareness that they can only be disciplined when a formai
complaint is filed, and that lawyers have difficulty in filing such a complaint, gives
corrupt judges a feeling of invulnerability.
Critics point out that there are cases in which reasonable suspicions should be a
sufficient basis for starting a preliminary investigation, if necessary with the help of the
National Bureau of Investigation. Such inquiries should be possible when judges display
a lifestyle that is conspicuously inconsistent with their level of income, for instance when
they have expensive cars or wear suits made of the finest materials. Since the law
requires that members of the judiciary state their assets and liabilities with the Office
of the Court Administrator upon assumption of their office, and once a year thereafter-
wards, it should be possible at least in principle to expose judges who pursue a lifestyle
or pattern of spending for which their income and assets cannot properly account.29 The
critics believe that the individual rights of judges are never specifically violated simply
by investigation in such cases.
134 Challenges to Judicial Independence

Another possible basis for investigation against a judge, according to the critics, should
be an unusually high record of issuing or lifting restraining orders or search orders
against business people. Temporary restraining orders can be very lucrative in business
disputes. Businesses are therefore willing to pay a substantial bribe to have such an order
issued against an opponent, or to convince a judge to lift a restraining order that has been
issued against their own business. Search orders are easily used to harass businesses and
thus to extort money from them.
Another factor inhibiting the filing of formai complaints are persistent rumors in the
légal system that even the Supreme Court is not entirely free from corruption. These
rumors inhibit lawyers from filing complaints against corrupt judges, since they lack
confidence that the Supreme Court - which they perceive as not being entirely clean -
will investigate the complaints seriously enough. A lawyer filing a complaint may even
fear that his action will be held against him by some members of the Supreme Court,
which will inhibit his chances of success in future cases with them. Moreover, these
persistent rumors may facilitate corruption amongst lower court judges who, believing
these rumors, may regard this perceived corruption within the higher judiciary as a
justification to engage in corruption themselves.
Though some critics favor less elaborate due process in disciplinary investigations,
others do not believe that the rules of due process themselves are to blâme. Instead they
assert that the Supreme Court invalidly hides behind the right to due process in order
to legitimize passivity and lack of creativity addressing charges of corruption. In their
view, the Supreme Court is more lenient toward judges than rules of due process actually
require. This leniency has been facilitated by the fact that neither the Supreme Court
justices nor the staff of the Office of the Court Administrator have been selected on the
basis of their réputation as disciplinarians.

The Position o f the Suprem e Court

In defense of the Supreme Court, various valid arguments or mitigating circumstances
have been or can be raised. A very important argument in this respect is that in applying
the full rules of due process in disciplinary cases, the Supreme Court has authoritative
international instruments on its side. For instance, Article 17 of the U N Basic Principles
on the Independence o f the Judiciary emphasizes the right of judges to a fair hearing in
disciplinary matters, whereas Article 19 states that ‘ail disciplinary, suspension or
removal proceedings shall be determined in accordance with established standards of
judicial conduct’.30 These documents do not exempt ‘administrative offenses’ from the
requirements of due process. In accordance with international standards due process is
also a constitutional right for every citizen of the Philippines. It would be inconsistent
to withhold this right from judges accused of grave irregularities.
Others argue that some critics are clearly biased. Disgruntled lawyers criticize the
Supreme Court and the judiciary because of personal grievances. Sometimes criticism
of the Court in newspapers is expressed by journalists who either have personal axes to
grind with the Court, or who write such criticism on behalf of third parties who harbor
personal resentment toward the Supreme Court, for instance due to past disciplinary
action against them.
Challenges to Judicial Independence 135

Furthermore, complaints about the judiciary frequently corne from lawyers who have lost
cases. As the resuit of exaggerated amor propio, many lawyers blâme their having lost
a case on foui play rather than on the case’s lack of merit (or even less on mistakes
which they themselves have made), and consequently accuse the presiding judge of
corruption. In this context, the rules of due process are necessary to protect judges against
false accusations by disgruntled lawyers who have lost cases heard by the judge they
accuse.
A powerful illustration of this phenomenon is the report presented by the Vice-
President of the Philippines in 1992 about corruption in the judiciary, which received
much publicity. The Presidential Anti-Crime Committee, which he presided over, was
assigned by the government to investigate judicial corruption. On the basis of this report,
the Vice-President concluded that at least 10% of judges were corrupt. The Supreme
Court replied that many of the cases on which the report was based involved old
complaints that had been dismissed already years before, or accusations that were either
anonymous, unspecified or unsubstantiated. Some of the complaints were not even against
judges, but against lawyers, prosecutors or members of non-judicial government bodies.
If the report were used as a basis for disciplinary action, considérable damage would be
done. Judges and justices must certainly be protected against fabricated charges from
disgruntled lawyers. Because corruption and the exercise of undue influence are very hard
to prove, it makes disciplinary investigation complicated. And because corruption has
been a problem in the Philippines for so long, the ‘know-how’ of engaging in corruption
without getting caught is well developed.
Another important mitigating circumstance is that many complainants - generally
lawyers and litigants - are vague in their accusations or are not willing to pursue their
complaints during investigations. This makes it difficult to act successfully against
corrupters. The fight against corruption encounters a problem similar to that experienced
in the fight against crime, which has been discussed in chapter 3. Witnesses of corruption
are often genuinely afraid of retaliation. Fear, however, is not the only reason for their
lack of coopération. Most witnesses of corruption do not want to face the trouble
involved in filing a complaint and in testifying. Instead of participating to promote the
quality of justice, witnesses rather count the costs and benefits that such personal
involvement would require.
The unwillingness to be specific in complaints became quite evident during the
opérations of the spécial ad hoc committee consisting of the Chief Justice and two retired
Associate Justices which conducted a fact-finding investigation in early 1993 into rumors
about judicial corruption. The work of this committee was seriously inhibited by the fact
that some lawyers and journalists did not want to reveal the sources of their information
on alleged corruption, or refused to cooperate with the ad hoc committee at ail.
In defense of the Supreme Court’s disciplinary policies, it should be noted that the
strict application of the rules of due process has been emphatically requested by lawyers
and judges themselves. It would be inconsistent for lawyers to request due process for
themselves and judges while simultaneously complaining about the lenient discipline that
results if these rules are applied.
136 Challenges to Judicial Independence

A further practical factor that complicates strict discipline in the judiciary is the shortage
of judges. If one suspends a judge during the period of investigation, no one is available
to take his or her place. For the cause of justice, the drawbacks of having a not entirely
honest judge in a courtroom may be smaller in the end than those having no judge at
ail.
Another argument in defense of the Supreme Court is that some corrupt judges are
actually dismissed. In cases involving credible suspicions, but not completely watertight
evidence, the suspected culprits are often dismissed for gross ignorance of the law. Since
the légal knowledge of various judges leaves considérable room for improvement, it has
been easier to find a fundamental flaw in a judge’s légal reasoning than to prove
corruption. In addition, dismissal for gross ignorance of the law produces somewhat less
public embarrassment than a dismissal for corruption. A judge who is dismissed loses
his retirement benefits and is barred from government service or employment in govern-
ment-owned companies for the rest of his life. Nevertheless, he or she is not disbarred.
This means that he can still practice law. Consequently, a corrupt judge who has been
dismissed for gross ignorance of the law may even appear as a lawyer in the same court
in which he used to act as a judge. This way a corrupt person still remains part of the
légal system.
Some critics believe that mentioning corruption in explicit terms in disciplinary actions
sends a far stronger signal to the judiciary and the wider public than referring to corrup­
tion indirectly by a euphemism such as ‘ignorance of the law’. Though the practice to
address corruption through such a euphemism has been criticized, it also has its defend-
ers. They argue that a judge who has been dismissed for gross ignorance of the law
remains a marked man. Even though he can still continue to practice law, his status will
have been seriously affected, inhibiting his chances of building a successful and lucrative
career as a private lawyer.
It should be noted further that many lawyers who complain about inadéquate discipline
of judges are quite ambivalent about due process in disciplinary matters. It is common
among lawyers to play down violations of the ethical codes of conduct by their fellow
lawyers, and to play up as excessively harsh the disciplinary actions taken against erring
colleagues by the Supreme Court. A concrete example of this is the case of a lawyer and
newspaper columnist who is a mortal enemy of the Supreme Court. He was once
penalized by the post-EDSA Court, because he had fabricated a non-existing former
Supreme Court verdict while defending a case. The perpetrator was not disbarred but
rather escaped with a penalty of several months suspension. Nevertheless, he resented
this penalty as being unnecessarily harsh, and consequently continued his published
hostilities against the Supreme Court.
Discipline by the bar itself has also been very lenient. Disciplinary action, directly or
through recommendations to the Supreme Court by the Integrated Bar of the Philippines
- of which lawyers are compulsory members —has been minimal, despite the pervasive-
ness of ‘dirty tricks’ in the trade and the fact that many of the corruption cases in the
judiciary are instigated by lawyers.
Challenges to Judicial Independence 137

It should be acknowledged that the post-EDSA Supreme Court has undertaken a considér­
able effort to clean the ranks of the judiciary. The disciplinary actions of the Supreme
Court have removed corrupt elements from the bench, as well as a number of grossly
incompétent judges. These actions have sent strong signais to other judges that the
Supreme Court is serious about upholding standards of compétence and morality in the
judiciary.
Nevertheless, more decisive actions against corruption in the bench are necessary in
order to reverse the apparent érosion of the public’s faith in the judiciary. The rights of
individual judges and lawyers in disciplinary investigations have to be balanced against
the right of the citizens to a competent and honest judicial system. A doser monitoring
of judges and a more active policy in disciplinary investigations are imperative, especially
when indications of corruption are strong, even though no formai complaint has yet been
filed. This will also facilitate the necessary confidence on the part of witnesses of judicial
corruption to speak out.
It is also necessary to take action in order to raise confidence in the integrity of the
higher courts, especially in the context of persistent suspicions that these courts are not
entirely free of corruption. A proposai to introduce a spécial committee of highly-
respected retired Supreme Court justices who will investigate complaints against justices
in the higher courts may be a first step toward raising this confidence. In the present
framework, complaints against Supreme Court justices regarding impeachable offenses
can be filed with Congress. But complaints about non-impeachable offenses by Supreme
Court justices are investigated by the Court itself, conveying an impression to the général
public that such investigations are not impartial.31

The Press and Judicial Credibility

Generally speaking, the rôle of the press in relation to both judicial integrity and the
judiciary’s respect for human rights is very important. International standards guarantee
the individual citizen the right to not only a fair, but also a public hearing. This right
is also recognized by Article III, section 14(2) of the 1987 Constitution of the Philip­
pines. The press plays a crucial rôle with regard to public hearings. The fact that trials
are under public scrutiny, with the press as intermediary, acts to limit the danger of
dishonest trials and resulting violations of human rights. Furthermore, in a démocratie
order, any public agency needs to remain publicly accountable - including an independent
judiciary. Press attention surrounding specific trials and the judiciary in général ensures
this public accountability of the judiciary. Such publicity acts as a check on judicial
compétence and integrity. Publicity exposes irregularities in the judiciary and puts
pressure on the responsible authorities to redress these irregularities. Awareness of the
constant vigilance of the press can also prevent such irregularities from occurring in the
first place.
Nevertheless, the rôle of the press as judicial watchdog can also be quite counterpro-
ductive. An effective administration of justice requires the public’s strong faith in the
compétence and integrity of the judiciary. By disproportionately informing the public
138 Challenges to Judicial Independence

about specific trials or judicial issues, or by spreading unsubstantiated allégations about

corruption and other forms of judicial misconduct, the press can undermine the public’s
faith in the courts dramatically. Therefore, the rôle of the press in relation to the judiciary
needs to be regulated, for instance through voluntary codes of conduct on the part of the
press, and through judicial policies such as contempt of court rulings. These regulators
should find an optimal balance between the right and duty of the judiciary to uphold its
own independence and integrity and that of the press to act as an independent and critical
watchdog on behalf of the général public.32
During the time of Marcos the Philippine press was under strict censorship, and could
not exercise its rôle of public watchdog appropriately. Already during the final years of
the Marcos regime this situation began to change, particularly through the growth of
small informally distributed newspapers. Following the EDSA revoit, freedom of the
press was entirely restored. Section 4 of Article III of the Bill of Rights in the 1987
Constitution prohibits the passing of any law abridging the freedom of speech, expres­
sion, and the press. Though the relationship between the government and segments of
the press has been somewhat strained at times, this freedom of the press has been
maintained until now.
On the one hand, this freedom has been used in a manner bénéficiai for the cause of
justice. The press has became an important actor in an ongoing judicial transformation.
It has exposed cases of inefficiency and corruption in the judiciary and kept vigil over
various criminal cases in which perpetrators went, or were about to go free due to
corruption, intimidation, influence-peddling or indifférence among law enforcers.
Particularly extensive publicity is given to heinous crimes in the Philippines, both in the
newspapers and on télévision. One reputable Manila-based newspaper even offered, for
a period of time, a daily update on heinous crimes in the country.
A great deal of the coverage in the papers is characterized by sensationalism, but there
are also journalists and publishers acting with purer motives. These members of the press
believe that the country’s justice system is completely rotten due to incompétent and
corrupt judges and lawyers, abusive policemen, grandstanding politicians and a général
indifférence and leniency toward criminals. They charge that many criminals have money
and connections to help them escape justice, and are in a much more privileged position
than their victims. Constant and emphatic media attention to specific cases becomes an
important means of boosting the interests of the victims: it exposes and partly neutralizes
the corruption, intimidation and influence-peddling of the perpetrators, as well as the
corner-cutting tricks of their lawyers. Extended news coverage pressures lenient and
indiffèrent judges to decisive action; it helps secure moral and sometimes also financial
support for the victims so that they can pursue their case in spite of the wiles and unfair
tactics of their opponents. The effects of publicity on the question of access to - and its
effects on the social distribution of justice - will be discussed in the next chapter.
Publicity concerning heinous crimes and particularly the plight of victims, is aimed
at pressuring the authorities - including the government, Congress, and the Supreme
Court - to introduce drastic reforms that will change the attitude of law enforcement
officers, lawyers, judges and other judicial figures concerning the need for greater
Challenges to Judicial Independence 139

protection of the général public against criminals. In this context, a call for extensive
révision of the rules of due process is often voiced.
Yet the new freedom exercised by the press has also created its own set of serious
problems. After 14 years of censorship under the Marcos dictatorship, there were not
enough good and honest senior journalists to tutor new journalists in the practice of
competent and responsible journalism.33 This has resulted in the publication of many
stories which were not properly checked and in trial by publicity. Rectifications are often
not published - or are done so only inadequately - since an acknowledgement of
mistakes committed violâtes amor propio, and implies loss of face. Often journalists
writing about the judiciary and court cases lack basic knowledge of law and judicial
procédures, on the basis of which they draw faulty conclusions which they pass on to
their readership. In the 1990s, there have been a number of improvements, including the
introduction by some papers of légal columns written by prominent current or retired
members of the bar and the bench, in which they inform the public of complicated légal
issues and developments. Nevertheless, the problem of misinformation among journalists
and the public remains an urgent concern.
This kind of uninformed légal journalism has undermined the confidence of the public
in the validity and legitimacy of judicial décisions, degenerating frequently into trial by
publicity. News reports have tended to raise an expectation in the général public as to
the guilt or innocence of suspects. In cases where a judge renders a décision that deviates
from the général expectation, the public is often led to believe that the décision was
based on corruption or favoritism, in spite of the légal merits of the judge’s décision.
In this kind of case, despite being acquitted, the accused person will often continue to
be perceived as guilty publicly, with the acquittai attributed to légal machinations on his
part or to judicial dishonesty. As a conséquence, the réputation of the acquitted may be
damaged beyond repair.
Such trial by publicity also influences the independence of judges, since it feeds them
with partial information and vocal opinions, and pressures them to décidé in line with
public opinion. Faith in the judiciary tends to be undermined when a judge rules against
the expectations of public opinion which has been fed by dramatic reports and graphie
comments in the press. This threat to judicial independence is illustrated by an incident
that occurred in 1993, in which a judge allowed herself to be persuaded by a columnist/
télévision presentator to appear on his talk show. During this broadeast, she commented
on a décision in which she had passed heavy prison sentences on members of a presti-
gious university fraternity who killed a fellow member during hazing. Both during this
show and in the newspaper coverage that followed, she received compliments for the way
she dealt and tried the case with strietness and toughness toward the members of
influential families. At the time she appeared on the show, however, she had not yet
finished presiding over the trial of several other suspects in the case. Critics of the judge
have correctly argued that such a télévision appearance constituted an unacceptable threat
to her independence in the handling of the cases of these other suspects.
Another case demonstrates the extent to which trial by publicity can be carried. Public
concern over this case appears to have been mainly inspired by genuine interest in the
plight of crime victims, and the apparent ease by which people with money and powerful
140 Challenges to Judicial Independence

connections can escape punishment for heinous crimes. The media almost took the trial
over from the judiciary, making it almost impossible for the judiciary to maintain both
its independence and its public réputation for integrity. In 1991 a teenage girl, her seven
year old sister and her mother were found brutally murdered in their house in a wealthy
Metro-Manila suburb. The teenage girl turned out to have been raped before her death.
Before the criminal investigation began, various pieces of evidence appeared to have been
removed from the scene. Soon rumors were spreading that the son of a well-known
politician had been involved in this crime. In the course of the investigation, several
groups of suspects were arrested, ail of whom nevertheless had to be released due to lack
of evidence. Rumors continued to spread that powerful protectors of the real perpetrators
had undermined the investigation. These rumors were also voiced in a movie that was
made about this crime. In 1995, several new developments occurred in the case. The most
important of these was the appearance of a new witness, who claimed to have been the
former girl friend of a youth gang member allegedly responsible for the rape and murder,
committed under the influence of shabu, a synthetic drug. She further claimed that she
had personally witnessed the politician’s son, who was a member of the youth gang,
raping the teenage girl. A massive resurgence of publicity about the case occurred. The
politician defended his son by showing an American visa and driver’s license of the boy
to convince the press and the public that his son had been abroad during the time of the
murders. The media discussed the credibility of the new witness, as well as allégations
that the American visa and driver’s license were fraudulent. The public took sides in
favor of or against the politician’s son. Perhaps the apogee of this trial-by-publicity was
the action taken by the famous journalist Teddy Benigno, who both hosts a télévision
talk show and runs a column in a high quality newspaper. He introduced a press version
of a fair hearing. In one talk show he discussed the case with the Minister of Justice and
the father/husband of the murdered women. He also interviewed the politician’s son in
the same program in order to let him explain his side. He then published a letter from
the boy’s mother in his news column.
Whatever motives journalists might have had in this case, the massive publicity has
complicated and perhaps compromised efforts to conduct a trial in which the indepen­
dence of the judiciary, the presumption of innocence and public confidence in the
judiciary can ail be upheld.

The relation between the press and the judiciary is complicated by the actions of the
press itself because it has not remained free from corruption and influence-peddling. The
press has become - at times knowingly, at other times unintentionally - a weapon to
boost the private interests of various groups or individuals via litigation journalism. This
has also negatively affected publicity surrounding other court cases and the judiciary.
Companies or private individuals frequently feed information to the press in order to win
sympathy for their side in spécifié disputes. Sometimes these disputes are political,
sometimes they involve court cases. Because of the gullibility of some segments of the
press in the post-Marcos period, this strategy has a good chance of success.
In some cases information is fed to journalists personally, but in others, it takes the
form of printed information. Such information may consist of an explanation of one’s
Challenges to Judicial Independence 141

side or of accusations against an opponent. An increasingly popular phenomenon has

been the so-called ‘white papers’. These consist of documents that are either anonymous
or signed with a false name and which discrédit specific persons who are apparently on
bad terms with the authors of these papers. White papers are sent to journalists and
publishers, as well as to private individuals who are believed to have some influence or
connections in the judiciary. A mild variant is to send information brochures to the
judiciary, particularly to the Supreme Court, hoping that these brochures will influence
judges or justices favorably in economic disputes.
In some cases, the unchecked rumors or allégations contained in such papers are
published because journalists lack professional compétence or are eager to attract a wider
readership. But in other cases, journalists are simply bribed to write favorably for a given
cause or to broadcast favorably over the radio or télévision. The aim of such bribery is
to use journalists to mobilize public sympathy for a cause and thus influence prosecutors
and judges in their handling of the case. In some instances, the objective is simply to
strike back at one’s opponent by discrediting him though the case has already been lost.
Litigation journalism has also been used to direct attacks against the integrity of
individual judges and justices. One well-known example in the Philippines is the second
case involving a new competitor to the Philippine Long Distance Téléphoné Company,
which was discussed in the section on ‘The Economic and Political Power of the
Judiciary’ in chapter 4. In this case, the PLDT objected to the license that was granted
by the National Télécommunications Commission to a new competitor to operate a
cellular mobile phone system. The PLDT filed a suit against the Commission with the
Supreme Court. Throughout the judicial procédure of this case, the new competitor was
represented by two law firms; a comparatively old, well-established one and a relatively
young more recent one. The Supreme Court initially decided to deny this permission to
the new competitor, but the lawyers of this company filed a motion for reconsideration.
The young law firm accused the justice who had been the ponente, or person responsible
for writing the décision, of gross dishonesty.34 The firm produced a writing expert who
claimed that the décision was actually written by, or copied from, the main lawyer of
the PLDT, thus insinuating that the justice had been bribed. Furthermore, the rumor was
spread that this justice had lobbied to change the results of the national bar exam on
behalf of his son who was trying to pass it. The accusations received a lot of publicity
in spite of the fact that the reliability of these accusations was seriously contested.35
The old law firm even withdrew from the case out of protest over these accusations. Yet
the accusations proved successful in the sense that the justice retired, not just from the
case but from the Supreme Court as well, since he believed that his credibility had
suffered from this publicity, though he vigorously denied the accusations.36 Furthermore,
the Supreme Court décision was reversed upon reconsideration in 1994. The company
thus obtained its permission after ail.
142 Challenges to Judicial Independence

The Press and the ‘Judicial Crisis’ (1992-1993)

Publicity has not only focused on individual judges, but also on the judiciary as a whole,
or more specifically an important segment of it, the Supreme Court. In the final quarter
of 1992, coinciding with the start of the Ramos administration, a massive press campaign
began focusing on the judiciary and on individual judges, denouncing corruption,
dishonesty, and gross incompétence. White papers on corruption in the judiciary, as well
as accusations against individual judges and against the Supreme Court as a whole began
to circulate and found their way to the various media channels, including newspaper
columns, investigative reports, etc. Surveys indicated that public trust in the judiciary,
including the Supreme Court, had begun to wane.37 This wave of publicity is often
referred to as the ‘judicial crisis’.
It was particularly surprising that the Supreme Court became a target for this publicity,
because it enjoyed high public prestige after the EDSA revoit. In 1990, one weekly
newspaper even declared the members of the Supreme Court as men and women of the
year because of their efforts to reconstruct the judiciary after the Marcos era.
At the height of the ‘judicial crisis’ in 1993, certain newspapers reported that public
esteem for the judiciary had dropped below that of the Philippine police. This report was
perceived as grossly offensive since the police has never had a good public réputation
in the Philippines. The report was based on findings of a survey conducted by a previous-
ly mentioned research institute. The survey focused, amongst other things, on the général
esteem enjoyed by public institutions, and was conducted at the order of the Office of
the Président.38
Some defenders of the judiciary suspected that the research institute had manipulated
its findings on behalf of the Office of the Président, which had assigned this institute
to conduct various studies regularly. One officer of a judges’ organization even issued
a contempt order against the director of this institute, requiring him to explain why he
should not be held in contempt of court for distributing suggestions that the public holds
more faith in the police than in the judiciary. The case was dropped after this director
argued that he had not acted out of malice, and that the survey figures were merely
reported to the Président and not meant to be distributed among the général public.39
This incident caused some Court defenders to call for a ban on surveys on the judicia­
ry. In their opinion, these surveys further undermine the public’s trust in the courts,
especially because the opinions expressed in these surveys reflect the negative criticism
about the judiciary already appearing in the press, as well as a generally poor understand-
ing of légal procédures.40
The negative publicity culminated in the call by the Vice-President to ail judges and
justices to resign. This call for résignation was based on a very tentative and unreliable
report, as mentioned in the section on ‘Corruption and Supervision’ of this chapter. The
Vice-President made his dramatic appeal in front of télévision caméras and news
photographers, calling dishonest judges ‘hoodlums’, or ‘rogues in robes’.
Challenges to Judicial Independence 143

The Suprem e Court Reaction

The Supreme Court, and the judiciary in général, did not show public signs of panic
during the widely published ‘crisis’, and managed to survive. The Court did not give in
to calls for mass résignation, but kept explaining its position cautiously and discretely
to sectors of civil society and to the press.41
The main defense of the Supreme Court was to play down the scale of judicial
corruption. It exposed the flimsy basis of the Vice-President’s appeal and dismissed much
of the publicity as inspired by disgruntled lawyers who wanted to annoy the bench
because of lost cases or other grudges. The Supreme Court also argued that many
litigants have unrealistic expectations of judges because they are unfamiliar with légal
procédures, for instance the time a court case necessarily takes. It further emphasized
that the Court was committed to removing corruption from the judiciary, as clearly
demonstrated by its record of disciplinary action, but that it could not act on unsubstanti-
ated, unspecified, and often anonymous complaints against judges and justices.
The Supreme Court further argued that critics of the judiciary had not considered the
difficult working conditions and low budgets that characterized its opérations, nor the
rapidly increasing work load. This increase in the work load itself refuted criticism that
the public had lost faith in the judiciary. Had this been true, it would have logically
followed that the volume of court litigation would substantially decrease, with the public
seeking less frequent redress from the judiciary for their complaints. However, the
contrary was the case. The volume of litigation before the courts continues to skyrocket.
Indeed, this ‘litigation explosion’, according to the Court and its defenders, further réfutés
claims that the esteem of the judiciary is lower than that of the police. Whereas people
tend to minimize contact with the police out of fear that such contact will only lead to
further trouble, there is at least a substantial section of the country’s population who do
not hesitate to go to court.
Various leading members of the bench further believe that the publicity was to a large
extent orchestrated by certain persons to discrédit the judiciary. The campaign could have
been orchestrated by politicians exploiting discontent about the overall justice system
to boost their public popularity. More importantly, various members of the légal sector
suggested that the alleged orchestrators could be found amongst politicians and govern­
ment officiais close to the Président. The opinion was that these politicians and officiais
wanted to intimidate the Supreme Court into rigorous restraint in the use of its powers
of judicial review, particularly in cases involving economic development, as elaborated
earlier in the discussion of judicial review in chapter 4. The supposed goal of this
campaign against the judiciary was either to intimidate the Supreme Court, in order to
force the justices to refrain from addressing issues that have a bearing on the executive’s
attempts to modernize the country economically, or to force them to resign, thus paving
the way for appointment of a new and more docile Supreme Court.
A counterargument to the suspicion that people close to the Président were responsible
for the ‘judicial crisis’ is that Président Ramos already wields extensive influence over
the composition of the Supreme Court through the regular, formai procédures of appoint­
ment. Indeed, he has the opportunity to replace at least two-thirds of the entire Court
inherited from the previous administration before the expiration of his term, as the resuit
144 Challenges to Judicial Independence

of continuing retirements or voluntary résignations. The critics of the government would

réfuté this counterargument, asserting that such replacements occur only gradually over
time, making the procédure too long for a government that wants swift economic
changes. In addition, the Chief Justice - who is still an Aquino appointée - will reach
the âge of retirement only after the scheduled presidential élections of 1998. Since the
Chief Justice is very influential in the Supreme Court, argue these critics, Ramos
supporters wanting to replace the vestiges of the Aquino era on the Court might pressure
the incumbent Chief Justice to resign. It is notable in this context that much of the
negative publicity has been aimed at him. The Chief Justice has also been a recurrent
target of white papers or poison pen letters since 1992.
Another possible goal of this campaign, according to public spéculation, was to
intimidate the Supreme Court into a favorable ruling in a case concerning the protest filed
against Président Ramos by the first runner-up in the presidential élection in 1992.
Following the élection this candidate accused Président Ramos of cheating, and contested
the outcome of the poil before the Supreme Court. In the end, the Court issued a ruling
in this politically controversial case only after the sénatorial élections in January 1996.
However, in its ruling the Court refrained from deciding on the merits of this pétition,
instead dismissing the élection protest on the basis that the complainant had subsequently
run for Senator in May 1995, and had reassumed office after being elected. According
to the majority of the Supreme Court, the complainant had therefore implicitly abandoned
or withdrawn her earlier protest regarding the presidential élections in 1992.

Other Factors Fuelling the Crisis

Although it cannot be ruled out that some persons interested in discrediting the judiciary
planned the ‘judicial crisis’ to a significant degree, other factors also contributed to this
crisis. The first of these was genuine dissatisfaction with the functioning of the judicial
system. Following the EDSA revoit, the Supreme Court had attempted to improve the
functioning of the judiciary, but after a few years it became apparent that the judicial
reforms introduced had not - or at least had not yet - produced sufficient results, leading
to a loss of moral crédit for the judiciary among various segments of society. It was only
a question of time before this growing discontent found expression in the media.
A second factor facilitating the spread of negative publicity on the judiciary was
growing discontent with the Supreme Court’s exercise of judicial review. This too
affected the credibility of the Court in some sectors of society.
A third factor leading to growing and increasingly open dissatisfaction with the
judiciary was the action by some people - politicians, lawyers, individuals or corporate
bodies - in reinforcing this public disgruntlement as a means of pursuing personal
grudges against judges or against the present judicial system. The growing discontent
with the judiciary provided a favorable climate for disgruntled people to strike back at
the judiciary through ail sorts of accusations.
The fourth and last factor is the cautious attitude exercised by the Supreme Court. The
Court opted for a predominantly defensive strategy rather than a policy active counter-
attack to réfuté the charges against it. The Court used its power to cite critics for
contempt very sparingly, even in cases where such criticism was obviously malicious.42
Challenges to Judicial Independence 145

The press could have been restrained from further negative publicity about the judiciary
if the Supreme Court had reacted more offensively than it did. As one former leading
member of the bench put it: ‘this publicity would not have gone so far under the former
Chief Justices. They would fight back. They would have cited those critics lambasting
the judiciary for contempt. And they would have told that one senator who accused the
Court of being a constitutional tyrant: "who are you to lecture us on morality? You have
four wives, whereas you are supposed to be a Catholic! And what about your pathetic
coup attempt in 1986?" In the Philippines you should not show weakness to your
enemies. If you do they will trample on you ail the more.’
Defenders of the Supreme Court reasoned that the cautious attitude of the Court in
handling criticism was legitimized by the realization that negative publicity does not tend
to be remembered very long by the public. News of rumors about corrupt - or allegedly
corrupt - judges gives way quickly to other sensational stories. Therefore, disciplinary
actions upon publication of such rumors might give the critics more crédit than they
deserve, and lend their rumors even more publicity. In addition, strict disciplinary action
against critics might reinforce the suspicion that the Supreme Court is stricter on outside
critics than on misbehaving judges. A counterargument to this view, however, is that mild
action against malicious criticism can invite further unfounded criticism and rumors in
the future. Also, even if the public quickly forgets a specific rumor voiced against a
judge or the judiciary, repetitious publication of such charges will tend to undermine the
credibility of the judiciary over the long run.
In June 1993, negative publicity about the judiciary suddenly abated. Supporters
attributed this to the defense pursued by the Supreme Court and by its backers in the
légal field and in other sectors of society.43 However, there was actually a more decisive
factor behind this demise of bad publicity in the press, namely the discovery of the
gruesome rape and slaying case, in which the mayor of a small town was accused. This
case has been briefly referred to in the section on ‘Politicians and Judicial Décisions’
in chapter 4. Soon numerous rumors began to be published about killing fields and
assassinations of political opponents in the area. The discovery of this incident also
shifted the focus of press coverage and public interest to local warlords and the ongoing
relation between criminals and law enforcement officers and politicians. The case
conquered the public imagination and filled the headlines for weeks. Though stories about
problems in the judiciary were still published, such news proved to be less interesting
to the général public. The judicial crisis was completely overshadowed by this heinous
crime. Also the Vice-President stopped using the judiciary as a main target of his
publicity campaigns, shifting his attention to ‘hoodlums in other outfits’.
The argument that the dramatic increase in litigation through the courts serves as proof
of widespread public trust in the judiciary also needs to be relativized. The most notable
rise in court cases concerned criminal incidents, reflecting the law and order problems
of the country rather than the prestige of the judiciary. Moreover, the increase in civil
cases - and to some extent of criminal cases also - reflects the increasing importance
of litigation as a strategy in social and economic disputes. People use the légal system
as a resource to settle personal conflicts, independently of their trust in judges. They
litigate because their amor propio, strong sense of pride and self-respect, has been
146 Challenges to Judicial Independence

offended; because they want to harass or get even with an opponent; because they believe
they can manipulate légal procédures more effectively than their opponents; or simply
because they ‘just want to give it a shot’. The ‘litigation explosion’ and its causes will
be discussed in the next chapter.
It is noteworthy that the ‘judicial crisis’ stimulated some positive changes in the
judiciary. For instance, immediately following the ‘judicial crisis’ many judges demon-
strated increased strictness in dealing with corner-cutting tactics by lawyers. This
underlines the great potential of the Philippine press for playing the rôle of judicial
watchdog positively, despite the dangers and drawbacks involved.

The Press and a Second ‘Judicial Crisis’ (1996)

The press can be an important factor in generating public scandais about the judiciary,
either directly through the exercise of irresponsible journalism, or indirectly by acting
as an instrument for parties wishing to discrédit the judiciary. But the press is by no
means solely responsible for such public scandais. As has been described above in the
discussion concerning the ‘judicial crisis’ of 1993, serious problems in the judicial system
itself are also to blâme. These include continuing discontent over the strong rôle exer-
cised by the courts in economic issues and persistent complaints about the quality of the
justice system in général, including doubts about the compétence and integrity of various
members of the bench.
In June 1996, a public scandai arose concerning a court case of acknowledged broad
public interest, in which the Supreme Court itself formed the focal point of attention.
Though the case received massive publicity, it was clear that the press was by no means
responsible for the scandai. The publicity was predominantly caused by a serious problem
in the judiciary itself.
The case concerned an investigation into tax évasion involving an estimated 25.6
billion pesos (almost US $1 billion) by cigarette companies of a former Marcos crony
and business tycoon. Because the government suspected this tycoon of wilfully evading
tax payments, it started a preliminary criminal investigation into tax fraud. In 1994, the
tycoon petitioned a Régional Trial Court to restrain the Department of Justice and the
Bureau of Internai Revenue from continuing the criminal investigation. The légal team
of the tycoon invoked a wide range of arguments, including alleged bias on the part of
the assistant prosecutor involved, jurisdictional problems and violation of fundamental
rights including: the right to equal protection under the law, since the tycoon was
allegedly singled out for prosecution of tax évasion; the presumption of innocence; and
the right to due process. The pétition was granted by the RTC. A pétition by the govern­
ment to the Court of Appeals for review of the case, requesting annulment of the décision
by the RTC, was dismissed. However a subséquent government pétition was filed with
the Supreme Court in February 1995, claiming that the Régional Trial Court and the
Court of Appeals had committed ‘grave abuse of discrétion amounting to lack or excess
of jurisdiction’ in stopping the government from conducting a preliminary criminal
investigation against the tycoon.
Challenges to Judicial Independence 147

The case was assigned to the First Division of the Supreme Court, which dismissed the
government’s pétition by a very narrow majority - three against two - with one member
of the majority dissenting in part. A crucial element in the argumentation of the majority
was that the preliminary criminal investigation was prématuré because the Bureau of
Internai Revenue still had to produce a final assessment of the tax liabilities of the
tycoon’s cigarette companies. Every aspect of this case was instantly the subject of heated
controversy: the délibérations of the Supreme Court before the décision was reached, the
légal reasoning, the procédures followed, the nature of the dissent, even the aftermath
of the décision.
Before the First Division reached its verdict, anonymous poison letters were distributed
accusing the three members of the majority of receiving bribes from the tycoon, and
accusing the ponente of a high degree of familiarity with the tycoon’s main lawyer.
Members of the government were suspected of distributing the poison pen letters, because
only the government had a clear motive for doing so. The writers of the poison pen
letters obviously knew about the opinions of the justices, which showed that the discus­
sions in the First Division had been leaked.
The strong language in which the dissent was articulated added greatly to the contro-
versial nature of the case. The Chairman of the First Division voiced great indignation
over this décision. He dramatically stated in his dissent: ‘but I will have no part in the
shocking process, especially in light of the fact that government cries out that the people
have been cheated and defrauded of their taxes to the tune allegedly of P25,6 billion,
and yet it is not given this Court even a beggar’s chance to prove it!’44 In the dissent
of the Division Chairman, three arguments figured with particular prominence. First, with
regard to the majority’s assertion that the government had violated the right of the tycoon
to equal protection under the law, the chairman argued that in Metro-Manila alone, the
government had already filed more than one thousand criminal cases for tax évasion.
Second, and more importantly, he argued that the majority’s décision contradicted an
existing Supreme Court ruling that is in line with international jurisprudence, which states
that the filing of a criminal complaint for tax évasion even without a previous assessment
of the correct tax is proper. In the opinion of the majority, this ruling did not apply, in
this specific case, but the Chairman considered this opinion to be erroneous. Third, and
perhaps the most importantly, he argued that the majority opinion - and the décisions
of the Court of Appeals and the Régional Trial Court - had entirely changed the existing
notion of preliminary investigation. A previous Court ruling had stated that ‘as a général
rule, an injunction will not be granted to restrain a criminal investigation’. In the opinion
of the Chairman, the said Court ruling should have applied with even more force in this
particular case since the criminal investigation was still preliminary. The proper way for
the tycoon to protest against an allegedly improper investigation would have been to file
an appeal with the Secretary of Justice against the prosecutor’s resolution after the
termination of the preliminary investigation. Instead of following this standard procédure,
the tycoon requested the courts to order the prosecution to stop the preliminary investiga­
tion. The Chairman regarded the reliance on two old Supreme Court rulings to constitute
a serious misapplication of these décisions.
148 Challenges to Judicial Independence

The Chairman concluded that the majority’s décision would have a crippling effect on
the government’s campaign against tax evaders, which involves a very pressing point
of public interest. Furthermore, he said, the décisions of the courts, including that of the
majority of the Supreme Court’s First Division, gave the tycoon very preferential
treatment by positively exempting him from the standard procédures that normally apply
to criminal investigations. In his view, the lower courts did not have the right to interfere
in the preliminary investigation of the government’s prosecution in this case, since the
conducting of such an investigation is, generally speaking, the exclusive prérogative of
the prosecution. Therefore these courts had indeed committed a ‘grave abuse of discrétion
amounting to a lack or excess of jurisdiction’.
The nature of the disagreement also implied that at least one of the two sides had
grossly misunderstood and misapplied existing jurisprudence, and this casts serious doubts
on the légal compétence of at least some Supreme Court justices. What made this
décision even more problematic was the fact that the dissent of the division chairman
strongly suggested that the décision was unconstitutional. A change of existing jurispru­
dence, according to the Constitution, can only be made by the Supreme Court en banc,
never by a specific division. The arguments of the dissenting Chairman, however,
strongly suggested that this décision of the First Division overturned existing jurispru­
dence in two respects: by giving the lower courts the authority to stop criminal investiga­
tions in cases that do not qualify as exceptional, and by stating that a tax assessment has
to be made in order to start a criminal investigation.
The aftermath of the décision added to the controversy. The government expressed
great regret and indignation. The Chairman of the Bureau of Internai Revenue called the
décision unconstitutional and expressed her intention to file a complaint for impeachment
against the justices who had ruled against the government. The government decided to
file a motion for reconsideration and urged the Supreme Court to décidé on this motion
en banc. Initially, there was unity in the Supreme Court in defying the poison pen letters
that accused the majority of the First Division of bribery in the case. This solidarity
included the Chairman of the First Division. But unity soon cracked under the weight
of controversy. The justices that made up the majority in the décision of the First
Division defended themselves against allégations of corruption, and accused the dissent­
ing chairman of trying to pressure them into signing his draft argumentation favoring
the government. The dissenting chairman vigorously denied having used undue pressure,
and even appeared in a télévision program on this case, in which the main lawyer of the
tycoon also participated.
Both sides in the controversy were supported in the press. Some journalists wrote that
the case against the tycoon was baseless from the beginning; other press articles ques-
tioned the compétence or integrity of the majority of the First Division, against a back
drop of persistent allégations against the tycoon, who was described as believing that
everyone can be bought. New anonymous poison letters were distributed; senators aired
their views on the matter and the quarrelling justices were called upon to resign. Such
was the State of affairs in this case as of 20 June, 1996.
Though publicity conceming this case has not always been constructive or free from
hidden agendas and impure motives, the press can not be held solely responsible for the
Challenges to Judicial Independence 149

controversy that has arisen around it. Indeed, this controversy reflects badly on the
government, for not having shown sufficient will or the capability to restrain supporters
from resorting to the tactic of anonymous poison pen letters. It also demonstrates that
the huge inequalities of wealth and power in Philippine society are reproduced to a
significant extent in the judicial process. It is extremely unlikely that a small-time alleged
tax evader could mobilize such huge resources to fight a major légal battle of this size
so intensively and for such an extended period. This issue will be elaborated in chapter
6.
The controversy, however, also negatively impacts the public credibility of the
judiciary, including that of the Supreme Court. The important rôle of the judiciary - and
most notably of the Supreme Court - in the post-EDSA order, as well as its high public
profile as a conséquence of this rôle, places very high demands on the judiciary in terms
of compétence and integrity, as well as public perception of this compétence and
integrity. These demands are further aggravated by various factors including: an assertive
and suspicious press; a government eager to facilitate swift economic development; the
continuing inadequacy of resources for the public sector; the pervasiveness of corruption;
and the unequal distribution of wealth and power in society.
The procédures of decision-making - in which the majority of a division, which is
composed of only a small minority of ail the members of the Supreme Court, can décidé
in important cases despite very fundamental objections from their dissenting colleagues
- the inadequacy of procédures of supervision over Supreme Court justices and doubts
about the adequacy of the procédures of recruiting justices further challenge the credibili­
ty of the post-EDSA Supreme Court. In the particular case of this tycoon, the accumula­
tion of ail these pressures and challenges to public credibility took the Supreme Court
beyond the breaking point.

Summary and Considérations

Personalistic relations have been shown to constitute a considérable threat to judicial

independence, impartiality and credibility in the Philippines. Attempts to unduly interfere
in the judicial process through informai pressures and lobbying have been quite pervasive,
in spite of formai restrictions. These attempts are not by any means necessarily success-
ful, since judges may entertain lobbyists out of mere courtesy. Nevertheless, in the
specific Philippine context, the public’s faith in the judiciary may be undermined in cases
where informai lobbying has not been successful, since this lobbying raises serious
suspicions of undue interference in the judicial process, particularly on the part of losing
litigants.
Perceptions and allégations of widespread corruption within the Philippine judiciary
have strongly intensified in the 1990s. The extent to which these perceptions and
allégations are correct is difficult to assess, particularly because corruption is carried out
discretely and thus is very difficult to prove. The reasons that have been invoked for
corruption are both economic and moral. The moderate salaries of judges inhibits a
standard of living in accordance with their perceived social status and with the living
150 Challenges to Judicial Independence

standards of private lawyers. In addition, judicial corruption has been attributed to

declining ethical standards, partly because the judicial reorganization of 1986 was not
radical enough.
The connection between personalism and corruption has been ambivalent. Good
personal relations between judges, lawyers and litigants can facilitate the success and
hazards of attempts at corruption. The appointment of close friends and relatives as staff
members in the judiciary, further raises suspicions of corruption, but also underlines the
need to appoint trusted people to sensitive positions - precisely in order to restrain
corrupt practices.
The limited funds of the Filipino government, as well as the général level of economic
development in the country, inhibits a substantial raise in judicial salaries. In addition,
such a substantial raise might create resentment in other public sectors where even less
adequate salaries apply. Instead of raising salaries in the judiciary one could also try to
fight corruption by appointing relatively young lawyers and public servants already
adjusted to a modest income. The potential results of such a drastic change of policy
however remain uncertain. Young lawyers might in the end lack the necessary experience,
and might still be affected by favoritism and corruption.
Ethical conduct - to a large extent - is the outcome of deeply engrained values and
attitudes and is therefore not subject to easy manipulation. It is thus not surprising that
campaigns to raise ethical standards in the bench and the bar have been significantly
frustrated. A major reason for this has been the indifférence of lawyers towards existing
codes of conduct. Nevertheless, current ethical patterns are not an unalterable fact of life
and society. These patterns of conduct can be influenced, though it may require painstak-
ing efforts for an extended period of time. In this context, an intensification of the
teaching of ethics is imperative, both in the law schools and in the préparation and
updating courses for judges, lawyers and prosecutors. Such courses should be obligatory
rather than voluntary. However, even the effects of good teaching are necessarily limited.
The availability of sufficiently numerous rôle models who set a clear and public
example of high integrity and professional quality is of utmost importance in raising
ethical standards in the légal profession. Unfortunately, many successful lawyers fail to
provide such examples. This failure tends to convey the impression that professional
integrity and success in the légal sector are mutually exclusive.
The post EDSA Supreme Court has an elaborate record of disciplinary actions. Very
few such actions, however, deal with corruption or undue interference by lawyers,
litigants or third parties. Various factors explain this comparative inaction in disciplinary
cases: corruption and undue interference are difficult to prove; judges have the same right
to due process as every other citizen; the réputation of judges must be protected against
anonymous and malicious complaints; and lawyers and litigants are sometimes too fearful
or too lax to cooperate in the prosecution of corruption or other irregularities.
Nevertheless, the right of judges to due process - as well as their right to be defended
against malicious attacks need to be balanced against the right of the public to have
access to a truly trustworthy judiciary. Because of the importance of public trust in the
judiciary, no shadow of doubt about the integrity of judges or justices should remain.
Thus, within the constraints of authoritative international standards regarding disciplinary
Challenges to Judicial Independence 151

procédures against judges and lawyers, the Supreme Court should develop an active
policy in its fight against corruption.
One concrete measure would be the adoption of a policy by which information
indicating that a judge is pursuing a lifestyle significantly beyond his means - i.e. beyond
that afforded by his salaries or other known assets - would constitute sufficient grounds
for initiation of a disciplinary investigation. In order to make reliable investigations
possible, the requirement of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public
Officiais and Employees that such persons State their assets upon assuming office, and
regularly update such information thereafter, should be strictly enforced. The income of
the spouse and revenue from family property should also be reported. Even if such an
active policy meets with only partial success due to fundamental problems in fighting
corruption, it will at least send a clear signal to the judiciary and to society as a whole
that the Supreme Court is serious in its fight against corruption. This in itself will boost
the public image of the Supreme Court.
The suggestion that an independent committee be introduced to investigate charges
of corruption or irregularities in the Supreme Court deserves serious considération. The
legitimacy of the Court may increase if there is a credible body to which complaints
against justices for non-impeachable offenses can be filed. In addition, the recommenda­
tions of this committee could be the basis for impeachment procédures against justices
by Congress, in order to reduce undue politicization of impeachment procédures against
justices. One could further add to the mandate of such a committee the investigation of
alleged corruption and other irregularities in the Sandiganbayan and the Court of
Appeals. This suggestion is not intended to question the Court’s ability or honesty in
dealing with allégations against its own members. But such a committee, consisting of
a few highly respected members of the légal sector, including former justices of the
Supreme Court, would facilitate the public réputation of the Court. Such a committee
would help persuade skeptical groups in society of the Supreme Court’s commitment not
to cover up irregularities on the part of any of its members.
In the years following the EDSA revoit, the press has taken considérable liberty in
playing its rôle as a watchdog of the judiciary. It has exposed various problems and
weaknesses in specific court cases and in the judicial system as a whole. Nevertheless,
some sections of the press also played a negative rôle by publishing inadéquate and
unsubstantiated rumors and by remaining misinformed - as well as misinforming the
public - about the various aspects of the judicial system and the judicial process.
Moreover, the press has been subjected to corruption and manipulation as well. Both the
positive rôle as a watchdog and the negative rôle in unduly undermining judicial credibil­
ity were amply demonstrated by the conduct of the press in the ‘judicial crises’ of 1992-
1993 and 1996.
As these ‘judicial crises’ have underlined, the relationship between the press and the
judiciary needs to be further regulated in a way that fully acknowledges the legitimate
and important rôle of the press as a public watchdog. A welcome suggestion has been
the proposai by the Integrated Bar of the Philippines to create a spécial commission,
composed of the leaders of the bench and the bar, and représentatives of the public sector
152 Challenges to Judicial Independence

who could submit their conclusions and recommendations to the Supreme Court, Con-
gress and the Président.45
The most useful regulator is an explicit code of conduct voluntarily developed by the
press itself, or at least by a major responsible section of the press, after consultation with
the Supreme Court. Such a voluntary code developed by the press would be a better
guarantee for press freedom than a code imposed by the judiciary, and would also have
greater legitimacy with the media as a regulator of reporting on the courts. Furthermore,
future jurisprudence regarding contempt of court should seriously take such a voluntary
code of conduct into account. This would greatly enhance the legitimacy of disciplinary
actions against the press, both within the press itself and among the général public. It
is also imperative that the press actively cleanses its own ranks. Clearly, the press has
no right to complain about judicial incompétence, indifférence and corruption, if it is not
willing to act against such forms of misconduct among journalists.
In well-publicized crisis situations, the temptation to implement instant and drastic
measures should be resisted because it will be difficult to predict the conséquences. For
instance, in the scandai involving the case against the cigarette tycoon, as outlined in this
chapter, it was risky to ask various justices to resign at the same time. The haste with
which the Judicial and Bar Council and the Président would have to identify and enlist
new candidates to fill those positions would increase the risk of mediocre candidates
being appointed. In addition, such a crisis could open the door for the executive to
exercise further influence in the appointment of justices. Apart from a decrease of judicial
independence, such increase in the influence of the executive would by no means imply
greater certainty concerning the quality of appointées. As an illustration of this, it is well
known that the policies pursued by Président Ramos in the appointment of important
public officiais have resulted in various controversies. The Président has been accused
of favoritism toward retired générais, because he has appointed several of them to
important public functions. In addition, two ministers were forced to resign in 1995
because of alleged malversations, while in 1996 two other important officiais, the
Ombudsman and the Chairman of the Commission of Elections, were the subject of
heated public controversies.
Nevertheless, the strategy of waiting until publicity on judicial problems dies down
and is forgotten by the général public will also not suffice. Publicity may indeed subside,
but it can flare up again if underlying problems persist. The pressures and demands on
the judiciary, and most notably on the post-EDSA Supreme Court, require constant efforts
to maximize judicial legitimacy. In this context the procédures for appointing justices,
the scope of the mandate of the Supreme Court, the Court’s operating procédures and
overall supervision leave much room for improvement.

Notes

1. Feliciano, E.M., Filipino Values and Our Christian Faith. Metro-Manila: OMF Publishers
1990: 2.
Challenges to Judicial Independence 153

2. Rule 2.01 states: ‘A judge shall not allow family, social or other relationship to influence
judicial conduct or judgement. The prestige of judicial office shall not be used or lent to
advance the private interests of others, nor convey or permit others to convey the impression
that they are in a spécial position to influence the judge.’ Canon 5 states: ‘A judge should
regulate extrajudicial activities to minimize the risk of conflict with judicial duties’ (Code of
Judicial conduct as published in The Judges’ Journal, Volume 4&5, 1989-1990: 83-86).
3. My information is largely based on in-depth interviews. During the interviews, I asked people
to explain how they have arrived at the estimate they made. My impression is that the people
mentioning 10% were influenced by the figure which had been most often mentioned in the
press. Those mentioning high numbers either referred to the low salaries which, in their
opinion, must produce widespread corruption, or to the lifestyle and possessions of judges
beyond what their regular salary can afford. In this case, the fact is somewhat ignored that
some judges belong to rich families or have wives with a high income, which allows them
to live beyond the means of a judge’s salary. People who believed that most of the judges
are on the take tended to be influenced by lawyers of big law firms who daim to have ail
the judges in their pocket. Others had become biased in their opinion because they were
involved in organizations receiving predominantly negative reports about judges.
4. Social Weather Bulletin, 93-13: 5.
5. Social Weather Bulletin, 94-13/14: 5.
6. Social Weather Bulletin, 94-13/14, July 1994: 2. This polling agency also conducted surveys
among lawyers in 1994 and among judges in early 1995 on the same topics.
7. The use of a go-between is a common strategy in Filipino culture to settle delicate matters
and conflicts between people. This use is consistent with the Filipino tendency to deal with
delicate personal matters cautiously and indirectly. In this particular case, however, the use
of a go-between appears to have been primarily motivated by a pragmatic logic rather than
by a cultural one.
8. Rule 5.04 of the Code of Judicial Conduct states: ‘a judge or any immediate member of the
family shall not accept a gift, bequest, favor or loan from anyone except as may be allowed
by law’.
9. This compensation and classification system was determined in Republic Act No. 6758, which
was signed into law on 21 August, 1989.
10. Ail the estimated équivalents in dollars in this chapter are based on a calculated exchange
rate of 26.5 pesos to one US dollar. After the dépréciations of the peso on and after 11 July,
1997, the équivalents in dollar are lower.
11. The same applies to officiais of the executive branch, according to Section 7d of the Code
of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officiais and Employees. The Judges’ Journal,
4&5, 1989-1990: 93.
12. It should be stressed in this context however, that there are also a lot of private lawyers at
the bottom of the hierarchy who have to struggle to survive financially.
13. In the Philippines both husbands and wives work (provided they can get a job). This is
necessary for economic reasons. Since there is not so much time left for shopping it is often
advantageous to buy some items from colleagues. Moreover, in this context products can be
paid in installments, which is often not allowed in shops and markets. Since colleagues meet
one another daily, the seller does not need to be afraid that the purchaser will stop appearing
before the total price of the purchased product has been paid.
14. Section le of Rule V of the Rules Implementing the Code states, amongst other things: ‘they
(officiais and employees) shall not dispense or extend undue favors on account of their office
to their relatives, whether by consanguinity or affinity, except with respect to appointments
o f such relatives considered strictly confidential or as members of their personal staff whose
154 Challenges to Judicial Independence

terms are coterminous with theirs’ (emphasis added). The Judges’Journal, Vols. 4&5, 1989-
1990: 95.
15. Rule 3.11 of Canon 3 of the Code of Judicial Conduct states: a judge should appoint commis-
sioners, receivers, trustées, guardians, administrators and others strictly on the basis of merit
' and qualifications, avoiding nepotism and favoritism. Unless otherwise allowed by law, the
same criteria should be observed in recommending appointment of court personnel. Where
the payment of compensation is allowed, it should be reasonable and commensurate with the
fair value of services rendered. See The Judges’ Journal, Vols. 4&5, 1989-1990: 84.
16. The 1992-1993 Annual Report of the Supreme Court: 31; Dismissed. Décisions on Judges:
73-84. Office of the Court Administrator, April 1993.
17. There are various reasons why filing a complaint can be an unsurmountable obstacle for the
aggrieved party. First, filing such a complaint would publicly expose marital problems which
could resuit in loss of face for ail parties concerned. Second, the aggrieved party might feel
that imprisonment is too heavy a punishment for the perpetrator, for whom he or she might
still feel affection. Third, a conviction might affect the financial and other practical interests
of the whole family of the perpetrator. Fourth, the practice of having a mistress has been so
pervasive and tenacious in the Philippines that aggrieved wives tend to tolerate it as a sort
of inévitable law of nature.
18. The traditional term for a mistress has been the Spanish word querida, but nowadays a
mistress is usually referred to by the term ‘number 2’.
19. See for instance: Lee, C., ‘Immorality is one of main causes of government corruption.’
Manila Bulletin, 19 June, 1993.
20. See for instance ‘A Step towards Judicial Reform’ by Supreme Court Justice Teodoro Padilla,
Manila Bulletin, 22 July, 1993.
21. Article III, Section 1 of the 1994 supplément to the 1987 Constitution says: the essence of
due process is a hearing before conviction and before an impartial and disinterested tribunal
but due process as a constitutional precept does not always and in ail situations, require a trial-
type proceeding. The essence of due process is to be found in the reasonable opportunity to
be heard and submit any evidence one may have in support of one’s defense. Padilla, A.B.,
Supplément to the 1987 Constitution o f the Republic o f the Philippines with Comments and
Cases, containing Recent Supreme Court Décisions on Articles 1 to V. Vol. I, Metro-Manila:
Philippine Graphie Arts, 1994: 9.
22. The Judges’ Journal, Volume III, No.4, 1988: 1-6, and The Judges’ Journal, Volume 4&5,
1989-1990: 37-60.
23. As quoted in The Judges’ Journal, Vol. III, No 3, 1988: 62.
24. These teams were introduced by former Chief Justice Feman as an experiment. They were
temporarily abolished because of lack of funds, but later reintroduced.
25. 1992-1993 Annual Report o f the Supreme Court: 16. Vicente B. Foz, The Manila Bulletin,
6 July 1993.
26. The 1993-1994 Annual Report o f the Supreme Court: 89.
27. Source: Annual Report of the Office of the Court Administrator, 21 January, 1996.
28. Dadivas-Farrales, ‘Justice for Judges. The Need for Systematic Guidelines and Implementing
Rules.’ The Judges’ Journal, Vol 4&5, 1989-1990: 39.
29. Section 8 requires that assets and liabilities have to be filed 30 days after assumption of office;
on or before 30 April of every year thereafter, and within thirty days after séparation from
the service. This requirement also applies to iudges and justices. The Judges’ Journal, Vols.
4 & 5, 1989-1990: 90.
The requirement that liabilities and assets be stated, however, has been massively violated,
Challenges to Judicial Independence 155

including by ministers and members of Congress. How strictly this requirement has been
adhered to by the judiciary is not known to me.
30. The Independence of Judges and Lawyers: A Compilation of Standards. CUL Bulletin, 25-26,
1990: 20-21. See also Article 28 of the Singhvi Déclaration, CUL Bulletin, 25-26, 1990: 45.
31. One of the proponents of such a committee has been a member of the Supreme Court: Justice
Teodoro Padilla, ‘A Step towards Judicial Reform.’ Manila Bulletin, 22 July, 1993.
32. This discussion has been inspired by the CIJL Yearbook, December 1995, which is called
The Media and the Judiciary. Particularly relevant for my purpose were the contributions from
Mona Rishmawi, Peter Wilbora and Cynthia Belcher; from Justice P.N. Bhagwati; and from
Rainer von Schiller.
33. Mrs. Maribel Ongpin, as quoted by Beth Day Romulo in the Manila Bulletin, 26 July, 1993.
34. Remarkably, the Justice who acted as ponente in this case had dissented in the earlier case
involving the monopoly of the PLDT in 1990. He had objected to the majority’s décision to
grant permission to a new competitor to operate a téléphoné system.
35. Arguments in defense of the integrity of this justice have been put forward as well. The
findings of the alleged expert on writing were refuted by more reputable experts. Furthermore,
the justice was known as an honest man by various lawyers close to him, and as a man with
a simple lifestyle. He preferred modest means of living as a law professor and justice, whereas
he could have made considérable money as a private lawyer easily. Apart from that, cheating
in the bar exam has become extremely difficult in the Philippines. Following a notorious
incident some years ago the monitoring procédures have been very strict. And the son was
known to be quite a good law student who would not need cheating to produce a good score
in the bar exam.
36. About a year later, the Supreme Court, acting on a motion for reconsideration, reversed its
initial décision and granted this license.
37. Social Weather Bulletin, 93-13. See note 4.
38. The Philippine Daily Inquirer of 17 June, 1993. Social Weather Bulletin, 93: 19/20: 7.
According to the survey figures the Supreme Court had a ‘net performance rating’ of +18
in April 1993 and of +23 in July 1993. The figures for the local courts were +12 in April and
+16 in July. The figures for the local police were +32 and +29, and for the Philippine
National Police +17 and +19.
After the ‘judicial crisis’ the relations between this research institute and the judiciary
improved. Survey materials from this institute are now even used in the seminars to update
the knowledge of judges.
39. Despite the fact that the case was dropped, the director of the institute filed a suit with the
Supreme Court against this judge for alleged grave abuse of power and gross ignorance of
the law. The main argument was that contempt can only exist in relation to a pending case.
Since there was no pending case against the institute, the judge did not have the authority
to issue a contempt order. The Supreme Court, however, stated that contempt is not necessari-
ly related to a pending case, but may concern any issue in which the integrity of the court
appears to be undermined (‘SC rules on media reports.’ Vincente B. Foz in the Manila
Bulletin, 14 December, 1993).
40. Vincente Foz in the Manila Bulletin, 15 November, 1993.
41. See for instance the speeches of Chief Justice Narvasa in: Faith and Trust. The Bedrock of
the Justice System (Supreme Court Press, 1993); Reflections on Law and Justice (Supreme
Court Press, 1992).
42. According to the law on contempt, criticism of judicial décisions - and even derogatory
statements that are made in good faith - are permissible (L.P. Reyes, The Law on Contempt,
1993: 44-45).
156 Challenges to Judicial Independence

43. See 1992-1993 Annual Report ooff the Supreme Court: 13.
44. From the dissent of
of Justice Padilla, as published in the Philippine Star, page 15, 10 June,
1996.
1996.
'Vizconde and Hysteria’,
45. ‘Vizconde Hysteria', Editor’s
Editor's Corner of the BAR Briefs, June-July 1995.
1995.
 Chapter 6

Fair and Speedy Justice for ail Citizens

Backlog and Court Delay

‘Justice delayed is justice denied’. This common dictum underlines the right to speedy
justice as a fundamental human right. In line with authoritative international instruments
the 1987 Constitution guarantees this right explicitly. Article III, section 16 of the Bill
of Rights of the 1987 Constitution says: ‘ail persons shall have the right to a speedy
disposition of their cases before ail judicial, quasi-judicial, or administrative bodies’.
Nevertheless, as in many other countries, court delays prove to be a major and very
tenacious problem in the Philippines. In spite of new rules regulating the maximum time
for processing court cases, currently cases can still take up to several years. Furthermore,
old cases dating to before the judicial reorganization in 1986, which the courts have
inherited, still remain unsettled. It has become a normal experience for new judges in
the Philippines to deal with cases that have been left by their predecessors, and that has
been on going for decades.
Backlog is a phénoménal problem as well, as the following statistics illustrate (the
figures cover pending or unresolved cases in ail of the différent courts, not including the
Supreme Court):1

Courts 31/12/92 31/12/93 31/12/94 31/12/95

Pending or Pending or Pending or Pending or
Unresolved Unresolved Unresolved Unresolved
Court of Appeals 13,400 14,024 15,094 15,325
Régional Trial Courts 175,185 230,305 216,607 194,939
Metropolitan Trial Courts, 99,473 117,485 219,926 279,470
Metropolitan Trial Courts in
Cities and Municipal Circuit
Trial Courts
Total (Ail Courts) 292,094 366,349 456,057 493,028

Apart from the fact that court delays and backlog in effect deny justice to citizens for
long periods, they also reinforce other problems. When a case is pending for an extended
period, files can disappear and witnesses lose interest or withdraw their coopération.
Court delays also facilitate dirty tactics: lawyers and clients or members of their networks
have greater opportunity to intimidate witnesses, dispose of vital evidence, elaborate
stratégies for bribery and influence-peddling, or even win cases as the resuit of sheer
exhaustion on the part of judges or opponents.
Backlog also threatens the quality of décisions by judges: the resulting heavy work
load often prevents them from thinking cases through thoroughly. As a conséquence,
158 Fair and Speedy Justice for ail Citizens

judges may succumb to the temptation of uncritically accepting any argument advanced
by a lawyer, prosecutor or litigant that sounds convincing at face value.

Causes of Backlog and Court Delay

Resources and Infrastructure

There are a number of factors that facilitate court delay and backlog. One of these
pertains to problems related to the country’s infrastructure. Witnesses may have to travel
long distances to appear in court - or distances involving extensive travel time and
complicated connections. Court orders may arrive late - or not at ail - to the people to
whom they were addressed, requiring new orders to be sent, resulting in further delay.
Another factor concerns the poor facilities of the courts: old mechanical typewriters,
no photocopy machines, no books available for studying cases, insufficient staff, télé­
phonés that do not function well, etc. Though some improvements have been made over
the last few decades, many court salas are still in a deplorable condition: the buildings
dilapidated, the rooms crammed and noisy, the roofs leaking, etc, ail of which hardly
provides a stimulating working environment. Problems connected with the facilities and
infrastructure may be further aggravated by incidental disasters: typhoons that make roads
inaccessible, lack of electricity that causes power cuts of up to several hours daily, etc.

Case loads
Another important factor is the heavy case load of judges, particularly as concerns
criminal cases, which outnumber civil cases by two to one. There have been frequent
complaints that there are simply not enough judges, and that additionally their case loads
are not well distributed. For instance, the highest case load in the RTCs as of March 31,
1995 was 943, while the lightest was only six. Judges in the urban areas tend to have
a heavier case load than their colleagues in the countryside. The heavy case loads and
the huge différence in the number of cases handled by individual judges greatly facilitate
the growth of a backlog. The significant variation from one case load to another is related
to the country’s difficult geography. In the Philippines, there are many outlying areas
which are thinly populated and not easily accessible. Since it would be unfair to require
the local people of these thinly-populated areas to spend time and money travelling to
a distant court, many of these areas have their own court. Understandably, the case load
of judges who work in these thinly-populated areas is much smaller than that of their
colleagues in big cities. However, even courts within the same city may have highly
uneven case loads. In one metropolitan area, one RTC judge had a case load of 664 on
March 31,1995, whereas another colleague had only 32 cases, which suggests at the very
least that in some instances the efficiency of the distribution of cases among the various
judges leaves room for improvement.
The lack of balance in the distribution of the case load over the various courts has been
reinforced by the ambitions of local or régional politicians. There is an inclination among
politicians to want to leave a tangible legacy, such as buildings and works of infrastruc­
ture, in order to win support and to be remembered by their constituency. As a conse-
Fair and Speedy Justice for ail Citizens 159

quence, various politicians have lobbied for the building of court salas in areas which
did not really need them.

L ack o f D efense Lawyers

An additional factor contributing to backlog is a lack of defense lawyers, in spite of the
popularity of the law profession. In the Philippines, one hears the complaint that the
country has too many lawyers and at the same time the opposite complaint that there are
not enough defense lawyers in circulation. The paradox can be explained by the fact that
the Philippines has more than 40,000 lawyers, but less than 5,000 of these are involved
in litigation on a regular basis.2 This lack is most urgent in the countryside. In some
areas, there are more judges than practicing lawyers. In the latter case, in planning his
sessions, a judge may have to wait until a lawyer is available, and this leads to considér­
able delay. Indeed the shortage of lawyers can lead to remarkable situations. One judge
gave an example from his former post in an outlying région. The only two lawyers who
worked in that area were a married couple. This implied that in a law suit one party had
to resort to the husband and the opposing party to the wife. Consequently husband and
wife were fighting one another in court continuously!

L égal and Judicial Requirem ents

Another element causing delay relates to some of the requirements of judicial décisions.
In the Philippines, every judge is required to repeat ail of the facts as stated in a case.
When the case is elevated to a higher court, the same requirement still applies, even in
the Supreme Court. Fully-penned décisions of the Court often run to as much as 35
pages, with a written décision in any court occasionally requiring up to 100 pages, which
of course, demands considérable time and effort.
The linguistic fragmentation of the country is also a source of delay. Décisions of the
court are published in English, but court hearings and interrogations may be conducted
in various languages and dialects, depending on the linguistic proficiency of litigants,
lawyers, witnesses, and even the judges themselves. Translations are frequently required,
which slows down the judicial process, and where such translations are erroneous this
can be a source of misunderstanding or even of serious errors in judicial décisions.
Another important, but unavoidable factor facilitating delay is the time that a judge
needs to properly assess the merits of a case, so that he can make a well-balanced
décision. In other words, there is often an intrinsic tension between the quality of a
judicial décision and the speed in which a judge reaches this décision. The need for a
judge to study a case thoroughly in order to reach a well-founded décision acts as both
a legitimate and necessary break on the pace of judicial procédures.
Nevertheless, this tension between a sound, thorough décision on the one hand, and
the need to reach a quick décision on the other hand, may be exaggerated. In various
cases, this tension appears to be reinforced by an underlying belief that procédural
slowness automatically equals thorough decision-making and that rapidity of action equals
superficiality on the part of a judge. One leading member of the bench expressed this
line of thinking as follows: ‘justice is like cooking. We Filipinos like it to be carefully
prepared and subjected to slow simmering. That’s why we don’t like fast food. Of course
160 F air and Speedy Justice for ail Citizens

we could choose to act like Iran where people are sentenced and executed already four
hours after they have been arrested. You need to take time to avoid painful mistakes.’
The danger with this line of thinking is that the need to think through the merits of a
case; thoroughly may serve as an excuse to take more time than strictly necessary in
reaching a décision.

The ‘Litigation Explosion ’

A frequently cited major factor for backlog and delay is the tendency of Filipinos to
litigate at the slightest hint of conflict. In this context the term ‘litigation explosion’ is
sometimes applied.3 The following figures illustrate the évolution of total case inflow
in courts lower than the Supreme Court between 1985 the last year of the Marcos regime,
and 1995.4

Year Total Case Inflow Newly Filed Cases

19855 323,282 -
1992 356,286 -
1993 457,383 409,820
1994 521,368 459,491
1995 523,158 467,416

Metro-Manila accounted for most of the increase. Amor propio, a strong sense of pride
and self-respect, has been cited as a major reason why people litigate rather than opt for
amicable settlements, even if the financial risks of litigation in civil cases are far greater
than the potential benefits.
A judicial body that is also strongly affected by this ‘litigation explosion’ is the Office
of the Solicitor-General, who acts as lawyer for the Philippine Republic and for its public
officiais. Whereas this office disposed of 10,766 pending cases between June 1992 and
June 1993, it received a total of 18,742 new cases. In his annual report of 1993, the
Solicitor-General has stated: ‘the flood of cases is a yearly occurrence occasioned in
some measure by the prédilection of Filipinos to go to court for the most mundane
reasons. ’6 Ail this implies that litigation itself has become both a cultural trait and an
institutionalized socio-political strategy in the Philippines.
The drive to avoid defeat also inhibits the occurrence of plea-bargaining in criminal
cases. Plea-bargaining implies acknowledgement of guilt, which would resuit in loss of
face. The unpopularity of plea-bargaining contributes to the backlog of cases as well.
Rather than confess guilt in exchange for a lesser sentence and thus a shortening of the
trial, accused persons tend to continue pleading their innocence to the very end, thus
prolonging the trial period.
It is curious in this context however that there are also cases in which court delay can
be bénéficiai, both for the litigants and for the judicial process as a whole. This applies
to cases in which amor propio is the main reason for a plaintiffs décision to go to court,
for instance in libel suits. Once the intensity of the sense of offended pride has subsided,
F air and Speedy Justice for ail Citizens 161

rational calculations of financial costs and benefits may take over as the engine of the
plaintiff’s actions. Realizing that his case is hopeless and that his amor propio may only
cost him money, he décidés to drop the case and thereby helps to unclog the courts.
Individuals or organizations may also initiate a court case in order to get even with
or to harass an enemy. The litigation as harassment strategy is popular in business
disagreements. Even a temporary restraining order issued at a crucial moment may
already be useful for delaying the plans of an economic rival.7 This strategy is particular­
ly promising if one has reason to believe that he can manipulate judicial procédures more
effectively than his opponent, even though without this reason the strategy might still
be worth trying. Litigation as harassment strategy, however, is also applied in relatively
simple disputes. Civil complaints can be even manipulated into criminal charges. The
advantage of a criminal charge over a civil one is that it is processed more quickly and
may involve a higher compensation for damages.
An example of this phenomenon was a simple car accident in which an American
Protestant missionary and a Filipino government employee were involved. The mission-
ary, whose car approached from the right, bumped the car of the government employee,
who had failed to yield him the right of way. The government employee however
discovered that unlike herself, the missionary had a comprehensive car insurance, which
meant that the damage to both her car and his would be compensated by the missionary’s
insurance company, provided he would be willing to take the blâme. The missionary
refused, since he considered himself not guilty. Policemen who had arrived at the scene
of the incident supported the missionary’s position. Nevertheless, after the parties had
left the scene the woman's husband, who was a lawyer and was not present during the
accident, persuaded the police and a fiscal agent to file criminal charges against the
missionary for reckless driving. The missionary was arrested early one afternoon and was
told to pay bail in court. At the police precinct, however, the police told the missionary
that it was too late to pay bail and that he therefore would have to spend the night in
the precinct’s cell, together with two other prisoners who were, as the missionary was
told, suspected of murder. Flowever if he was willing to pay lagay (a bribe), they would
release him immediately. Under the circumstances, the missionary decided to consent
to this arrangement, on the condition that the police would provide him with a receipt.
Fortunately for the missionary, a court official who was present intervened in the end,
stating that it would be difficult for the police to provide such a receipt, and that perhaps
there might still be a chance that the bail could be paid in court. The police then decided
to release the missionary without his having paid any lagay, and directed him to proceed
to the courthouse with the official where he could pay the bail. It was further claimed
by the other driver and her husband that she had had to spend a considérable sum for
treatment in the hospital as a resuit of the accident. The husband told the missionary that
ail charges would be dropped if he would accept blâme for the accident, and make his
insurance company pay for the damage to the woman’s car. This demonstrated that the
suit was primarily a harassment action. The missionary refused, following which the
lawyer-husband applied delay tactics, particularly after the policemen who reported the
accident confirmed upon cross-examination that the accident really had been the lady’s
fault. The case was subjected to at least 11 postponements, which forced the missionary
162 Fair and Speedy Justice for ail Citizens

to make many unnecessary trips to the court house, and to spend considérable money
on lawyer’s fees. The action was finally dismissed by a new judge who took the case
over upon the retirement of the initial judge. Though the woman and her husband had
not.received compensation for the damages to their car, they had been able at least to
make the missionary suffer for his unwillingness to accommodate.
In the context of the ‘litigation explosion’, the complaint is often voiced that both
fiscals and judges allow too many cases to be brought before the courts that should have
been dismissed outright, either because of undue influence on the judges from lawyers
or litigants, or simply out of sheer indifférence on their part. The opposite complaint
however is also commonly raised that fiscals and judges drop cases too easily, also as
the resuit of indifférence or undue influence from opponents. These two contrasting
complaints both have a kernel of truth but may also be exaggerated by lawyers and
litigants bearing a grudge over the way prosecutors or judges have handled their cases.
The prédilection to go to court, however, applies mainly to those Filipinos who can
afford it financially, or who have effective access to the judicial system in other ways.
It is striking that the ‘litigation explosion’ has increased during the post-EDSA era,
though the country experienced neither substantial economic growth nor significant
redistribution of income in the period between 1986 and 1996. This strongly suggests
that the ‘litigation explosion’ is facilitated by the démocratie space created by the EDSA
revoit. Although access to justice is still an immense problem for many Filipinos, as will
be elaborated later in this chapter, it appears that an increasing number of persons are
claiming what they perceive to be their légal rights.

Lawyers and Court Delay

As has already been implied in the previous section of this chapter, the conduct of
lawyers is a major factor facilitating backlog and court delay. Requests for postponement
are quite popular among lawyers. In a number of cases this is due to force majeure, for
instance when a vital witness falls ill. Court delay is also facilitated by the incompétence
of both lawyers and prosecutors. Some lawyers are very slow in getting to the point in
their interrogations or speeches. It is difficult for a judge to interrupt these lawyers or
eut them short, because he might be accused of bias against their case. Incompétent
lawyers may also object about leading questions from their opponents out of an excessive
anxiety about the undue influence of such questions.
However a more serious factor behind backlog and court delays is the deliberate delay
tactics of certain lawyers, particularly unnecessary requests for postponement. Such
tactics have various causes, an important one of which is that lawyers are predominantly
paid according to the number of their appearances in court. Though they are paid a lump
sum for each case they handle, they nevertheless also charge an amount per individual
appearance in court. This implies that it is in the lawyer’s interest to delay the case as
much as possible. The greater the number of court sessions a case requires, the more
frequently the lawyer must appear in court, and thus the more money he can subsequently
charge to his clients.
Pair and Speedy Justice for ail Citizens 163

Another important cause of deliberate delay tactics has to do with the chances of winning
a case. The longer a case takes, the more likely it is that key witnesses of the opponent
will give up or lose interest, and the more opportunity is generated to apply dirty tricks
successfully, such as attempts to unduly influence a judge or pressure a witness.
Delay tactics and time-consuming lawyering practices can also be based on a desire
to impress clients and build up a réputation as a tough and resourceful lawyer, which
will consequently help draw prospective new clients. Delay tactics are also facilitated
by the reportedly strong inclination of Filipino lawyers to avoid defeat at nearly ail costs,
due to fear of loss of face and amor propio. Even if delay tactics do not ensure victory
in a particular case they at least postpone a painful defeat until a moment in the future.

There is an extensive repertoire of delay tactics, which vary in sophistication.8 The most
frequent of these include the following:
1. To appeal even minor cases to the appellate courts - or even to the Supreme Court
itself — with the claim that these cases involve issues o f law. This not only delays
the total time a case requires but also contributes to the clogging of the higher
courts.
2. To file numerous pétitions, with the chief aim o f delaying the case. These pétitions
may be requests to the judge to disqualify himself due to alleged bias; for transfer
of the case to another court for alleged lack of jurisdiction; for postponement of the
proceedings on various grounds; etc. If the pétition is denied, a pétition for reconsid-
eration is then filed, and then again for another reconsideration, though according
to the formai rules the latter kind of pétition can only be filed in exceptional
circumstances. If a pétition is denied, the lawyer can file a motion to an appellate
court, and can further ask the appellate court to restrain the judge from continuing
with the trial until this appellate court has decided on the motion.
3. To inform the judge that one is ill, or that one’s client is, or a key supporting
witness. In the Philippines, it is not hard to purchase false médical documents stating
that one is ill. Or the lawyer/client may fabricate other reasons why he cannot appear
in court at a certain time, for instance necessary travel abroad broad for urgent
médical treatment either for himself or for a relative. In some cases, clients or
witnesses become indisposed during the trial, such as through hyperventilation or
even collapsing on the floor. Since no judge wants to be responsible for the death
of a witness or a litigant in his or her court, he or she will postpone the case, even
if he suspects foui play.
4. To appeal directly to the judge’s sense ofpity. If the client is lagging behind in his
payments to the lawyer, the lawyer may discretely convey this problem to the judge
through a spécial gesture of his hand while he is asking for a delay. Or the lawyer
may indicate that it is difficult for his client to appear regularly because he is but
a poor government servant.
5. To present witnesses and evidence in a piecemeal fashion. Rather than calling ail
of the witnesses to a single session, these are presented one at a time, over the
course of an extended period.
164 Fair and Speedy Justice for ail Citizens

6. To arrive late or not at ail and blâme this delay on ‘heavy trajfic’ or on one’s car
breaking down. This inspired a judge to joke that Philippine lawyers surely possess
the most poorly maintained cars in the country.
7. To have a third party officially receive the postal delivery o f the court order
requiring a client or witness to appear in court. The client or witness can therefore
déclaré that he has not personally received this court order, and that it was not given
to him, which will legitimize his assertion that he did not appear as ordered for
reasons of good faith.
8. To purposely protract the cross-examination o f witnesses.
9. To report that one is prevented from appearing in court because one is urgently and
unexpectedly needed in another court case. The judge will often feel forced to
postpone the court session.
10. To raise a large number o f factual and légal issues presented as relevant to the
case, and to invoke numerous former Supreme Court décisions. This strategy may
not necessarily be deliberate nor aimed at delaying the court proceedings but rather
simply reflect the lawyer’s eagemess to win the case. It is sometimes also used to
intimidate an opponent into giving up or the judge into ruling in the lawyer’s favor
by suggesting that the lawyer is a légal giant who will certainly win the case before
a higher court upon appeal. Nevertheless, this strategy can also facilitate delay,
because the increase in the number of issues raised prolongs the pleadings, and
forces the judge to spend more time reviewing the additional issues.

‘Forum or Judge Shopping’

In addition to these stratégies, a further delay tactic deserves spécial attention: the
practice known as ‘forum shopping’ (or ‘judge shopping’). This practice refers to the
search for and selection of a judge likely to be most sympathetic to one’s case. This
practice has several variants. One of these is to file the same case in différent courts. In
the Philippines, a case can be filed officially in one of two or three différent places: in
the locality of the plaintiff, the locality of the opponent, or the location where a key
document relevant to the case has been issued, such as a marriage certificate in divorce
cases. One can also address certain pétitions to both the Court of Appeals and the
Supreme Court, since their respective jurisdictions are partially overlapping. Moreover
various forms of civil cases are filed both in regular courts and in quasi-judicial bodies
and executive agencies such as régional boards and municipal councils.
When différent judges or quasi-judicial bodies are studying the same case, the plain-
tiff’s lawyer will assess which of these judges or forums may be most advantageous to
his client. This judge or forum will then be selected, and the différent versions of the
same case filed in other courts or agencies will be dropped. A lawyer might even file
the same case again with another lower court, after a décision has already been made
by the first judge chosen. If the second décision tums out to be more favorable than the
first, the lawyer will press for the execution of that décision made by the second judge.
Another variant of forum shopping consists of filing a motion for ‘inhibition’. A lawyer
is entitled to file such a motion if he sincerely believes that the judge is no longer
impartial toward his client. If the motion is granted, another judge takes over the case.
F air and Speedy Justice for ail Citizens 165

Lawyers, however, also sometimes use this motion if they expect to lose the case in the
course of the trial. Hoping that the judge may be fed up with the case and will gladly
withdraw from it, they gamble on securing better odds with another judge called to take
over the case.
Forum shopping is quite risky, since it can lead to serious disciplinary measures such
as contempt of court if it is discovered. Yet victims of forum shopping are not always
able to take appropriate action against it, because they are not informed in time. It has
thus has been a successful practice in a number of cases.
Forum shopping itself is not directly aimed at delaying cases. Apart from finding and
selecting the most favorable judge, forum shopping is primarily intended to intimidate
and confuse the opponent by opening various fronts on the légal battlefield. Nevertheless,
forum shopping also adds to court clogging and delay, since several judges are required
to spend time on the same case.9
A Supreme Court circular issued in April 1994, which revises the instructions of an
earlier circular from 1991, has made forum shopping more difficult. Now any party filing
a case has to sign a attestation certifying that the case has not been, nor will be, filed
in any other court or quasi-judicial body or administrative agency.10 If he or she fails
to sign such a certification, the demand will be automatically dismissed. Nevertheless,
the new circular has not put a complété stop to forum shopping.

Philippine judges are quite familiar with ail of these delay tactics. A strict judge is
usually capable of restraining their application. He may deny pétitions outright and
threaten to décidé the case if the lawyer continues using them. If he suspects malice he
can cite the lawyer for contempt due to obstruction of justice. Partly as a resuit of
pressure from negative publicity, the général trend among judges is toward greater
strictness in this area. For instance, it is becoming increasingly difficult for a lawyer to
appear in court unprepared and to be granted an automatic adjournment.
But there are reasons why judges may not be so strict at times. For instance, it is often
hard to prove that a certain action is really a delay tactic. Some judges may send a
government doctor to check whether a witness is really sick, but this is expensive, time-
consuming and not always conclusive.
In addition, a lawyer may take the strict conduct of a judge as a personal insult. This
may resuit in retaliatory actions, such as an official accusation of bias or even corruption,
and the filing of a complaint with the Supreme Court. Even if the charges against the
judge are clearly unfounded, they nevertheless create embarrassaient and unwanted
hassles. Therefore a judge may choose not to be very strict in order to avoid unwanted
difficulties. Leniency on the part of the judge can also be influenced by tayo tayo -
spécial in-group sentiments - because of a shared network and professional field.
Finally, delay tactics are sometimes rewarded by judges with postponement, because
this is convenient not only for the lawyer, but for the judge as well. Postponements can
provide a judge some temporary relief in his or her working schedule.
166 Fair and Speedy Justice for ail Citizens

Measures to Reduce Backlog

Time Limits
The réduction of the backlog of court cases —and of the time such cases are allowed to
take - has been the object of numerous measures, plans and proposais. These have been
offered both by the government and Congress and by bodies and organizations within
the judicial system itself. Following the judicial reorganization in 1987, the Philippine
Supreme Court addressed this problem by introducing time-limits and the principle of
‘mandatory continuous trial’. Lower courts were fixed an overall time-limit of six months
from the start of the trial to the final décision. The trial itself should take no longer than
90 days - except in extraordinary circumstances - and the writing of the décision, a
maximum of six additional months. Appellate courts could spend a maximum of one year
on a case, and the Supreme Court a maximum of two years."
The Department of Justice introduced a similar régulation for prosecutors, requiring
them to finish their preliminary investigations and file an official charge within 90 days
or drop the case. Later this period was reduced to 60 days. Prosecutors are subject to
disciplinary action if they violate this rule.

‘Continuous Trial’
In the Philippines, ‘continuous trial’ means that a case should not be tried in a piecemeal
fashion, distributed over a long period of time, but rather continuously within a limited
time frame and according to a fixed schedule. Judges are further instructed to schedule
a maximum of only three cases a day; a violation of this deadline without good reason
can lead to disciplinary action such as a réduction of salary. It should be noted, however,
that even though the procédure introduced here was called ‘continuous trial’, in actual
fact it represents a synthesis of the ‘piecemeal trial’ and ‘continuous trial’ approaches.
In a purely ‘continuous trial’ system, a judge tries only one case at a time and décidés
on it before beginning a new one. In the Philippines, however, the only trials conducted
in purely continuous fashion are spécial types of cases, such as the criminal cases
exclusively assigned to the 56 Régional Trial Courts specializing in ‘heinous crimes’.
One reported advantage of the ‘continuous trial’ approach is that litigants do not have
to wait long for the final décision to be issued, once the case has reached the trial stage.
Another advantage is that it allows judges to work more efficiently. If a case is tried in
a piecemeal fashion, the judge may forget many détails of the case and have to spend
time reviewing these détails repeatedly. This problem will not occur when a case is tried
continuously, allowing the judge to save precious time.
The introduction of ‘continuous trial’ met substantial résistance from the judges. An
investigation by the Supreme Court showed that the mandatory trial system only works
when a judge’s case load does not exceed 200 cases annually. Many Philippine judges
however had a much heavier case load, so the requirements were reduced.
Some informants have raised another objection to the ‘continuous trial’ system. In their
opinion this system ignores an important différence between the Filipino légal system
and that of the United States from which ‘continuous trial’ has been inspired. In the
American system, the jury makes a significant contribution in deciding guilt. In the case
Fair and Speedy Justice for ail Citizens 167

of the Philippines, however, there is no jury system, so the judge has to décidé on the
issue of guilt solely by himself. According to some informants, Philippine judges
therefore need more time to think through the merits of a case than do his American
counterparts.12
Another problem of the ‘continuous trial’ is that it may simply shifts the delay and
backlog from the trial and post-trial stages to the pre-trial stage. If a judge can deal with
a maximum of only three cases daily, and has to render décisions within a specific period
from the beginning of the trial, he will consequently postpone the beginning of the trial
stage of cases for a longer period. So though ‘continuous trial’ may speed up treatment
of cases once they have reached the trial stage, it tends to slow down cases in the pre-
trial phase. Consequently, the overall net gain in time of the ‘continuous trial’ system
- calculated from the moment that cases have been filed in court through to the execution
of the décision - is limited.
‘Continuous trial’ further poses a serious problem of a very différent nature. In a
‘piecemeaF trial system, a litigant has to pay only relatively small amounts over a long
period, both for his lawyers, who are paid predominantly by appearance and for the other
costs of litigation. In a ‘continuous trial’ system however, litigants have to pay the total
sum in a much shorter period. Many litigants with modest incomes experience considér­
able difficulty in raising such sums in so short a time.

Spécial Teams
The appointment of spécial teams of judges, dealing with cases that were tried but never
decided or executed, was also introduced by the Supreme Court to decrease the backlog.
Judges who retire, resign or are transferred, leave unfinished cases behind. Some pending
cases have to be continued by their successors. In other cases the trial period has finished
but the décisions were simply never written. Since it is difficult for a judge to write a
décision based on the work of his predecessor without knowing much of the case, this
kind of case tends to get shelved. The Supreme Court appointed spécial teams of judges
who were temporarily relieved from their regular post in order to complété the writing
of décisions collected from ail over the country. These spécial teams of judges do not
try these shelved cases again, but base their décisions on the entire transcripts of the court
case.
There have also been efforts to improve the management skills of the judges, as well
as to upgrade their légal knowledge. These efforts have been undertaken in spécial
seminars organized by the Supreme Court in coopération with a reputable academic
organization.13 The computerization of the courts is intended to be a major tool in the
improvement of these management skills. Similar programs for lawyers have also been
organized by the Law Center of the University of the Philippines in collaboration with
the Supreme Court and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines.
The reaction to these seminars has been mixed. There has been a positive response
from the bench, but critics argue that the seminars and similar training efforts are grossly
insufficient for improving the compétence of incumbent judges substantially. The training
sessions for lawyers have generally been appreciated by participants, but there is also
168 F air and Speedy Justice for ail Citizens

strong résistance in the bar against making these spécial seminars compulsory for ail
members.
The Supreme Court, together with the two houses of Congress, have extended efforts
to upgrade both the management and the légal skills of judges and justices by integrating
the existing programs into a judicial academy. The introduction of such an academy was
delayed for a time due to lack of synçhronization between the plans of the Supreme
Court and similar proposais from Congress. In 1996 however, the judicial academy
finally began opérations, financed from the judiciary’s share of the military bases
conversion fund. A similar academy for prosecutors will also be instituted. One possible
problem for the judicial academy is the comparatively moderate compensation for
lecturers which could discouraging top lawyers from delivering lectures in this academy.

Budget Proposai
Another proposai has been to raise the present budget of the judiciary to at least 2.5%
of the annual government budget. Such a budgetary increase is necessary to improve the
working conditions of judges, such as increases in staff, introduction of computers, more
modem typewriters, more adequate buildings, etc. The executive government, the Senate
and the House of Représentatives are again being requested to devote more serious
attention to ensuring the fiscal autonomy of the judiciary as provided for in the Constitu­
tion.
Concerning the delay caused by linguistic diversity and varying levels of linguistic
compétence, the Supreme Court has recommended that the English language curriculum,
at ail levels of éducation, should be strengthened and reviewed.14 The Supreme Court
has further been urged by many members of the légal system to strictly enforce the
existing rules regarding the maximum trial period; to exercise discipline against judges
who violate these; and to call on judges to prohibit delay tactics by lawyers and litigants.
Another measure to reduce the backlog was the création of 220 new salas in 1987.
However, as mentioned in the section on ‘The Appointment of Judges and Justices’ in
chapter 4, the majority of these salas have not yet been filled by new judges, due both
to budgetary constraints and to a lack of adequate candidates for the bench. A proposai
that might help reduce the backlog has been to change the geographical scope of salas.
Some of the case load of heavily loaded salas would be transferred to others with a
lighter case load according to this proposai.

Amicable Settlements
The Supreme Court, together with the executive and législative branches, has devised
a central strategy to reduce court delay, consisting of measures to decrease the overall
number of court cases. The key to this strategy is amicable settlements. In outlining the
new emphasis the Supreme Court, as well as other protagonists, explicitly refer to a
Filipino cultural trait involving a penchant for social harmony and smooth interpersonal
relations. By emphasizing this indigenous Filipino trait, as a counterbalance to the amor
propio concept introduced by the Spanish and the love for litigation introduced by the
Americans, many court cases could be avoided and thus the clogging of the courts
substantially reduced. Toward this end, the Supreme Court has reinforced pre-trial
Fair and Speedy Justice for ail Citizens 169

devices. Every judge is now compelled to organize a pre-trial conférence in civil cases,
in which he or she attempts médiation toward an amicable settlement between litigants.
Pre-trial techniques are also being taught in the spécial training seminars for the judiciary.
The most important mechanism to achieve amicable settlement has been the Katarun-
gang Pambarangay system, or simply the barangay justice system. The désignation of
the barangay as the smallest political unit at the level of the small village or neighbor-
hood, which was an important element of Marcos’ political ideology, has survived the
EDSA revoit. The Local Government Code of 1991 has even strengthened the powers
of the barangay in judicial matters. The administrative supervision over the barangay
courts falls under the responsibility of the Department of Justice. As of 1 January, 1992
the jurisdiction of the barangay justice system includes civil cases between residents of
the same city or municipality, as well as offenses punishable by imprisonment not
exceeding one year or by a fine not exceeding 5,000 pesos.15
These small cases are obligatorily brought to the barangay captain for amicable
settlement, and if this fails, are further brought before a panel of three members whom
the disputants themselves can select from a larger board of ten to twenty members. Only
after a case has been brought before such a panel, and if one of the disputants has
explicitly repudiated its décision, can the case be elevated to the courts.16 Furthermore,
the courts may refer cases back to the barangay justice system for amicable settle­
ment.17
Proponents of the barangay justice system point to the following potential advantages
of this system: first, it will help unclog the courts by settling many small disputes
amicably. Second, the system will save parties in a dispute from spending great sums
of money on lawyers and for other costs involved in litigation before the courts. Third,
the system will keep disputing parties out of the hands of lawyers, who - apart from
imposing high costs on the litigants —often tend to complicate the conflict rather than
simplify or solve it.
Along with this strengthening of the formai judicial powers of the barangay, the
Supreme Court, together with the Department of Justice, also initiated a campaign to
provide paralegal training to barangay officiais to help them perform their new duties.
A recent survey suggested that only about one third of Filipinos of voting âge had ever
seen the barangay justice system operate. But of those who have had some exposure to
it, 74% expressed satisfaction (72% in the Metro-Manila area).18
Records from the Department of the Interior and Local Government claim a high
success rate for the barangay justice system, despite the inadéquate training and supervi­
sion of barangay officiais due to a shortage of staff and an excessively heavy work load.
These records showed that in 1994 the barangay justice system had a case inflow of
113,330 cases and settled 104,211, which implies a success rate of over 90%. This report
also claims that the high success rate of the barangay justice system saved the govern­
ment 364,738,500 pesos.19
Nevertheless, there have been also more pessimistic estimâtes of this system. One
Court of Appeals justice, for instance, believes that the actual success rate of barangay
settlements has been only 10%.20 Major limitations of this system include: that this form
of amicable settlement necessarily only applies to residents of the same city or municipal-
170 F air and Speedy Justice for ail Citizens

ity; that the barangay courts cannot settle the issue if one of the parties is not willing
to reconcile; and that the system applies predominantly to civil cases. The backlog of
criminal cases in the courts, however, is much more serious than the backlog of civil
cases. Another problem is that the shortage of resources and manpower makes it difficult
to give effective training and légal advice to the officiais of the barangay justice system
nationwide.
However the most serious problem faced by the barangay justice system, is the
credibility of the barangay as a political unit, particularly in urban areas. In rural areas
the barangay tends to be an organic unit, in which the captain enjoys a degree of respect.
But in many urban areas, where the backlog of court cases is most serious, the barangay
framework is still insignificant. Many urban residents, including judges, do not have the
faintest idea who their barangay captain is. The credibility of barangay officiais may
also leave much to be desired. Barangay captains may use their position to flaunt their
importance, or may be part of the political machine of more powerful politicians, which
may undermine their credibility with at least part of the neighborhood. In some cases
the barangay captain may even be a neighborhood bully or an outright crook, who was
elected through machinations, intimidation, and support from powerful individuals, or
because of indifférence on the part of other neighborhood voters. Moreover, corruption
is also a major problem. Citizens may need to pay bribes to barangay officiais to obtain
various clearances or to speed up a case in the barangay court. It is very questionable
whether the teaching of paralegal skills to barangay officiais would be sufficient to raise
their public credibility.
Whatever the real success rate of the barangay justice system may have been, it has
not stopped the ongoing ‘litigation explosion’. The barangay system runs the danger of
only delaying justice further by being merely an additional stage which litigants have
to go through in the judicial process - and a corrupt additional stage at that. Given the
limited resources available to the judicial system, the question needs to be asked as to
which element priority should be given in the investment of conciliatory mechanisms:
to improvement of the pre-trial skills of judges or to improvement of the barangay
system? Though the judiciary may also have a public credibility problem, at least judges
are recognized as professionals in légal disputes.
With regard to the potential for amicable pre-trial settlement, it is bénéficiai for a judge
to work in the région where he comes from: the degree of trust he enjoys depends
significantly on whether the local population regards him as one of their own. Yet the
disadvantage of working in one’s home région is the danger of strongly identifying with
specific vested interests or with a given local faction.

Jurisdictional Changes
A very important change introduced in March 1994 through a congressional bill21
involved the widening of the jurisdiction of the lowest courts - the Municipal and
Metropolitan Trial courts - at the expense of the Régional Trial Courts. The jurisdiction
of the MTCs in civil cases was broadened from covering claims involving a maximum
of 20,000 pesos to those involving a maximum of 100,000 pesos (200,000 pesos in
Metro-Manila). Moreover, in the future, the jurisdiction of the MTCs will automatically
Fair and Speedy Justice for ail Citizens 171

be widened in order to keep up with inflation: five years after the congressional bill takes
effect, the MTCs will deal with demands involving amounts of up to 200,000 pesos
(300,000 in Metro-Manila), and five years after that this ceiling will rise to 300,000 pesos
(400,000 in Metro-Manila).
Furthermore, claims involving title to or possession of real estate, or an interest therein,
has also been included in the jurisdiction of the MTCs. The latter claims concern cases
involving a maximum amount of 20,000 pesos (50,000 in Metro-Manila). Also, the
jurisdiction of the MTCs in criminal cases has been broadened from cases involving a
maximum penalty of four years and two months imprisonment, to cases with a maximum
penalty of six years imprisonment. Finally, the maximum amount of 4,000 pesos that
the MTCs could impose as a fine has been abolished.
An important argument in favor of this adjustment is that the jurisdiction of the MTCs
had not been adjusted for decades. The 1987 Constitution adopted the jurisdiction criteria
of the MTCs from the 1973 Constitution. This meant that before the recent change, no
civil cases could be brought before an MTC involving demands équivalent to more than
20,000 pesos, in spite of the considérable inflation that had occurred over the years. Nor
was the maximum fine that the MTC could impose for criminal offenses changed. This
meant that the continuing inflation also affected an increasing number of cases that would
have been filed with the MTCs in 1973, but had to be filed with the RTCs instead.
Consequently, the comparative case load of the MTCs continued to diminish at the
expense of the comparative case load of the RTCs.
Partiy as a conséquence of the factors outlined here, the RTCs were much more
overburdened with case loads than the MTCs. In many instances, RTCs had twice as
great a case load as MTCs in the same area. The change of jurisdictions introduced in
1994 facilitated a more even distribution of case load to the judges of the various courts
of first instance. Since there are more MTC judges than RTC judges, the increase of the
case load per MTC judge was smaller than the decrease per RTC judge. Thus the portion
of the work load transferred from the RTCs was distributed among a greater number of
MTC judges.
Although the change has facilitated a more even distribution of case load among the
judges, it contributed significantly to an increase in the case load and backlog of the
MTC. It is not certain that the MTC judges can effectively handle this increase. As has
been mentioned already in the section on ‘Backlog and Court Delay’ of this chapter, by
the end of 1994 - the year in which the change of jurisdiction took effect - the number
of pending cases before the MTCs had increased to 219,926, compared to 117,485
pending cases at the end of 1993. By the end of 1995, the first full year in which the
revised jurisdiction was applied, the number of pending cases before the MTCs had
increased dramatically to 279,470. Moreover, the change of jurisdiction puts extra
demands on the légal qualities of the incumbent MTC judges, because they will have
to deal with more complex and extensive cases. How well many of the incumbent MTC
judges can cope with these higher demands remains an open question.
For the RTC judges, the réduction of jurisdiction brought a measure of relief, as
demonstrated by the slight réduction of pending cases from 230,305 at the end of 1993
to 216,607 by the end of 1994. By the end of 1995, after a year’s application of the
172 Fair and Speedy Justice for ail Citizens

change, the number of pending cases had gone decreased to 194,939. But considering
the ongoing ‘litigation explosion’, this relief may not be permanent. Indeed extrapolating
from the increase in litigation during the last few years, it appears that the case load of
RTÇ judges will increase again soon.

The ‘Star’ and ‘Space’ Systems

Proposais to solve or reduce the problems of backlog and court delay have not only come
from the Supreme Court, the Department of Justice and the two houses of Congress, but
also from members of the bench and from représentatives of other sectors of the judicial
system. The most radical proposais were made in the mid-1980s by an RTC judge who
was subsequently appointed to the Court of Appeals in 1993. He created the STAR
system and the SPACE system. The STAR system concems criminal cases, which the
author claims can often be decided in a single day of trial. It proposes a meticulously
planned schedule for the trial day. Following final consultation with the defense lawyers
and prosecutor in the late afternoon, the judge already reaches a décision. The SPACE
system works along similar lines. A pre-trial is set during which both parties are explicit­
ly asked to settle. If they cannot, they will at least be required to agree on issues and
procédures which will not be contested before the court any further.
The author of this plan does not agree with the popular notion that lawyers will
necessarily obstruct swift judicial procédures because such procédures will affect their
financial interests negatively. Since there are not enough lawyers actually involved in
litigation, lawyers can find enough cases to guarantee their income. When he was
assigned to the countryside, this judge was indeed able to décidé various cases in a single
day, but in the city this turned out to be more difficult.
Though the author of these systems was widely respected for his intense zeal, the
STAR and SPACE initiatives met mostly with skepticism in the judiciary. These systems
require an enormous effort which very few judges and lawyers would be capable or
willing to undertake. They also require court rooms to be open long before and after
formai office hours. Moreover, the speed with which a judge is required to make
décisions in this system is criticized. Opponents emphasize that a judge needs ample time
to make a responsible décision.
A more recent and moderate plan has been the Speedy and Inexpensive Trial System
proposed by the Philippine Judges Association and adopted in August 1993.22 After it
had been tried out in the Metro-Manila area, it was adopted by the Supreme Court for
général introduction in 1995.

The Speedy and Inexpensive Trial System

The Speedy and Inexpensive Trial System includes, amongst other things, the following
elements: first, court sessions should follow uniform, consistent, and punctual hours, from
8.30 to 12.00 and from 2.00 to 5.00 o ’clock, Monday to Friday. Tardiness or absence
of lawyers, witnesses and litigants should be subjected to disciplinary sanctions, ranging
from fines to the dismissal of the case. Second, only limited extensions of time to file
responsive pleadings should be allowed. A first extension shall be limited to ten days,
and a second one, if granted, to five days. No more extensions after that shall be allowed.
Fair and Speedy Justice for ail Citizens 173

Third, judges shall make optimal use of a pre-trial conférence. A judge shall do his or
her best to make parties reconcile. If this turns out to be impossible, he should insist at
least on a partial settlement between the parties on non-controversial issues. Fourth, there
shall be a manageable court calendar. The calendar has to be restricted to two cases in
the pre-trial stage, and four cases in the trial stage. There is no restriction to the number
of motions to be addressed on one particular day. Fifth, there shall be a limited postpone-
ment of cases. ‘Scheduled trial dates, hearings and other incidents agreed upon by the
parties shall not be canceled or postponed, except for compelling reasons’.23 Adjourn-
ments must be restricted to 30 days, whereas the available dates of the court prevail in
cases of conflicts of schedule between the court and the trial lawyer and his client. Sixth,
there shall be an active involvement of lawyers in writing the décisions: each party writes
a décision in its favor; the judge will adopt one of these, either with or without correc­
tions.
A fundamental problem of this system is that it involves more work for lawyers, who
will not be willing to do this without extra pay. This will resuit in more fees for the
clients, whereas one of the objectives of this system is to be make litigation less expen­
sive. It is also an open question if the judges will impose the discipline that this system
requires over a longer period of time. One judge commented just after the introduction
of this system: ‘we should not take ail these requirements so literally. I start my court
session at 9 o ’clock. Given ail these traffic jams and the problems with public transport,
you cannot expect litigants and witnesses to be in the court house at 8.30.’ Moreover,
some judges lack punctuality themselves, and may not arrive before 10 o’clock.

Other Proposais
Another proposai has been to abolish the requirement that judges and justices repeat ail
the facts of a case in a décision. Still another proposai involves permitting lawyers to
be assisted by public attorneys in individual cases. If the lawyer cannot appear, the public
attorney can take over temporarily so that the case does not have to be postponed.
However the sense of hierarchy among lawyers militâtes against the feasibility of this
idea, because public attorneys are considered to be beneath lawyers in this hierarchy. The
introduction of temporary stand-by judges has also been proposed. Specially selected
private lawyers could act as judges from time to time to reduce the worst backlog. The
comparatively low salary offered for this service might pose a problem, though lawyers
might be willing to make such a sacrifice if it were only temporary.
Another proposai has been to change the payment framework for lawyers: instead of
being partially paid per court appearance, lawyers could be paid on a lump sum basis
per case. This way lawyers would no longer be tempted to delay a case for financial
reasons. On the other hand, this framework might cause major difficulty for litigants who
cannot afford to pay a large sum of money at once.
Finally, pleas for a drastic révision of the rules of court have been recurrent. One such
plea concems a limitation on the possibilities available to lawyers to file motions, since
these possibilities can be abused for delay purposes. For instance the total number of
motions for postponement could be restricted to three, whatever the reason behind the
motion (currently one may file these motions indefinitely). One could also reduce the
174 Fair and Speedy Justice for ail Citizens

number of motions by denying lawyers the right to file motions for reconsideration after
the first motion has been denied by the judge. Another proposai to reduce the delaying
effects of motions is to deny any possibility of appealing an interlocutory order to a
higher court during the trial period. Under this proposai, such an appeal could still be
filed, but not separately —only as an integrated part of the appeal of the entire case, after
the lower court has decided the case.

The Work Load of the Supreme Court

When the reorganized Supreme Court assumed office following the EDSA revoit in 1986,
it inherited a backlog of approximately 6,000 cases from the Supreme Court under
Marcos.24 However it managed to solve most of its backlog gradually over the years.
Nevertheless, there are several factors that still contribute to backlogs and delay in the
work of the Supreme Court. The first of these is the heavy case load of the Court, as
illustrated by the following chart detailing the évolution of the Court’s overall case inflow
and the number of cases resolved according to various décision mechanisms:25

Year Total No. o f Cases Minute Fully-penned No. of cases

Inflow Disposed of Resolutions Resolutions decided en
1992 5,148 4,196 3,824 1,092 721
Jan-June 1993 2,552 2,302 -- - -
July 1993-June 1994 5,341 4,342 3,483 859 -
1995 4,886 4,427 3,621 806 563

The extensive administrative duties of the Supreme Court pose an extra burden in terms
of time and energy expended. This extra burden further facilitâtes delay in the review
of cases by the Court. There appears to be wide agreement in Filipino society, including
within the Supreme Court, that a réduction of the responsibilities of the Court is impera-
tive in order to reduce its work load. Various proposais have been articulated in this
respect, including those of incumbent or retired justices of the Supreme Court.
In 1995, the right to appeal cases directly to the Supreme Court from the Civil Service
Commission and the Central Board of Assessment Appeals was already abolished through
expansion of the jurisdiction of the Court of Appeals. The 1987 Constitution, however,
adopted the provisions concerning direct appeal by some quasi-judicial bodies, notably
the Civil Service Commission and the National Labor Relations Commission, from the
Marcos era. Yet these provisions under Marcos were primarily based on political
considérations, and lacked a compelling judicial logic. Though the implementation of
the 1995 révision has decreased some of the responsibilities of the Court, the révision
may not have gone far enough. One retired justice estimated that approximately 30% of
the en banc sessions of the Supreme Court concerned labor cases. The proposai to abolish
the right of the National Labor Relations Committee to appeal cases directly to the
F air and Speedy Justice for ail Citizens 175

Supreme Court is widely supported. This proposai has not yet been adopted by the
législature, partly because of opposition from organized labor.
Another proposai to lighten the work load of the Supreme Court is to shift supervision
of the material facilities of the lower courts to the Department of Justice.
Other proposais are more extensive. One recommends transferring supervision over
the courts to the Department of Justice, including disciplinary supervision, and limiting
the work of the Supreme Court to questions involving the Constitution and the law. A
variant of this proposai goes one step further. It suggests that like the American Supreme
Court, the Philippine Supreme Court should not deal with just any issue of law, but rather
focus on landmark cases involving novel issues of jurisprudence. A réduction of the
powers of judicial review in some cases has also been proposed.
Apart from recommendations on reducing the work load, there have also been propos­
ais to improve the efficiency of the administrative work of the Supreme Court. Some
of these proposais involve the provision of additional funds and staff for the Office to
the Court Administrator. Other proposais concern a drastic reorganization of the Supreme
Court itself. For instance administrative cases could be relegated to a purely administra­
tive division staffed by justices who are mainly recruited for their administrative and
management skills, and headed by a chief administrator. Such a division could act
autonomously vis-à-vis the other Supreme Court divisions, and perhaps the Chief Justice
as well.
An increase in the number of Supreme Court justices has been proposed to solve the
problem of the Court’s excessive work load. By contrast, a réduction in the number of
justices has also been proposed for the same purpose. A retired justice has remarked that
when the number of Supreme Court justices was increased to its present level of 15, this
resulted in an increase rather than a drop in the work load of individual justices. Accord­
ing to this former justice, in addition to being involved in administrative matters, the
justices of the Supreme Court spend considérable time addressing unimportant cases, for
instance discussing at length why certain pétitions that were clearly without merit should
be dismissed, rather than simply dismissing them outright. Such délibération might be
an understandable act of courtesy toward lawyers and litigants, who would be quite
frustrated if their lengthy pétition is instantly dismissed without much considération. But
an elaborate délibération of pétitions without merit prevents the justices from investing
time and effort in more important cases. In his opinion the Supreme Court should be
reduced to nine members again. This would force the justices to set clear priorities.
The same retired justice further proposed abolishing the divisions. Such abolition, he
said, would increase the consistency of decision-making in the Court. According to him,
there are actually four distinct Supreme Courts in the present set-up - three divisions plus
the Court en banc - and ail may rule differently on similar cases. In the framework he
has proposed, ail Supreme Court décisions would have to be made en banc.26 He said
this structure has worked well in the United States Supreme Court and also functioned
effectively in the Philippines from 1917 until 1932. Of course a change of this nature
assumes a drastic réduction of the Court’s responsibilities.
The debate concerning the réduction of the work load of the Supreme Court is not
solely a discussion about pragmatic administrative issues. Considération of this question
176 Fair and Speedy Justice for ail Citizens

cannot be separated from the more fondamental debate about the rôle of the Supreme
Court in Philippine society. On one hand, certain critics believe that the rôle of the Court
in the post-EDSA order is excessively prominent. These critics tend not to be surprised
that.the Supreme Court faces many difficulties in dealing with its varied duties and heavy
work load, and indeed regard these difficulties as a vindication of their fondamental
objection to the central rôle played by the Supreme Court in the life of the nation. Such
critics favor a réduction in the work load of the Supreme Court through restrictions on
fondamental elements such as judicial review and complété autonomy of the bar.
Furthermore, members of executive agencies, particularly of the Department of Justice,
naturally tend to favor a substantial réduction of the duties of the Supreme Court, because
a complété transfer of the supervision back to this Department will give it more power
and importance.
On the other hand, there are those who, like the drafters of the 1987 Constitution, favor
granting the Supreme Court a much larger rôle and status in Filipino society. They regard
the Court as both the keeper and symbol of judicial independence and integrity, and view
it as the main check on possible new authoritarianism on the part of the executive.
Consequently, they would like the Supreme Court to maintain its powers and to act
according to this rôle and status. For them the difficulties it has in carrying out its heavy
work load predominantly demonstrates that the Supreme Court needs more resources and
manpower. They may endorse a réduction of the Court’s powers and duties in some
areas, but object to limiting important powers such as judicial review and disciplinary
administration over the judiciary.
A réduction of the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court usually implies a transfer of some
of its duties to the Court of Appeals. As a conséquence, the work load of this body would
increase. A Congressional Bill that will raise the number of justices in the Court of
Appeals from 51 to 63, distributed over 21 divisions is currently awaiting a décision by
Congress. This Bill also aims at regionalizing part of the Court of Appeals, as well as
some of the Sandiganbayan, in order to increase the access to these courts for citizens
who do not live in or near Metro-Manila. According to this Bill, only 15 divisions, each
containing three justices of the Court of Appeals, would be located in Metro-Manila,
whereas six divisions of three justices each, would be located in various other parts of
the country. Moreover, divisions that are located in Metro-Manila may be temporarily
assigned to work in other places.
An important aspect of the transfer of jurisdiction from the Supreme Court to the Court
of Appeals is that such a transfer would not only increase the work load of the Court
of Appeals in quantitative terms, but also requires a higher quality of work from these
justices. This would particularly apply if the Supreme Court only concentrâtes on novel
issues of law and delegated regular légal issues of law entirely to the Court of Appeals.
This implies that the procédures and requirements for the appointment of justices to the
Court of Appeals would have to be strengthened to guarantee high quality in terms of
compétence, integrity and credibility.
A major impediment to the implementation of most of the proposais to change the
Supreme Court’s responsibilities and its size and division of labor, is that such changes
would require constitutional amendments. In the long run, at least some amendment to
Fair and Speedy Justice for ail Citizens 177

the 1987 Constitution regarding the rôle of the Supreme Court seems inévitable. But in
the political climate of the mid-1990s in the Philippines, proposing constitutional
amendments is rather risky. It might encourage spécial interest groups to rally in favor
of other constitutional amendments that are highly controversial.

Social Distribution of Justice

In line with international authoritative instruments, the 1987 Constitution guarantees an

even distribution of justice among its citizens. Article III, section 1 of the Bill of Rights
says, amongst other things: ‘... nor shall any person be denied the equal protection of
the laws.’ Spécial provisions to protect the poor are mentioned in the Bill of Rights as
well. Section 11 of article III says: ‘Free access to the courts and quasi-judicial bodies
and adequate légal assistance shall not be denied to any person by reason of poverty,’
whereas section 12(1) of Article III spécifiés: ‘if the person cannot afford the services
of counsel, he must be provided with one.’
In spite of the provisions in the Bill of Rights, there is a pervasive perception in the
Philippines that justice exists exclusively for the rich and powerful. In this perception,
those without money or connections are forced to rot in jail regardless of their guilt or
innocence, while wealthy or connected persons can commit crimes with virtual impunity.
Though there may be a degree of hyperbole in this perception, the access of the poor
and underprivileged to fair and effective justice is clearly a paramount problem in the
Philippines. The following story may be regarded as typical in this context. A lawyer
visiting a police precinct noticed by chance a girl in the jail who had been there for some
weeks already without being officially charged. It turned out that the girl had come from
an outlying locality in the provinces and had moved to Metro-Manila to find work as
a domestic. She was hired by a family, but after a few months employment was accused
of theft by the mistress of the household, and was subsequently arrested and locked up
in the precinct jail. Since she had no relatives in Metro-Manila, and had not stayed long
enough there to make friends, nobody had really enquired about her. Her mistress didn’t
care, because she was angry about the alleged theft, whereas the parents of the girl lived
far away and had not even been informed about her arrest. If it were not for her acciden­
tai meeting with this lawyer, her fate would have been extremely uncertain.
A number of factors strongly inhibit the fair distribution of justice. But prior to
discussing these factors, it needs to be stressed that the unequitable and unfair distribution
of justice is by no means solely caused by the courts. The entire pénal system, which
includes the police, the prosecution, the defense lawyers, the correctional officers and
the courts, bears responsibility for the current state of affairs. This uneven distribution
is further reinforced by undue interference of police investigations, by the actions of
powerful or resourceful persons, and by the inappropriate application of leniency in the
judicial process.
The first factor facilitating the unfair distribution of justice is the status hierarchy.
One’s social status is decisive for the way one is treated in the pénal and judicial system.
People with higher status run less risk of being locked up for minor offenses or beaten
178 Fair and Speedy Justice for ail Citizens

or intimidated by the police, and if incarcerated, they receive more privilèges in jail. This
différence in treatment also applies to politically-inspired human rights violations. There
is a consensus in the Philippine human rights movement that by far, the majority of
victims of human rights violations - politically-inspired or otherwise - corne from the
poor and the underprivileged in the social hierarchy.
A second, and indeed even more important factor facilitating the unfair distribution
of justice is the gap between rich and poor. Money improves a person’s chances in
numerous ways. Persons with money can post bail upon arrest, whereas many poor
Filipinos charged with bailable offenses linger in jail because they cannot afford the bail
set for them. Moreover, the rich can afford to hire the services of a good lawyer, whereas
the poor have to resort to public attorneys who, generally speaking, tend to have less
experience and come from what are considered the lower quality law schools.27
Apart from the public attorneys, there are other lawyers or organizations involved in
providing free litigation, for instance, the free légal department of the Integrated Bar of
the Philippines, and certain NGOs. However the number of cases requiring such assis­
tance are simply too many for such organizations to handle. Even successful private
lawyers tend to engage in free litigation. It is not uncommon for lawyers to assist the
poor relatives of staff members without charge. This shows that even among the poor,
there is a distinction between the poor with connections and the poor without connec­
tions. But there is also a clear limit to the number of free cases these lawyers handle,
as well as to the time they are ready to spend on each of these cases.
The advantages of a good lawyer are that he or she has more knowledge of law and
jurisprudence than the client, cross-examines more cleverly, présents his/her arguments
more convincingly, can trace technical irregularities in the procédure of arrest and
investigation more easily, and is more skillful in bargaining for a réduction of sentence
in case of a conviction. Also, the réputation of a good lawyer is in itself a very important
resource in légal procédures. The hierarchical nature of the légal system - as in Philip­
pine society in général - accounts for the fact that a lawyer with a famous réputation,
or who works for a well-known law firm, is simply taken more seriously than less
reputable lawyers, regardless of the quality of their respective légal arguments.
A very serious handicap for the public attorneys, is that they tend to get involved in
a criminal case when the prosecutor has already pressed charges. Therefore, unlike
private attorneys they cannot influence the charges anymore, which works to the disad-
vantage of their impoverished clients. Obviously it makes a considérable différence if
one can convince a prosecutor to change the charge of first degree murder to third degree
homicide. Because the poor also have a very inadéquate understanding of légal procé­
dures, they miss serious opportunities for increasing their chances of winning during the
preliminary investigation when they are unassisted by a lawyer. A clever lawyer can
further promote his or her client’s interests by various delay tactics and other tricks.
Another clear advantage of wealth is that one can bribe oneself out of trouble, with
or without the help of a lawyer. The officiais in the pénal and judicial system most
vulnérable to bribery are the police and jail guards. These are very low-paid employees
and have a notorious réputation in the Philippines. In exchange for money, the police
may obstruct an arrest, destroy vital pieces of evidence, harass witnesses against a rich
Fair and Speedy Justice for ail Citizens 179

suspect, or hire people willing to give fabricated testimonies for the defense. Jail guards
may grant privilèges to convicts or those held in preliminary détention for a non-bailable
offense. Such privilèges could be a private cell, permission to receive any visitors at any
time, permission to receive food, télévision sets, airconditioners and other materials from
outside, etc. Jail guards can actively help people escape détention or simply allow them
to leave jail while maintaining their official registration as inmates. A convict may be
transferred to a jail that is less inconvénient than the prison to which he or she was
sentenced, through bribing key people. In some areas of the Philippines, it is even
possible for a convict to hire a stand-in to purge his sentence for him, falsely registered
in his name. Criminals may escape conviction by successfully bribing policemen,
witnesses, jail guards, and certain judges and prosecutors.
The costs involved in Crossing geographical distances to the courts also acts as an
inhibiting factor for poor litigants, particularly when they live in outlying areas. This
problem is reinforced by the fact that many courts in outlying areas are vacant. It may
therefore be expensive and time-consuming for a litigant to travel to the nearest court
that has a judge. The problem of travel costs is particularly pressing in the case of the
Sandiganbayan, the court that tries cases involving alleged crimes committed by public
officiais in the line of duty. The Sandiganbayan is located in Manila. If a case is filed
against a public official from the other side of the Philippines, it will be virtually
impossible for this official to travel and stay in Manila, and bring a lawyer and witnesses
along, unless the public official has access to a considérable amount of money from other
sources.28 Consequently, his interests may scarcely be represented in the case. As
mentioned in the section on ‘The Work Load of the Supreme Court’ of this chapter, a
Congressional Bill has been filed to regionalize the Sandiganbayan, as well as the Court
of Appeals, in order to redress this problem.
Apart from money and status, powerful connections and access to violence also inhibit
a fair and equal distribution of justice. The power of the gun has been frequently used
to physically harass, threaten, intimidate, or even kill complainants, witnesses, prosecu­
tors, judges and lawyers. The use of powerful connections by litigants who can make
or break the careers of judges, prosecutors, or witnesses has a very intimidating effect
as well. These practices favor the powerful and influential over the powerless and
unconnected litigants. Moreover, even to the extent that judges withstand pressures from
these powerful elements, such practices still inhibit a fair distribution of justice by
encouraging the perception among the poor and defenseless that it is useless to fight
powerful or influential people in court, even if the merits of their case are very strong.
Lawyers who defend poor litigants must be Creative and resourceful in order to
compensate the disadvantages that they and their clients face in the litigation process.
They may have to resort to personally befriending police officers in order to persuade
them to testify in court or to show diligence and sympathy in the criminal investigation.
They may also informally follow up the case with the prosecutors and judges in order
to win favor for their poor client. A good illustration of resourcefulness on the part of
defenders of the poor in courts are the paralegals of the Catholic relief organization
CARITAS in Manila. They themselves form the bottom of the légal hierarchy, since they
are not - or not yet fully - lawyers. Furthermore, they support prisoners who are at the
180 Fair and Speedy Justice for ail Citizens

bottom of the social hierarchy in général. But the paralegals make sure that in ail of their
paperwork they use pages with the letterhead of the Archdiocese of Manila, under whose
authority CARITAS operates. This way the réputation of the Archdiocese, and of the very
well-known Archbishop of Manila, reflects on the paralegals and their impoverished
clients.

Just as the rich and powerful have a clear edge in escaping conviction, they also have
more opportunity to ensure the conviction of a person suspected of a crime committed
against them. In the Philippines, it is possible for victims in a criminal case, or their
families, to hire a private lawyer to assist the prosecutor. This is possible because the
criminal aspect and civil aspect are integrated in the procédure of a criminal case.29 In
actual practice however, the work of the victim ’s lawyer - called the private prosecutor -
is not restricted to the civil aspect alone. The private prosecutor may conduct research
and can even undertake important pleadings in court regarding the criminal aspect of the
case, though formally speaking, final responsibility for the criminal aspect still rests with
the public prosecutor. Many public prosecutors do not seem to mind this interference
by private lawyers in the prosecution of their cases, since it lightens their work load. In
cases where a private prosecutor is actively involved, the prosecution of crimes is
conducted with more zeal and depth, which increases the probability that the accused
will be convicted. Moreover, a private prosecutor can be an important asset to his or her
client in filing an appeal if the public prosecutor drops the case. The procédure involved
in filing such an appeal is rather complicated and laborious, and needs to be completed
within 15 days.
Nevertheless, it should be stressed that, ceteris paribus, perpetrators of crimes have
a clear edge over their victims. Though the poor and the underprivileged are at a spécial
disadvantage in getting redress, this fate is by no means restricted to them. Even rich
and well-connected victims of crimes tend to have serious difficulty securing légal
redress. Naturally, obtaining such redress becomes ail the more difficult if the perpetrator
has access to wealth, violence and power.

Law Enforcers and Jail Guards

A very important reason why some perpetrators of crime have an edge over their victims
in the justice system, can be attributed to the poor performance of the police and jail
guards. As mentioned in chapter 3 and above, policemen have even developed a réputa­
tion for being crooks in uniforms. In the Philippines, current and former army personnel,
as well as policemen, are widely suspected of involvement in crimes and crime syndicates
such as the kidnap-for-ransom and armed robbery rings. In fact victims of a crime often
suspect that they will only make matters worse for themselves by going to the police.
Moreover, people no longer expect that the police will protect them from criminals who
may retaliate because of their complaint.
The public distrust of the police results in barely a handful of complaints, whereas the
sloppy work of underpaid, incompétent and indiffèrent policemen makes it very hard for
criminal cases to ‘stick’. These problems explain why sometimes official crime statistics
in the Philippines are lower in comparison to the crime statistics in Singapore which has
F air and Speedy Justice for ail Citizens 181

a réputation of being a very safe place.30 Though the police force has been subjected
to various reorganizations since the EDSA revoit, and though it has reported a steady
decrease in the crime rate since 1992, its réputation has not significantly impioved.31
The following two cases illustrate the difficulties mentioned above which even wealthy
and/or well-connected victims experience in attempting to obtain redress. In both of these
cases, however, the perpetrators were eventually put behind bars.
The first case concerned a businessman who had shot a college student after an
argument over a traffic violation in 1991. The businessman had a successful construction
enterprise. Apart from being rich, he was also politically well-connected, having been
involved in many government projects. He was arrested and charged with murder, after
witnesses had identified him as the perpetrator. The parents of the victim were rather
well-to-do themselves and hired a private lawyer to assist the prosecutor. They were
further supported by widespread publicity in the papers. In the press, the case became
identified as a test case for the Philippine pénal and judicial system. Unfortunately, the
system failed: the case dragged on for more than two years; the defense filed 49 motions
and pétitions of a différent nature; the businessman changed his defense lawyer at least
twice, which led to further delay. During this time, the family of the victim received
death threats. While in jail, the businessman enjoyed various spécial privilèges. Not only
did he receive visits and présents from the outside, but he was allowed to leave from
time to time, for instance to attend a concert. Just before the décision of the judge was
to be issued, the général public's expectations were confirmed: the jail guards allowed
the businessman to escape without a trace. The businessman was sentenced to lifelong
imprisonment, but he was no longer in custody to serve out his term. The aftermath was
equally dramatic. The lawyer and family of the businessman immediately sent out signais
indicating that the convict was willing to surrender. The reaction of the government was
divided. The Minister of Interior Affairs issued an order that the man be captured dead
or alive. However the Minister of Justice managed to stop the manhunt in order to allow
the businessman to surrender. He even promised to protect the convict with his own
body. But when the deadline for surrender expired, the convict did not appear. Just before
the décision was issued, the lawyer of the convict had petitioned the judge to ‘inhibit’
himself from the case for alleged bias. After the décision was published, the lawyer asked
for a new trial. The judge fell ill at about the time the businessman escaped from jail,
fearing severe retaliation. His décision was actually read out in court by an assistant. The
judge further reported that he had been offered a bribe by the businessman earlier in the
trial period. The bribe allegedly had come via a private lawyer who had been instrumen­
tal in the judge’s appointment to the bench. Given the debt of gratitude the judge felt
toward the lawyer who he accused of attempting the bribe, it would have been difficult
for him to have declined the offer. Yet the judge turned it down, though he decided not
to report the incident, apparently because of this debt of gratitude. The private lawyer
concerned vigorously denied the charge. In turn, the lawyer defending the businessman
later accused the parents of the victim of bribing the judge. Both the judge and the
victim’s parents denied the accusations. A few years later, the whereabouts of the
businessman were accidentally discovered, and he was subsequently arrested to serve his
sentence.
182 Fair and Speedy Justice for ail Citizens

The second case concerned the Minister of the Interior and Local Government who
served under Président Aquino. This Minister was shot dead by a notorious criminal in
1988. Though the case appeared to be a clear example of a ‘contract job’, the killer was
merely charged with second degree murder. Initially he was sentenced to 30 years, but
during the procédure of appeal, a pétition for bail was granted, and he was consequently
released from jail. Following his release, he was able to get an officially authorized gun
license, which was not revoked even after he openly harassed a public transport driver
with a gun and shot at his vehicle. During the time he was supposed to be in jail, he
received various privilèges. The jail guards often let him out, providing him with a
golden opportunity to résumé his old trade of burglarizing rich homes, while having the
perfect alibi since officially he was in jail. After massive publicity concerning this
situation, the Minister of Justice petitioned for withdrawal of the right to bail, and acted
to ensure the convict would really be kept in jail. In late November 1993 he was finally
arrested. Considering his previous status as untouchable, newspaper columnists have
already expressed public cynicism as to whether he actually can be kept in jail, once the
publicity on this case has died down.

The Use o f Pity

As has been mentioned in earlier chapters, leniency is an important characteristic of the
Filipino socio-cultural system. This applies also to the judiciary. One leading member
of the bench even remarked in this context that the ‘Filipino inclination to leniency is
integrated into the judicial system’. A popular strategy for obtaining leniency is to
personalize the relationship with the judge or law enforcers, and thus create sympathy
which facilitâtes leniency.
A favorite and efficient tactic for obtaining lenient treatment is to appeal to feelings
of pity. A lawyer can appeal to pity on the part of the judge to obtain another postpone-
ment if his client has not yet paid him, or if the client claims to have developed hyper­
tension from the trial, or if a witness cannot appear in court because he is unable to take
leave from his job, etc. An office worker may escape criminal charges for theft if he
claims that he stole because he had to pay the médical bill of a sick relative. And a
convict or a suspect may succeed in using poor health, the death of a relative, the notion
of his being misunderstood, etc., to obtain leniency.
In principle, pity could be a mechanism facilitating the distribution of justice in favor
of the poor and underprivileged. In actual practice, however, pity is not only extended
to the poor and the underprivileged, but to the rich and powerful as well. The case of
Imelda Marcos illustrâtes this phenomenon. After she was finally convicted on several
charges of graft in 1993, and sentenced to 18 years in jail, a leading bench member
commented: ‘of course she will never go to jail. No doubt with ail the appeals the case
will still last for another eight years before the Supreme Court finally settles it. Then she
will be 72 years old. You do not jail a 72 year old woman in the Philippines.’
The paradox that the rich and powerful can also successfully appeal to pity can be
partially attributed to the fact that pity is generally open to everyone. The term habag
refers to showing pity or mercy directly to an individual or a group who has sought pity
diligently and who believes that the one appealed to is receptive to such an appeal.
Fair and Speedy Justice for ail Citizens 183

Almost any one can make use of this appeal to pity: rich or poor, perpetrators of crimes
or victims. In the Catholicized Philippines, ' works of mercy’ facilitate one’s access to
heaven. The one who extends compassion or clemency may or may not be conscious that
he is performing a work of mercy. One who appeals to mercy builds up his case and
becomes an object of pity by efficiently persuading others that he is pitiable. This
explains why the perpetrators of crimes may receive the same amount of sympathy and
pity from law enforcers and influence-peddlers as do their victims.32
Ail this implies that the tactics of pity may serve both as an instrument for the weak
and underprivileged to increase their chances of attaining justice, and an instrument for
the already rich and powerful to further increase their advantage in the justice system.
It also means that victims of crime are forced to engage actively in the ‘pity game’ to
neutralize the efforts of law enforcers and influence-peddlers on behalf of the perpetra­
tors. The issue of pity also plays a rôle in the disciplining of judges and lawyers.
Lawyers who are disbarred for gross irregularities can often apply for the décision to be
revoked because of economic necessity. An example is a former prosecutor of cases of
government corruption who was disbarred after he accused the Supreme Court of
irregularities during a disciplinary action against him in 1985. But pity can also play a
rôle in the initial application of disciplinary measures. As one retired former justice
recalled: ‘there was a judge who was a clear candidate for immediate dismissal. He was
close to his retirement and had become lazy and inefficient. He accumulated a huge pile
of undecided cases. However they did not dismiss him, but instead allowed him to retire
with benefits. They apparently thought he was going to leave anyway, so why deprive
him of his benefits. But in this way you never set a clear example.’

The Use o f the Press

The press has become another important mechanism for distributing justice. It has served
as an important forum for victims where they can complain about the ineptitude of the
various pillars of the justice system in handling their grievances. Some journalists
actively campaign on behalf of crime victims. They believe that the present judicial
system gives a decisive edge to the rich and powerful to escape justice at the expense
of mostly defenseless victims. As a public watchdog the press considers that one of the
central elements of the rôle of the media is to expose irregularities and inertia in the
judicial process at the expense of these victims. By this logic, law enforcers, prosecutors,
and judges will be more diligent and honest in their handling of crimes if they are closely
and constantly watched by the press. By constant and elaborate publicity, these représen­
tatives of the media thus hope to compensate for the disadvantages that these victims
naturally experience compared with the advantages enjoyed by rich and influential
criminals. In other words, in various cases, the media has become an explicit tool for
the distribution of justice in favor of the poor and underprivileged.
In its coverage of heinous crimes, the media actively generates pity on behalf of the
victims by creating a sense of interpersonal relationship between the victims and the
readers. One well-known columnist and télévision presentator for instance, elaborately
discusses his meetings with victims of crime. He describes the détails of their moods,
financial difficulties, fears and expectations for the future. He holds their hands in the
184 Pair and Speedy Justice for ail Citizens

court room during the trial of the perpetrators, or hugs them afterwards. Printed photo-
graphs visually underline and reinforce the construction of a personal relationship
between victims, press members, and the général public, which keeps interest and pity
for the victims alive.33
In playing this rôle, the press has claimed several successes. Many attribute the
conviction of the son of a former Supreme Court justice, who had killed the daughter
of a Swedish-Filipino couple in 1988, to the constant attention the newspapers gave to
the case. The prosecution and ultimate conviction in 1994 of a small-town may or in a
brutal case of the rape and murder of two students was also facilitated by widespread
publicity. The two convicts mentioned as examples in the previous section of this chapter,
who finally landed behind bars after years of judicial setbacks, were finally brought to
justice primarily as the resuit of the immense publicity these cases received in the press.
The actual positive effects of this kind of publicity are difficult to measure. It is obvious
that the victims of crimes appreciate this attention. The parents of the college student
who was murdered by the Chinese businessman published a letter following the trial, in
which they expressed their deep gratitude toward a newspaper columnist and his publish-
er who had been very active in their support. Moreover, there seems to be a substantial
degree of consensus even within the judicial system that some judges need emphatic
pressure, such as publicity in the press, to do their job properly. It is further likely that
such emphatic media pressure has contributed to greater strictness on the part of the
judiciary, including the Supreme Court, in dealing with the corner-cutting tactics of
lawyers and litigants.
But the dangers of publicity over légal cases are also quite obvious. The first of these
is that success in finding redress for victims increasingly depends on their ability to get
media attention. This implies that access to justice in part becomes a matter of access
to the media. The risk exists that victims of bizarre and sensational crimes will be able
to obtain access to the media more easily than victims of rather commonplace crimes.
Moreover, the interest of the media for specific cases inevitably gives way to other news
items after a while, sometimes before the victims have secured redress. In addition, the
accused party might feel tempted to start a media campaign on his own behalf, and
cunningly discrédit the victims in the eyes of the général public.
Another drawback of litigation journalism and trial by publicity is that it can facilitate
new forms of injustice. Because of public pressure, the police and the prosecution will
try to satisfy public opinion, even by accusing innocent people of the crime, consciously
or unconsciously, on the basis of flimsy evidence. Publicity is also used by law-enforce-
ment officers or politicians for the purpose of grandstanding. For example, suspects are
shown to the public on télévision though there is no sufficient evidence against them.
In this way, the police boost their public image as tough crime fighters and defenders
of the poor.
Wide publicity about cases, while likely increasing the victims’ chances of winning,
also encourages the lawyers of the victims’ opponents to grandstand and use delay tactics
or other tricks. In this way, these lawyers attempt to build a public image of toughness
and smartness so as to attract more wealthy clients. As a resuit, the publicity surrounding
the case also acts against its speedy resolution.
Fair and Speedy Justice for ail Citizens 185

Access to Justice for Religious and Ethnie Minorities

The Muslim Community

The degree of intégration of the Muslim community in wider Filipino society has
traditionally been limited, dating from the time of the Spanish occupation. The grip of
the national government over Muslim areas has consequently been limited as well. The
central government has always had to compete with powerful local clans and factions
for effective control over such areas. This also applies to the judicial system, which has
had to compete with informai mechanisms of justice and with religiously-inspired norms
and values.
A high degree of animosity and suspicion still exists between large sections of the
Catholicized majority and the Muslim minority. Both in the distant and more recent past
there have occurred bloody incidents related to this antagonism, such as the massive
fighting in Davao City in 1974, and the massacre by unidentified gunmen in Ipil in
Southern Mindanao in 1995, for which Muslims have been accused. There have been
recurrent peace talks between the Filipino national government and powerful Muslim
leaders, including under the present administration of Président Ramos, which finally
resulted in a settlement with dominant Muslim factions in September 1996. However,
the relations between the government and the Muslims have been negatively affected by
controversy over the Abu Sayaf group. This radical segregationist Islamic group has been
suspected of various kidnappings, murders and other acts of violence. In 1995, gross
suspicions were raised that this group had become an intégral part of an international
Muslim fundamentalist terrorist network, which, amongst other things, was accused of
plotting acts of terrorism in Metro-Manila. Furthermore, the peace settlement itself has
been somewhat controversial, both among certain Muslim factions and various parts of
the non-Muslim population.
The Shari ’a Courts have served as part of the effort to integrate the Muslim communi­
ty into the Filipino nation-state. These Courts deal predominantly with Muslim personal
law, referred to as Shari’a law, as a source of law that applies only to Muslims, concern­
ing matters such as matrimony, divorce, and inheritance.34 The philosophy behind this
use of Muslim personal law is - at least according to one dominant interprétation - that
only personal law is truly universal for Muslims: other civil as well as criminal laws
systems vary from country to country. Spécial Shari’a laws and Courts have been created
to express and apply Muslim personal law. The Shari’a Courts also include a mechanism
for amicable settlement: the Agama Arbitration Council. This is an ad hoc body that
deals with cases like divorce and subséquent marriage and with disputes regarding
customary law.35
For various reasons, however, the Shari ’a laws and Courts have until now been grossly
ineffective in integrating the Muslim community into the Philippine légal system. First
of ail, the number of vacancies in the Shari’a Courts is extremely high, which limits the
access of the Muslim community to these Courts. In July 1995, 44 out of 56 Shari’a
Courts were still vacant, though by April 30, 1996 this number had decreased to 32.36
Second, the Shari’a Courts have received very few funds. As a conséquence, these Courts
do not have permanent facilities, but are dépendent on local leaders to provide them
186 Fair and Speedy Justice for ail Citizens

space for court sessions. Third, the quality of the judges is low: Shari’a judges do not
need to be law graduates, and they receive only six weeks of formai training.
Fourth, there are no effective mechanisms of appeal. Décisions of the Shari’a courts
can only be appealed to the Supreme Court in cases of gross indiscrétion on the part of
the judges. Fifth, the Shari’a courts are still quite unfamiliar to a great number of
Muslims, since the system has been introduced rather recently. Therefore, some Muslims
may have even more faith in the regular courts than in the Shari’a courts. The Muslims
tend to resort to the Shari’a courts only after other mechanisms of dispute settlement
have failed. Consequently, the dockets of the Shari’a are not very full, though both case
inflow and case outflow have been improving, as the following statistics demonstrate:37

Year Total Case Newly Filed Case Outflow Cases Cases Pending at
Inflow Cases Decided end of Year
1992 - - - - 344
1993 241 222 274 234 311
1994 305 287 289 260 327
1995 317 256 316 226 328

Sixth, many Muslims regard Shari’a law as much broader than family law, and include
other civil and criminal issues as part of the Shari’a. They further regard Muslim law
as more authoritative than national laws. In cases involving adultery, family honor and
perceived threat to life, the death penalty may apply, in defiance of national criminal and
civil laws.

Tribal Minorities
Customary law, as it is traditionally applied in tribal minorities, is accepted as a valid
source of law in the Philippines, as long as it is not in contradiction with national civil
and criminal laws. In the case of Muslim groups, the Code of Muslim Personal Laws
contains provisions regarding communal property and customary contracts.38 There are,
however, serious gaps between the légal perception of tribal minorities and of the
Catholicized majority. The classic example concerns rights to land. Tribal groups tend
to acknowledge collective rights over wide territories, whereas the Catholicized majority
tends to recognize private ownership, based on an officially registered title. In the past,
frontier settlers, or rich and powerful families have generally claimed ownership to land
that was not yet registered as owned by others. Tribal people, however, often regarded
this land as theirs, but had no understanding of or access to the process of acquiring
official titles. Because the position of tribal minorities has been extremely marginal
traditionally, and since they have been subjected to gross discrimination, their interests
were not taken into account.
Traditionally, it was impossible in actual practice for tribal minorities to seek redress
in the courts. They did not have enough resources to go to court in the first place, and
furthermore were psychologically inhibited because the courts represented an alien world
Fair and Speedy Justice for ail Citizens 187

with légal raies they did not acknowledge, and because they were not taken seriously
by the wider society.
During the last decade, sensitivity concerning the needs and interests of tribal minori-
ties has increased. Various légal NGOs support tribal minorities in collective litigation
and through légal training. Nevertheless, tribal minorities still constitute a grossly
disadvantaged group in the Filipino légal system. In some cases, even judges violate their
constitutional rights, as illustrated by the following incident. A lawyer who specializes
in légal assistance for minorities came to the aid of a member of a tribal group in an
outlying area of the Philippines. The member of the tribal minority owed an amount of
money to a landowner which he could not repay. The landowner brought the case to a
lower court judge who happened to be a landowner himself. The judge wanted to impose
an out-of-court settlement according to which the member of the tribal minority group
was to repay his creditor through two months of forced labor. The lawyer, learning of
this imposed settlement, was obliged to remind the judge that this settlement contradicted
Article III, section 1 of the 1987 Constitution which states that ‘no involuntary servitude
in any form shall exist except as a punishment for a crime whereof the party shall have
been duly convicted’. The lawyer also noted that it was in clear conflict with the purpose
of Article III, section 20 of the Constitution which states that ‘No person shall be
imprisoned for debt or non-payment of a poil tax’.

Summary and Considérations

Backlog and court delay are pressing issues in the Philippines. These problems are
facilitated by the inadéquate working conditions of the courts and général infrastructure
in the country; an inadéquate number of judges; uneven distribution of case loads over
the courts; incompétence of some judges and lawyers; delay tactics by lawyers; and a
‘litigation explosion’. Both this ‘litigation explosion’ and the lawyers’ delay tactics are
facilitated by widespread amor propio, a strong sense of pride and self-respect that does
not want to face defeat. Apart from being a major problem in itself, backlog and court
delay also facilitate the chances of undue interference in the judicial process, such as
influence-peddling, corruption and the harassment of witnesses.
Improvement of the working conditions of judges, as well as an increase in their
number, has been inhibited by inadéquate funds. This has also prevented a substantial
raise of salaries, which could attract outstanding candidates for the judiciary. Though the
existing backlog and court delay cannot entirely be explained by lack of funds, it is clear
that it contributes considerably to the backlog. A substantial increase in the budget of
the judiciary is inhibited by the inadequacy of the overall budget of the government, as
well as by the fact that the judiciary has to compete with other important public sectors
for scarce resources. Nevertheless, pervasive discontent about the speed of the judicial
process underscores the need for a higher budget for the judiciary. Neither the govern­
ment, Congress nor the général public have the right to complain about slow justice if
they are not willing to pay the price to reduce the backlog.39
188 F air and Speedy Justice for ail Citizens

There have been various initiatives to speed up judicial procédures, of which the manda-
tory ‘continuous trial’ has been the most prominent. The heavy case load of judges, as
well as their desire to administer judicial affairs in their own way, however, have acted
as pressures on the Supreme Court to soften the requirements regarding the time-limits
of judicial procédures. The success of the mandatory ‘continuous trial’ is also inhibited
by financial problems and interests on the part of litigants and lawyers. The organization-
al, attitudinal and financial problems that inhibit the success of the imposition of manda­
tory ‘continuous trial’ also affect other plans to impose time constraints on judges.
However, violations of time-limits have been a major source of disciplinary actions
against judges by the Supreme Court.
A révision of the rules of court has been repeatedly considered in order to reduce delay
tactics. To what extent a change in the rules of court, and of the rules of due process
in général, will effect a decrease in delay tactics - and thus resuit in swifter and fairer
justice —remains an open question. One lawyer perceptively remarked in this context:
‘corner-cutting lawyers will always find a way. You may alter the rules of the game in
any manner you wish, but lawyers will still find and exploit the loopholes that are there.’
Training courses to upgrade judicial skills have been organized both for judges and
for lawyers. Generally speaking, these courses appear to have been appreciated by the
target groups. Because of their non-compulsory nature, the impact of these courses has
been limited. Another problem is that the training may not have gone far enough to
upgrade the knowledge and skills of those members of the bench and the bar, whose
quality has been grossly inadéquate. A judicial academy to préparé new recruits for the
bench has been introduced, which hopefully will serve to remedy this problem.
There have been various plans to reduce the ‘litigation explosion’ through amicable
settlements. The most important of these has been the Katarungang Pambarangay, or
barangay justice system. In spite of the claimed success rate, this introduction has failed
to reverse the ‘litigation explosion’. Given the limited resources allocated to the judiciary,
it remains an open question if the barangay justice system would be the most effective
mechanism for reducing litigation. With due respect for ail the efforts of various sectors
of the légal system, the problems and actual success rate of the barangay justice system
needs to be reviewed through a comprehensive study by an independent research
organization.
It is imperative that the scope of responsibilities of the Supreme Court be reduced.
Apart from addressing delay in the Supreme Court, such réduction is necessary to give
the Court more time to study and discuss really important cases. Given the statements
in the UN Basic Principles on the Rôle o f Lawyers concerning the autonomy of bar
organizations, it is recommendable that the Supreme Court préparé a shift of administra­
tive responsibility over the Bar to the Integrated Bar of the Philippines. Moreover, the
Court needs to introduce further specialization in its work in order to deal effectively
with the administrative responsibilities that it would keep. The création of a specialized
administrative division which can act with a great degree of autonomy, in conjunction
with an extension of the resources of the Office of the Court Administrator, could be the
core of such internai specialization. The members of this division should be recruited
predominantly on the basis of their administrative skills and experience.
Fair and Speedy Justice for ail Citizens 189

However, the debate on the extent and scope of the Supreme Court’s responsibilities
cannot be separated from the controversy over its précisé rôle in Filipino society. This
debate is also influenced by an existing rivalry between the Supreme Court and the
Department of Justice concerning their respective powers over the judicial system. As
long as there is no consensus over the rôle of the Supreme Court, the extent of its duties
will also remain controversial. If the Court of Appeals receives increased jurisdiction as
the final arbiter in questions of law, there would be a need for additional guarantees
regarding the compétence and integrity of candidates to this appellate court. As has been
recommended already in chapter 4, the candidates for the Court of Appeals as nominated
by the Judicial and Bar Council should be approved by the Supreme Court en banc,
whereas the final appointée should also be approved by the congressional Commission
of Appointments. More active policies to attract top-rate candidates to the Court of
Appeals, including from academia and the law profession, should be introduced.
The causes of backlog and court delay cannot be reduced to financial and organization-
al problems. Attitudes and ethical standards also play an important rôle. Examples are
the influence of amor propio in the adoption of delay tactics and the ‘litigation explo­
sion’, and the issue of leniency toward ineffective judges and corner-cutting lawyers.
Such attitudes are factors that are manipulable only to a limited degree. Positive rôle
models and training courses on ethics are certainly important, as are cautious screening
of new candidates and the appointment of effective disciplinarians to key positions in
the bench and bar. Nevertheless, a change in attitudes may involve a long and arduous
process with no guarantee of ultimate success.
The distribution of justice in the Philippines is quite inequal. Broad social différences
in status, wealth and access to connections are reproduced in the judicial process. Citizens
with high status, money and powerful connections have better access to good lawyers,
who are an invaluable asset in the légal process in the Philippines. Moreover, such
persons have greater opportunity to apply forms of undue interference at either the pre-
trial or trial levels, in order to gain an advantage over their opponents. However, ail other
things being equal, perpetrators of crime have a substantial edge over their victims, due
to a structural crisis in the various pillars of the justice system. Because the judiciary
tends to be regarded as the symbol of the justice system as a whole, the judiciary is
easily blamed for flaws arising in the other pillars of the system, for which strictly
speaking it cannot be held responsible.
An extension and strengthening of free légal aid programs in ail sectors of the légal
system is imperative. Free légal assistance for poor individuals who are either victims
or suspected perpetrators of non-politically-inspired human rights violations also appears
to be an important niche in the work of légal and human rights NGOs. Nevertheless, as
many of these NGOs rightly point out, the need for a change in the current social
distribution of justice cannot be separated from major social and economic reforms in
Filipino society at large.
Pity serves as a mechanism for the distribution of justice. Victims of crime, as well
as the poor and the underprivileged can potentially benefit from the génération of pity
towards them on the part of représentatives of the justice system. However, pity can also
increase the inequality of justice even further. Pity is actively generated, particularly
190 Fair and Speedy Justice for ail Citizens

through face to face encounters. Paradoxically, perpetrators of crime, as well as the rich
and powerful, may in actual practice be more successful than victims or the poor and
underprivileged in raising pity among représentatives of the justice system.
The press has acted as an important mechanism for the social distribution of justice
in favor of the poor and underprivileged. In various cases it has actively rallied support
on behalf of the victims of powerful, wealthy and connected groups or individuals, and
has exposed or diminished their machinations in the légal process. Nevertheless, the rôle
of the press with regards to the social distribution of justice has also been counterproduc-
tive. At times it has been abused by rich and influential people to raise sympathy for their
cause. Wide publicity has also tempted lawyers, politicians and law enforcers to engage
in grandstanding at the expense of the rights of citizens. In addition, it has introduced
a new form of inequality: uneven access of citizens to the media.
Attempts to improve the intégration of the Muslim community into the Philippine légal
system through the Shari’a Courts have not yet been very successful. Some recent
improvement of case inflow and case outflow notwithstanding, the gross lack of funds
and facilities, the number of vacancies and the inadéquate training and possibilities for
appeal ail account for the marginal place of these Courts in the judicial system. The
Shari’a Courts have limited credibility, even within the Muslim community itself. If the
government, the Houses of Congress and the Supreme Court are serious about the Shari’a
system, they have the obligation to provide the Shari’a Courts with appropriate means
and jurisdiction. Otherwise, the Shari’a system will underline rather than reduce the
marginal position of Muslims in the Filipino socio-political system.
Tribal minorities have remained a disadvantaged and legally underprivileged category
in the Philippines, despite some recent improvements and spécial interest in their cause
on the part of certain légal NGOs.
Finally, there is striking paradox in the relation between even distribution of justice
and backlog and court delay. The ‘litigation explosion’ in the Philippines appears to be
facilitated by the démocratie space of the post-EDSA political order. People tend to know
their rights better, and - whether or not the motives behind their actions are laudable -
an increasingly large number of people are claiming their rights before the courts. This
makes it probable that a more even distribution of justice, in which an increasing number
of people have effective access to the courts, will resuit in even more litigation. This
improvement in access to justice will in turn generate more and more court cases, both
civil and criminal, thus facilitating further backlog and court delay.

Notes

1. 1992-1993 Annual Report o f the Supreme Court: 18.

2. Narvasa, A.R., Faith and Trust. The Bedrock o f the Justice System. Metro-Manila: Supreme
Court Press 1993: 32.
3. Benipayo, A.L., ‘Delays in the Disposition of Cases and some Suggested Remedies.’ The
Judges’ Journal, December 1987: 11.
4. 1992-1993 Annual Report of the Supreme Court: 77.
5. Statistics, Office of the Court Administrator, as quoted in Benipayo. Supra, at note 3: 77.
Fair and Speedy Justice for ail Citizens 191

6. Office of the Solicitoi-General; Annual Report 1992-1993,

7. See for instance the column of Jarius Bondoc in the Manila Times, 27 September, 1993.
8. For my inventory of delay tricks, I owe gratitude to the columns and reports of Atty. Raul
Palabrica in the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
9. ‘Forum shopping’ is particularly attractive in cases where there is little or no jurisprudence,
and in which the verdicts of différent judges may be expected to vary considerably. A good
example involves the annulment of marriages. Because of the strength of the Catholic Church,
there is no law permitting divorce in the Philippines, only légal séparation. Yet in some cases
a marriage can be annulled. The revolutionary government of Président Aquino expanded the
possibilities for marriage annulment as a compromise between the position of the Catholic
Church, which exercised a strong influence on her government, and advocates of a divorce
law. The expansion mainly concerned the inclusion of psychological incapacity as a ground
for annulment. The absence of case law between 1986 and 1995 left it to the individual judges
to define psychological incapacity, resulting in quite diverging interprétations and verdicts
in annulment cases. Some judges, for instance those who are devout Catholics, may define
the concept very strictly, others much less so.
On 4 January, 1995, the Supreme Court provided some case law regarding the interprétation
of psychological incapacity (in Leonel Santos v. CA and Julia Rosario Bedia Santos, G.R.
No. 112019). The Supreme Court décision, made by the first division, had one strong
dissenting vote which found the interprétation of the concurring majority too strict. This case
law, however, proved inadéquate as a guideline for judges and lawyers. On 14 February, 1997,
the Supreme Court issued eight explicit guidelines on the interprétation of psychological
incapacity in an unanimous en banc décision, though three justices wrote separate concurring
statements.
10. Administrative Circular No. 04-94.
11. However, in practice, cases may take considerably longer than two years. Such may be when
an old case is being transferred to a newly appointed justice. This justice will be granted two
years to finish the case, even if it has been pending before the Supreme Court for some time
already.
12. This objection ignores the fact that the process of selecting, instructing and supervising juries
demands considérable time and effort from American judges.
13. The Institute of Judicial Administration of the University of the Philippines.
14. By this recommendation, the Supreme Court takes a position in a delicate social controversy.
This controversy concerns the status of Filipino, a variant of Tagalog, the dominant régional
language. Many proponents of Filipino prefer it to replace English as the medium of the
courts, and of éducation. They partially blâme the pervasive use of a foreign language for the
lack of national cohésion in the Philippines. Others believe that English is an important asset
in the Philippines, and that abolishing it would amount to discarding one of the few compara­
tive advantages the Philippines still have (1992-1993 Annual Report of the Supreme Court:
69-70).
15. Exceptions are: cases in which one party is the government, or any subdivision for instrumen-
tality thereof; and cases in which one party is a public officer or employee, and the dispute
relates to the performance of his official function. The description of the barangay justice
system can be found in a pamphlet called ‘The Revised Katarungung Pambarangay Law &
The Board of Claims (R.A. No. 7309) with Implementing Rules and Régulations’, published
by the Department of Justice. The Local Government Code of 1991 also has a provision
allowing the Président to enlarge the jurisdiction of the barangay justice system without
parliamentary approval.
192 Fair and Speedy Justice for ail Citizens

16. The parties may go directly to court in the following instances: where the accused is under
détention; where a person has otherwise been deprived of personal liberty calling for habeas
corpus proceedings; where actions are coupled with provisional remedies such as preliminary
injunction, attachment, delivery of personal property, and support pendente lite; where the
' action may otherwise be barred by the statute of limitation.
17. Parties residing in adjacent barangays that are located in différent cities of municipalities may
voluntary take a dispute to the justice system of a différent barangay. In cases in which the
parties do not résidé in the same barangay, the respondent is entitled to choose the barangay
of venue.
18. Social Weather Bulletin, 94-13/14: 9. The total sample population was 1,200 Filipinos of
voting âge nationwide.
19. I obtained these records through the courtesy of Atty. Dujua, Assistant Secretary of the
Department of Justice.
20. The vast différence in the estimated of the success rate of the barangay justice system is
related to the fact that it is difficult to collect reliable statistics on this success rate. Officiais
of the barangay may not be capable or interested to gather statistics systematically. Moreover,
they may report a higher success rate than they have actually achieved, in order to impress
higher authorities. Pessimists may use the difficulty to obtain reliable statistics as an argument
to play down the success rate as claimed in official statistics.
21. Republic Act No. 7691, 23 March, 1994.
22. Resolution No. 055, S. 1993.
23. Resolution No. 055, S. 1993: 2.
24. Retired Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Isagani Cruz in his column in the Philippine
Daily Inquirer of 9 April, 1995.
25. The 1992-1993 Annual Report o f the Supreme Court: 17; The 1993-1994 Annual Report of
the Court Administrator. Statistics of the office of the Court Administrator. Courtesy of Atty.
T.C. Bahia.
26. Sarmiento, A.F., ‘Valedictory Speech, on the Occasion of his retirement from the Supreme
Court.’ 1991: 5.
27. Within the judicial system there seems to be a disagreement as to the extent to which public
attorneys are of lower quality than other private lawyers. Most certainly quality varies from
lawyer to lawyer, regardless if he or she is a public attorney or a private lawyer. It is striking
that several judges I spoke with were quite positive about the public attorneys. Perhaps this
can be explained by the fact that public attorneys tend to make life easier for judges than other
lawyers. Since public attorneys have a fixed salary, they do not need to ask for postponements
or resort to other tricks to boost their income.
28. See for instance, Aquilino Pimentel, Manila Times, 23 October 1993.
29. This implies that no separate civil complaint can be filed anymore.
30. Manila Bulletin, 19 September, 1993
31. See for instance: Editorial of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, 3 August, 1993; Raul Palabrica
in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, 1 November, 1993; Ermin Garcia in the Manila Times, 18
November, 1993; Ricardo Puno in the Philippine Star, 14 November, 1993.
32. There is also a concept in the Philippines which states that generally everyone can appeal to
pity, whatever one’s State of being. As it is said: tayo ay tao lamang, meaning ‘after ail, we
are only people’.
33. This joumalist is Teodoro Benigno who is the uncrowned champion of this form of joumal-
ism. He has championed the cause of, amongst others, the family of the earlier mentioned
college student who was shot by a Chinese businessman, and the family of a student who was
Fair and Speedy Justice for ail Citizens 193

beaten to death in a fratemity hazing incident. He has also championed the cause of a widow
whose twin sons were shot by the gunmen of a mayor after they resisted the mayor’s intrusion
on their property.
34. Contrary to the laws of the Filipino majority, Muslim law tolerates bigamy and divorce,
though on specified grounds. This has resulted in various pragmatic conversions to Islam by
members of the Filipino majority who run the risk of charges of bigamy, or who want to get
rid of their spouses. These pragmatic conversions are often not recognized by reputable
Muslims.
35. Rasul, J.D., Commentaries on Spécial Rules o f Procédure in Sharia Courts. Metro-Manila:
Central Publishing Co, 1984: 66; Bautista, E.B., ‘Scope and Application of the Code of
Muslim Personal Laws.’ Judges’ Journal, Vol III, No.2, 1988: 36-7.
36. Source: Statistics Division of the Office of the Court Administrator of the Supreme Court.
37. Source: Statistics Division of the Office of the Court Administrator of the Supreme Court.
38. Bautista, E.B.. Supra, at note 35: 31.
39. I would like to reiterate that such an increase should be integrated into the annual budget for
the judiciary which has to be released automatically. It should not be allocated as a spécial
lump sum payment which might act as a major political spoil for which spécifié politicians
can claim crédit.
 Chapter 7

Main Conclusions

Introduction

In the years following the EDSA revoit, the Filipino judicial system has been confronted
with various major issues and problems: a huge backlog of cases and court delays; the
existence of corruption and undue political and personalistic pressures on judges and
prosecutors; inadéquate access of the poor and the underprivileged to justice; rampant
human rights violations, either politically-inspired or not, both by State agents and by
members of civil society; gross inefficiency and corruption among law enforcers; the
manipulation of rules of due process by corner-cutting lawyers and litigants; increasing
occurrence of litigation journalism and trial by publicity; public controversy over the
judiciary and over its constitutional duties, including the extent of judicial review.
Since 1986 the Philippine government, as well as the judiciary, have made serious and
intelligent efforts to improve the fairness and efficiency of the Philippine judicial system,
including the independence and impartiality of judges and lawyers. An expression of this
was the 1987 Constitution which increased the formai autonomy of the judiciary, and
further extended the Philippine Supreme Court’s right of judicial review. These efforts
continue up to the present day but have also experienced serious frustrations and set-
backs.
In the following sections, the main conclusions will be summarized in relation to
human rights, and to economic, organizational, political and socio-cultural factors. A
number of recommendations that might facilitate the improvement of the judicial system
will be also offered or restated here.

Human Rights Problems and Issues Following the EDSA Revoit

Following the EDSA revoit in 1986, the Aquino administration made a number of honest
efforts to improve the human rights situation in the country. The emphasis on human
rights in the 1987 Constitution, including the rôle of the judiciary as the guardian of
people’s rights, are expressions of these efforts. In actual practice however, the Aquino
administration also made various compromises in this area, one of which was the
introduction of the controversial CAFGUS units. Generally speaking, the Aquino
administration was not successful in stopping politically-inspired human rights violations.
The first reason for this lack of success was the difficulty with which the Aquino
administration had to fight against the legacy of the military monster it had inherited
from the Marcos era, and over which it exercised only very partial control. A second
reason was the balance it sought between promoting and upholding human rights on the
one hand, and ensuring its own political survival on the other, ail of which was carried
out against the backdrop of rightist coup attempts, a continuing leftist insurgency, and
196 Main Conclusions

nervousness in the army. The compromises made by the Aquino administration in

upholding human rights, for the sake of the political survival of the post-EDSA order,
was reproduced by the Supreme Court in important décisions involving human rights,
of which Umïl v. Ramos became the most controversial.
However, following the EDSA revoit, politically-inspired human rights violations
progressively diminished, particularly under Président Ramos. This was the resuit of the
marginalization of the extreme left and of increasing political stability. However, the
resurgence of leftist urban terrorism, the perception of a threat of Muslim fundamentalist
terrorism and the resulting proposais for new anti-terrorism laws ail underline the
remaining importance of politically-inspired human rights violations as an issue of
concern in the post-EDSA order.
New concerns compete for priority status on the human rights agenda. One such major
concern is human rights violations conducted in the context of projects for economic
development, sometimes termed ‘development aggression’. These violations include
forced resettlement of people whose houses have to give way to infrastructural projects,
shopping centers and industrial sites; harassment of people who protest against environ-
mental pollution and poor working conditions; etc.
The most important source of human rights violations in the period since the EDSA
revoit, however, is activities conducted within the context of crime-fighting. In the
Philippines, various critics have blamed the problem of crime on provisions specifying
the right to due process as well as various other fondamental rights of suspects, which
these critics regard as too strict. These rules allegedly protect the interests of criminals
at the expense of the wider community.
It is certainly necessary to review how realistic are certain practical rules regarding
the rights of suspects in the present Philippine context. Yet extreme care should be taken
in limiting the rights of suspects. For many Filipinos the existing rules that specify such
fondamental rights are already too narrow, for instance for those who cannot afford to
pay bail. A great number of prisoners linger in jail without trial, whereas others have
been convicted on the basis of fabricated evidence.
Moreover, a number of other important factors influencing the effectiveness of crime-
fighting need to be addressed, such as the quality and commitment of law enforcers and
the willingness of the public to testify in individual cases. In this context a persistent,
consistent, and drastic reorganization of the police forces, the military and the jails should
have priority over a review of the rights of suspects. Clearly, due process cannot be
blamed if jail guards allow suspected or convicted murderers to leave custody to attend
concerts, if they engage in drinking sessions with them or even facilitate their escape,
or if the police forces botch investigations involving heinous crimes. Unfortunately, the
numerous reorganizations of the police forces already undertaken have been grossly
inadéquate, partly because the pervasiveness of political and ‘old boys’ loyalties inhibits
the application of compétence and integrity as the main criteria in such reorganizations.
A further limitation of the formai rights of suspects may easily facilitate increased
human rights violations by law enforcers and jail guards, either politically-inspired or
otherwise. Moreover, to fight crime effectively would require the active coopération of
the général public. Such coopération is possible only if law enforcers respect the rights
Main Conclusions 197

and liberties of citizens. It is encouraging that the Supreme Court, as well as the Senate
committees, have emphasized the importance of due process and the rights of suspects.
It is also worth bearing in mind that the tension between effective crime-fighting and
the rights of suspects is universal, and that in an imperfect world this tension is likely
to remain with us.
Nevertheless, the poor image that due process appears to have amongst sections of the
général public, and even amongst law enforcers and some politicians, is a sociological
fact that needs to be honestly addressed. The Department of Justice, academia, légal
NGOs, the Philippine bar organizations and the press should systematically and persis-
tently inform the public about the drawbacks of a limitation to the rights of suspects.
Collective lawyering for underprivileged collectivities, and redress of human rights
violations committed in the context of economic development projects, have grown
increasingly important as a focus of activity for légal and human rights NGOs. Neverthe­
less, politically-inspired human rights violations committed by state agents have remained
a central concern of such organizations throughout most of the post-EDSA period. The
influence of Marxist analytical frameworks in various human rights NGOs has acted as
an inhibiting factor for a timely and adequate readjustment of their focus. In order to
avoid further marginalization in society, it is imperative that these human rights NGOs
shake off outdated ideological habits. Légal aid for underprivileged individuals accused
of common crimes is an obvious new priority for these groups.
The Commission on Human Rights which was instituted on the basis of the 1987
Constitution has retained a credibility problem, in spite of the fact that various commis-
sioners and employees have taken a bold stand on a number of specific issues. Neverthe­
less, the Commission has not fully shaken off its réputation of docility toward the army
- and the other powers that be - despite the fact that many army members have been
implicated in human rights violations. Public confidence in the Commission can only
be completely won if the government is willing to exclusively and consistently appoint
commissioners and other influential staff whose independence is beyond the shadow of
a doubt, and if it allocates adequate funds to this Commission.

Judicial Problems and Economic Factors

The inadequacy of financial resources on the part of the government and the judiciary
has inhibited the successful reorganization of the judicial system. Though more salas have
been created, many positions in the court have remained vacant. The heavy case load
of judges calls for a further increase in the number of judges, which the judicial budget
does not allow. In spite of the fact that judicial facilities have improved, inadéquate and
overcrowded court buildings and facilities are still quite pervasive, including in some
parts of the Metro-Manila area. The inadéquate facilities and heavy case load inhibits
swift and effective justice.
As a resuit of the restricted budget for the judiciary, it is not possible to bring the
salaries of judges to a level comparable with the income of relatively successful private
lawyers, even though in line with the revised classification and compensations system
198 Main Conclusions

of the civil service the salaries of judges and justices are gradually being augmented. This
factor inhibits the judicial recruitment of lawyers of a higher calibre, as well as for some
staff positions, such as légal researchers. This level of salary, and the low salaries of
court staff, further facilitâtes corruption. The problem is also a factor in the recruitment
of justices for the higher courts, including the Supreme Court. Moreover, financial
constraints act to inhibit the introduction of various innovations in the judicial system,
such as computerization of the courts.
The problems of budget and salary in the judiciary however are very much part of a
général problem, and are difficult to solve under the present economic conditions. Low
salaries characterize the Philippine public sector in général, and the government simply
lacks the resources to give a further substantial raise to employees and officiais in the
public sector. On the other hand, the government and the général public need to remain
aware that justice also has its price. Since 1992, much public discontent has been
expressed about the judiciary. It is not fair to blâme the judiciary for the shortcomings
of the country’s judicial system, if neither the government nor the général public is
willing to assign a higher financial priority to the financing of the judiciary. The financial
constraints of the public sector notwithstanding, a substantial increase in budget for the
judiciary is recommendable. A larger budget is ail the more imperative, since improve-
ment of access to justice for increasing numbers of Filipinos will probably facilitate a
further ‘litigation explosion’. The conséquent increase of the judiciary’s work load will
also therefore require even greater resources.
The proportional allocation of funds generated by the conversion and sale of military
land has resulted in an incidental raise in the budget of the judiciary, though there has
been some confusion about the exact amount and terms of its release. Every increase in
the judiciary’s budget is extremely welcome. Spécial lump sums however should not be
used by politicians to promote their personal interests. In a country such as the Philip­
pines, with a history of political patronage, an increase in the appropriation of funds for
the judiciary - particularly an increase of salaries and benefits - could be used to
generate a debt of gratitude. Powerful politicians may seek to cash these debts of
gratitude later, for instance in the form of favorable décisions or docility towards the
powers that be. For politicians, the financing of the cause of justice should be a matter
of duty, not of particularistic favors. Furthermore, the allocation of spécial lump sums
should not be deducted from regular, adequate and automatic appropriations. Article 7
of the United Nations Basic Principles on the Independence o f the Judiciary states: ‘it
is the duty of each Member State to provide adequate resources to enable the judiciary
to properly perform its fonctions.’ Moreover, the only valid utang ng loob (debt of
gratitude) judges should maintain is towards the rights of the Filipino people, not toward
the power bases of politicians.
Apart from raising the budget of the judiciary, a more efficient use of available
resources needs to be effected to remedy the financial problems of the justice system.
It might be worth considering exerting greater effort to recruit lawyers for the lower
courts who can more easily adapt to the existing level of salaries for judges. Talented
and promising lawyers from alternative law, human rights, and free légal assistance
groups, as well as promising young civil servants, should be encouraged to take positions
Main Conclusions 199

in the lower courts. Programs to upgrade the skills of incumbent judges, such as seminars
and the création of a judicial academy, or tutoring by Régional Monitoring Teams may
be more effective and efficient if directed to judges who are young and still relatively
open and flexible rather than to those who are already very set in their ways. Moreover,
lawyers from alternative law, free légal assistance, and human rights groups are compara-
tively idealistic, and may therefore be particularly able to resist corruption and other
undue pressures. They have further displayed a spécial concern for the poor and the
underprivileged.
There are certainly risks in the appointment of relatively young and inexperienced
lawyers to the bench. But considering that the compétence and credibility of many
incumbent judges is also not beyond controversy, one could imagine that a well-planned,
graduai introduction of young and inexperienced lawyers would significantly improve
the quality of the lower judiciary. Moreover, the quality of young applicants could be
screened quite strictly through admission exams and through restriction of candidates to
graduates from high quality law schools. A major impediment to this suggestion,
however, is that law schools with a good réputation tend to inculcate a money-making
orientation rather than a service orientation in their students.
Though free légal aid is not a panacea for the problems of the poor in the justice
system, a strengthening of free légal programs to increase the access of the poor to justice
is imperative. This recommendation has been made by various bodies and organizations,
such as the National Unification Commission.1 The high costs of litigation and of bail,
as well as the limited number of public attorneys and free légal assistance lawyers, are
major factors facilitating inadéquate access to justice for the poor and underprivileged.
Moreover, for many litigants who can afford the expense of litigation, these costs
nevertheless represent a major strain on their budgets.
Both the government, the judiciary and the bar associations should allocate a fixed
minimum budget to free légal assistance activities. Lawyers should no longer be paid
by appearance but by case. The fact that many litigants can only afford to pay the costs
of litigation in a piecemeal fashion could be partly resolved by allowing them to pay their
lawyers in installments, which after ail is a very normal practice in many areas of
Filipino social life. It might further be useful if the Integrated Bar of the Philippines
would articulate and publish guidelines for lawyers and litigants as to the maximum fees
that can be charged for various catégories of cases.
Both the Integrated Bar of the Philippines and the voluntary bar organizations should
increase their efforts to raise financial resources for free légal assistance.2 Extra money
for légal aid programs could come from raising the fees for membership in lawyers’
associations. Another option would be a progressive tax on lawyers’ fees in civil cases.
The revenue could be allocated to légal aid programs for the poor.

Judicial Problems and Organizational Factors

Of ail the major variables, organizational factors are the easiest to manipulate. Many
measures and plans have been developed to improve these factors in the Philippine
200 Main Conclusions

judiciary. Organizational reforms are of course very important for an overall improvement
of the quality of the justice system. However, the fact that such factors are the easiest
variables to manipulate does not necessarily mean that they are the most important ones.
Political and socio-cultural changes, which to a significant extent elude manipulation
through spécifié plans and measures, may be at least as important in determining the
quality of the justice system as organizational factors. In considering judicial reforms
- or any other reform for that matter - one should guard against the illusion that funda­
mental problems can be solved with mere organizational improvements.
Réduction of backlog and court delay has been a prominent goal of various plans and
measures. At the center of these plans has been the ‘continuous trial’ method, in which
court cases have to be tried and finished within specified periods. However, this introduc­
tion has also created its own set of problems, for instance, by shifting backlog and court
delay partially from the trial and post-trial stages to the pre-trial stage.
One major problem is that plans for reorganization tend to be subjected to constant
révision. On the one hand, it is laudable that such plans are revised as a resuit of
practical experience. On the other hand, these constant changes ignore the fact that novel
plans need to be applied with consistency over a period of time before they can start
producing the anticipated results. Recurrent changes in planning may inhibit successful
results and facilitate skepticism (‘another new plan!’) among judges, thus reducing
enthusiasm and commitment to their implementation.3
Attempts to reduce litigation through amicable settlements have been sympathetically
received. However, it remains an open question how useful the barangay justice system
is in this context. In spite of the high success rate claimed by the records of the Depart­
ment of the Interior and Local Government, the barangay system has not been able to
slow the ongoing ‘litigation explosion’. The effectiveness and efficiency of the barangay
courts partly depends on the credibility of the barangay itself as an institution. In urban
areas, where the backlog of cases is most serious, this credibility is problematic. An
attempt at settlement in the barangay justice system may become just another stage in
the litigation process, thus prolonging rather than shortening this process; it may also
introduce a source of corruption in the justice system. More productive might be to
redirect the efforts and financial resources allocated to the barangay justice system
toward the improvement of the pre-trial performance of the regular courts. Before more
of the limited resources available to the judiciary are channeled into this barangay
system, it would be advisable to conduct additional research into the actual effectiveness
of this system, and not merely into the way the system is being perceived by samples
of the général public.
Changes in the rules of court have been introduced regularly over the years. Yet the
need for more drastic changes seems imperative. A strict maximum ceiling could be set,
for instance, on the number of pétitions and motions allowed to be filed in any given
case. One could also forbid lawyers from appealing motions and pétitions to a higher
court before the final verdict of the judge. In this event, déniai of a motion could be
evaluated by a higher court in combination with the appeal of the case as a whole.
The requirement that the judge restate ail the facts of a case in the text of his décision
should be abolished for the appellate courts. Since the appellate courts normally do not
Main Conclusions 201

engage in investigations of their own but merely review the facts as constructed by the
lower courts, there seems to be no compelling need for them to restate ail of these facts.
Consequently the appellate justices could save precious time by writing reviews that are
considerably shorter.
Though the jurisdiction of the RTCs and the MTCs has been adjusted, the overall
effect of this adjustment on backlog and court delay has been very limited. The adjust-
ment has somewhat lightened the burden of the RTCs, but has resulted in a huge increase
in the case load and backlog of the MTCs. Moreover, it is to be expected that the
ongoing ‘litigation explosion’ will soon reverse the decrease in the case load of the
RTCs.
Training for judges as well as for lawyers has been on the agenda of the Supreme
Court and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines in co-ordination with the University of
the Philippines. Implementation of initiative to introduce a judicial academy only started
in 1996, however, because of disagreement over the inclusion of public prosecutors in
such an academy. It is still prématuré to assess the adequacy of the training judges will
receive from the judicial academy.
Training of judges cannot be separated moreover from an improvement in recruitment.
A significant change of recruitment policies, however, faces various constraints as well,
such as the level of salaries in the judiciary and the inadéquate encouragement given to
law graduates to pursue a career in the judiciary.
The Supreme Court has demonstrated diligence in applying disciplinary measures in
the areas of gross incompétence and failure to obey administrative instructions. Neverthe­
less, this diligence has not fully restored the faith of the public in the judiciary. Some
criticism levelled against the disciplinary policies of the Supreme Court has been inspired
by individuals with grudges against the Court or with other hidden agendas, or by persons
having insufficient knowledge of légal principles and procédures to make a reliable
assessment of the Court’s practices. Nevertheless, serious criticism has also come from
knowledgeable, sincere and reputable insiders.
The main shortcoming in the disciplinary efforts concerns cases of corruption or other
forms of undue influence. It must be acknowledged that discipline in such cases is very
difficult to apply because corruption is so difficult to prove. Moreover, corruption charges
need to be scrutinized carefully, since judges are entitled to due process just as any other
citizen. Since many spurious corruption charges have been filed against judges, even
more caution is required. In addition, some judges who have been suspected of corruption
have been punished, with penalties ranging from mere transfer to dismissal on the basis
of gross ignorance of the law. Nevertheless, a more active and transparent policy
regarding suspicions of corruption appears to be necessary to restore the public’s faith
in the integrity of the judiciary. The right of a judge to due process needs to be counter-
balanced by the right of citizens to an honest judiciary. It is recommended that the fight
against judicial corruption be conducted with the utmost vigor, and not merely during
periods of wide negative publicity about the judiciary.
Investigations into suspicions of judicial corruption should not be limited to cases in
which formai complaints have been filed. There are other cases that merit at least a
preliminary investigation. In this context unexplained wealth of judges should be
202 Main Conclusions

investigated. This kind of investigation is also in the interest of judges who are both
wealthy and honest: their wealth may be an object of gossip and suspicion, even if the
source of the wealth is perfectly legitimate. Thus their réputation will be cleared if the
legitimate source of their wealth is exposed. Another reason for launching an investiga­
tion might be the issuing by a judge of an exceptionally high number of orders known
to be a potential source of corruption, such as temporary restraining orders in commercial
disputes and search orders against businesses.

A very spécial and important organizational issue in the Philippines has been the
extensive responsibilities of the Supreme Court. In the 1973 Constitution, the administra­
tive supervision over the lower courts was shifted from the Department of Justice to the
Supreme Court, and the Office of the Court Administrator was introduced. The 1987
Constitution adopted these provisions regarding supervision of the courts. In addition,
until 1995 cases heard in the Civil Service Commission, the Central Board of Assessment
Appeals and the Labor Relations Court could be directly elevated to the Supreme Court,
with the Supreme Court also supervising the Integrated Bar of the Philippines.
A réduction of the administrative responsibilities of the Supreme Court is inévitable,
though the extent of this réduction is subject to considérable controversy. In 1995, the
burden of the Supreme Court was already lightened through a broadening of the jurisdic­
tion of the Court of Appeals and Sandiganbayan. However, this réduction of the Court’s
work load has not gone far enough. For instance, labor cases still take a considérable
amount of the Supreme Court’s time and efforts.
In addition to a needed réduction in responsibilities, the division of labor within the
Supreme Court leaves room for improvement. The Office of the Court Administrator was
explicitly created to manage supervision over the lower courts. But administrative matters
are still discussed in the full meetings of the Supreme Court itself. Moreover, justices
are seldom appointed on the basis of their administrative skills and experience. It would
be recommendable to delegate administrative matters entirely to a spécial branch of the
Supreme Court, in conjunction with the Office of the Court Administrator. The members
of this branch should be particularly selected for their administrative and managerial
skills, training and experience. This administrative branch could also specialize in the
organization, training and supervision of the régional monitoring teams, consisting of
retired judges and justices. The mandate of these régional teams is to investigate the
compétence, integrity and working conditions of courts and judges, and to report their
findings to the Supreme Court.
Apart from such an administrative branch, the suggestion to abolish the various
divisions of the Supreme Court needs serious considération, since it would increase the
consistency, and therefore the legitimacy, of Supreme Court décisions. Moreover majority
décisions with a very narrow margin should be minimized in order to increase the
credibility of the Supreme Court’s décisions.
A drastic réduction of the work load of the Supreme Court faces two major obstacles.
The first of these is that such a reorganization would require constitutional amendments.
Though some amendment of the 1987 Constitution appears to be inévitable in the long
run, the political climate of the mid-1990s in the Philippines makes the proposai of any
Main Conclusions 203

constitutional amendment somewhat risky, since it may encourage other parties to

propose and rally for constitutional amendments for more self-serving purposes. The
second obstacle is that a drastic réduction of the work load of the Supreme Court would
require more work and a higher level of compétence on the part of the Court of Appeals
and, to some extent, of the Sandiganbayan. It is not so difficult to compensate for this
higher work load by increasing the number of justices in these two courts. However, if
some of the duties from the Supreme Court are transferred to the Court of Appeals and
the Sandiganbayan, then a tighter screening of candidates seeking positions in these
courts will be required. An active policy to attract candidates with a higher level of
compétence will be needed. It is recommended to combine the procédures of the Judicial
and Bar Council with a confirmation of the final appointées for high court positions by
the Congressional Commission of Appointments, in order to increase guarantees that high
level appointées will be chosen for these courts.
The law enforcement and pénal systems most need to be drastically overhauled, since
these are major inhibiting factors for a fair and effective justice system. However, this
is first and foremost the responsibility of executive agencies. Recommendations regarding
the law enforcement and pénal systems moreover go beyond the scope of this study.

Judicial Problems and Political Factors

According to the 1987 Constitution, the Philippine judiciary has quite a substantial
amount of independence. The introduction of the Judicial and Bar Council has put some
formai constraints on the executive in appointing judges and justices, whereas the
Supreme Court has the prérogative to supervise and discipline its own ranks, as well as
the bar. Moreover, the judiciary has extensive powers of judicial review.
The introduction of the Judicial and Bar Council - which restricts the liberty of the
Président in appointing judges and justices to choosing from among three to five speci-
fied candidates - has not entirely abolished the President’s freedom in this area. The
introduction of the JBC has not prevented politicians from lobbying for judicial appoint­
ments, nor the candidates themselves from lobbying on their own behalf. Nevertheless,
the impact of this lobbying has been somewhat counterbalanced by the fact that the JBC
has increasingly applied a policy of giving preference to senior career judges for appoint­
ment in the higher courts. With regard to the lower courts, the impact of political
lobbying has been restrained by the fact that there tends to be a relatively small number
of available appropriate candidates.
Lobbying by politicians on judicial décisions has remained a common practice in the
post-EDSA period. It is difficult to assess how successful this lobbying has been in actual
practice however. Whatever the case, the persistence of such lobbying has acted as a
further factor discrediting the réputation of the judiciary as a truly independent branch.
There are also sources of friction between the judiciary and the executive and législa­
tive branches. The power of judicial review, and a tendency that developed during the
administration of Président Aquino toward judicial activism in the area of economic
issues by the Supreme Court, came in conflict with the ambitions of the Ramos regime
204 Main Conclusions

to modemize the economy quickly. These ambitions do not leave room for a Supreme
Court that can overrule policies or slow their execution as well as décidé in economic
controversies that have a direct impact on plans for economic modernization.
The tension arising from this conflict may generate violations of the independence of
the judiciary. Individual judges and justices may be subjected to pressure to décidé cases
in line with the ambitions of the executive. Or the executive may initiate amendments
to the Constitution that will reduce the powers of the judiciary, and particularly of the
Supreme Court.
Indeed the powers of judicial review assigned to the Supreme Court by the 1987
Constitution - as well as the 1987 Constitution itself in général - have been the subject
of much criticism. Yet this right represents an important formai check on potential
authoritarian tendencies in the executive branch. This certainly also applies to the
provision in Article VIII, section 1, which assigns the courts, and most notably the
Supreme Court, the duty of determining whether or not there has been ‘a grave abuse
of discrétion amounting to a lack or excess of jurisdiction on the part of any branch or
instrumentality of the government’.
However, the formulation of this provision has facilitated the filing of cases in the
courts for which this provision was not primarily intended when it was drafted.4 Not
only does this unnecessarily add to the burden of the courts, and, particularly of the
Supreme Court, but it may also unnecessarily draw the judiciary into political and
economic controversies, and thus undermine its réputation as neutral arbiter.
It is therefore recommended to sharpen the focus of this provision on judicial review.
This need however should not be used as a pretext for the abolishment of the judiciary’s
right and duty to act as an effective check on executive power. Given the need to sharpen
the focus of judicial review with great care, and to avoid such abuse, constitutional
amendments regarding judicial review should be postponed until after the presidential
élections of 1998. Moreover, the judiciary should use this right to check executive power
with discrétion and restraint, and should respect sincere efforts on the part of government
agencies to promote social and economic progress.
Nevertheless, the judiciary also has the obligation to boldly perform its duty of
ensuring that the constitutionally demandable and enforceable rights of the people are
truly respected, in practice as well as on paper. The Supreme Court should also assert
in the face of serious criticism the important rôle assigned to it by the 1987 Constitution,
rather than apologize for it, which could be interpreted as an open invitation to reduce
its powers of review substantially.
The judiciary should remain independent in cleansing its own ranks. The Supreme
Court understands the spécifié predicaments of courts and justices better than do other
branches of the public sector, and as the highest arbiter of formai controversies, it is best
suited to render judgment in disciplinary cases involving the bench and the bar. Like in
any other sector, the exercise of discipline by the Supreme Court could potentially be
influenced by tayo-tayo relations, or friendship networks. A transfer of disciplinary
supervision over the courts however will not necessarily reduce favoritism. Individual
members of the executive agencies also have personal affiliations with individual
members of the bench and the bar, for instance because they belong to the same fraterni-
Main Conclusions 205

ty. It should further be noted that historically the transfer of the disciplinary supervision
from the Department of Justice to the Supreme Court was inspired by discontent over
the danger of favoritism by the Judicial Superintendent, the official of the Department
of Justice who was primarily responsible for disciplinary supervision over the courts
before 1973.
The steps that the Supreme Court has taken to improve the discipline of the bench and
the bar have been only partially successful so far. However this is not a sufficient
argument for transferring disciplinary supervision over the courts to the executive
branches again. The enormous problems involved in reorganizing the police and imposing
discipline on law enforcement agencies and the military, as well as the pervasive
corruption and nepotism in the executive and among legislators, demonstrate that the
executive branch is not likely to be more successful than the Supreme Court in disciplin-
ing the bench and the bar. It is to be recommended that the executive branches of the
government fully concentrate on restructuring law enforcement and the pénal system, the
flaws and failures of which are often wrongly attributed to the judiciary by the général
public, and that they leave the disciplinary supervision over the judiciary to the Supreme
Court.
A final drawback of transferring disciplinary power over the bench and the bar to the
executive branches is that such a move could also politicize the process of discipline in
the judiciary, which would constitute a tremendous attack on judicial independence and
integrity.
Nevertheless, as has been already stated, a change of internai organization of the
Supreme Court is advisable in order to enable it to execute its administrative and
supervisory responsibilities more effectively and efficiently. Serious considération should
be given to the proposai to appoint a spécial committee of retired justices and other
reputable members of the légal system to investigate complaints against Supreme Court
Justices. Such a committee would not amount to a public relations panacea for the
Supreme Court, because it could also be accused of favoritism by critics. Nevertheless,
the introduction of such a committee would send a clear signal to the général public that
the Supreme Court Justices are also willing to be held accountable, which in itself would
contribute to improved public credibility for the Court.
In the Philippines the Bar has not been independent either in disciplinary supervision
nor in the administration of its affairs. A number of factors have served to strengthen
arguments against the establishment of an independent bar. The disciplinary record of
the IBP to date has been rather poor. In addition, there was the notorious problem of the
former IBP président disciplined by the Supreme Court in 1992 for malversation of funds
and gross mismanagement of human resources, plus irregularities in a preceding élection.
Moreover, the interest of lawyers in the affairs of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines
has been rather small; a completely independent bar might suffer from factionalist
politics. Specific law fraternities and sororities, as well as certain of the larger law offices
might begin dominating an independent bar, undermining the legitimacy of measures
taken by it. This problem particularly applies to disciplinary supervision. The bar
leadership might easily be accused of prejudice in disciplinary actions against lawyers
who are not part of the dominant factions in the IBP.
206 Main Conclusions

Nevertheless, there are enough lawyers of compétence, high integrity and commitment
to the cause of justice in the Philippines to make a fully independent bar possible. Such
independence would not only bring the Philippines in line with authoritative international
staqdards regarding the independence of the judiciary and the bar, but would also produce
a welcome réduction of the work load of the Supreme Court.
Finally, judicial independence should.never be taken for granted, but always be guarded
carefully. It may be relevant to invoke the comments of a well-known lawyer and former
public official concerning the ‘judicial crisis’ discussed in chapter 5 a stated in an
interview with the author: ‘the question of whether powerful political actors have
orchestrated ail the bad publicity on the Supreme Court and the other segments of the
judiciary, in order to subjugate the judiciary, is not so relevant. If the judiciary has its
house in proper order, it will be able to withstand attacks from any corner.’

Judicial Problems and Socio-Cultural Factors

There are various socio-cultural factors in the Philippines that in principle could facilitate
a fair and efficient judicial system. Often there is a genuine sense of pity and compassion
for the underprivileged, even though such sentiments may also be manipulated by
perpetrators of brutal crimes. This sense of pity is expressed by the term habag, which
refers to showing pity or mercy directly to an individual or group who has sought it
diligently and who believes that the one appealed to is receptive to such an appeal. Such
pity and compassion could form fertile ground for various campaigns and reforms that
would improve access to justice for the poor and the underprivileged. In a number of
cases, the press has successfully mobilized public support for victims of crimes and their
causes, by appealing to the public’s sense of pity and compassion. There is also a
penchant for ensuring ‘smooth interpersonal relations’, i.e. a tendency toward harmony
at least on the surface level of perceptible interaction. This penchant could be appealed
to in the promotion of amicable settlements, which might reduce the volume of litigation
and thus help unclog the courts and avoid unnecessary expenses.
On the other hand, various other socio-cultural factors have been invoked by infor­
mants - including reputable members of the judiciary - which appear to act in a counter-
productive fashion. For example, a strong sense of personalism may facilitate a commit­
ment of lawyers, litigants and law enforcers to particularistic interests rather than to
général values and concerns such as fair and effective justice for ail. This may be
reinforced by the kanya-kanya syndrome, which refers to a tendency for each person to
attend to his own affairs to the exclusion of others. Strong personalism may further
facilitate undue interference in the judicial process through the manipulation of personal
loyalties.
These dangers may be amplified by the lusot mentality, which leads to the cutting of
corners in order to serve one’s personal interest. Similarly, a very important factor acting
to inhibit a fair and effective justice system is the particular form of pride called amor
propio, which aims at preventing loss of face at ail costs and in any manner possible.
The combination of amor propio and lusot accounts for a large share of the manipulation
Main Conclusions 207

of the rules of due process and litigation journalism. Furthermore, though pity and
leniency may be positive factors in some contexts, they may also inhibit the strict
enforcement of rules, procédures and disciplinary measures in cases in which fair and
effective justice require such strict enforcement.
Utang ng loob has been mentioned already in the previous section in relation to
politicians. However, debts of gratitude can also be exploited by lawyers and litigants,
for instance by cashing in on favors performed on behalf of a judge or one of his family
members in the past, in order to exercise undue influence in spécifié court cases. Apart
from utang ng loob, personal relations, such as tayo-tayo — spécial in-group networks
- and other powerful connections, could be exploited in a fashion similar to debts of
gratitude.

Socio-cultural factors are difficult to manipulate, since they are products of complex
historical processes. It is therefore also very difficult to implement recommendations for
a change of these factors. Nevertheless, socio-cultural factors are not static. They do
change as a resuit of the individual choices of people in the long run. Moreover, even
though some socio-cultural factors remain unchanged, their impact on the judicial process
can be somewhat restrained by certain organizational changes. An example of the latter
may be the Judicial and Bar Council. Though the introduction of the JBC has not
eradicated manipulation of personal networks and debts of gratitude in the judicial
process, it has somewhat restrained and regulated the influence of these elements.
Recommendations about socio-cultural factors may therefore still be useful.
An important such recommendation concerns the need to clarify ambiguity regarding
what practices are acceptable in the justice system. This issue of ambiguity affects the
sometimes thin line that separate practices permissible under the written and unwritten
codes of conduct for judges and lawyers, and those allowed according to the wider socio-
cultural norms. Two important examples have been mentioned in this study. One
concerns the donation of small gifts to judges and court staff. According to the codes
of conduct for judges and for public servants these gifts are not allowed, because of their
corrupting potential. But from a wider socio-cultural perspective, these gifts may be
acceptable in order to show personal appréciation, or as an expression of sympathy for
somebody’s hard work and as a compensation for low wages.
Another example is the codes governing the socializing of judges and justices, and
informai contacts between members of the judiciary and lawyers and litigants. From the
perspective of the judicial system, judges and justices are expected to minimize socializ­
ing, as well as to avoid informai contacts with lawyers and litigants - unless perhaps both
parties in a conflict are represented - in order to avoid raising suspicions of partiality.
But in a personalistic culture like that of the Philippines, it may be rude or improper to
décliné invitations by friends or to social events. Moreover, a judge who minimizes
socializing does not build the network that is necessary for advancement of his or her
career.
Two opposite approaches exist to removing inconsistencies between rules of conduct
in the justice system and wider socio-cultural codes. One way involves adjusting the
former to the latter, by making the rules of judicial conduct less strict. The other way
208 Main Conclusions

is to promote and enforce these judicial rules more rigorously, and to explicitly renounce
socio-cultural acceptability as a ground for violation of these rules.
In the Philippines, there are proponents of both options. Some informants argued that
certain formai rules for judicial conduct are too strict from a cultural perspective. They
favor certain readjustments in this respect, particularly of the codes regulating the
socializing of judges and justices and informai contacts with litigants and their lawyers.
Other persons objected to the introduction of more lenient rules, since this would imply
a lowering of moral standards. Both sides may be partially right and partially wrong. On
the one hand, it is self-evident that maintenance of a certain number of clear moral
standards remains imperative in order to protect the integrity of the justice system. On
the other hand, certain specific rules may not be necessary for this purpose, or may be
so alien to the wider socio-cultural system that they cannot be enforced in actual practice.
The existence of rules that nobody respects may undermine the credibility of ail rules
of judicial conduct, even the most essential ones.
In order to erase existing inconsistencies between rules of conduct in the justice system
and those of wider socio-cultural codes in fashion, it is recommended that the bar and
bench organizations review the written and unwritten codes of conduct for judges,
lawyers and litigants. These organizations should further forge a clear consensus as to
which specific rules are absolutely imperative for upholding the integrity of the bench
and the bar, and which other ones can be dropped. Once this consensus is reached, the
rules agreed upon should be enforced strictly. Furthermore, the logic of these rules should
be explained to the général public more clearly, particularly in instances where such rules
conflict in some fashion with wider socio-cultural factors. A major problem in this
regard, however, is the fact that ethics do not appear to be a high priority for large
sections of the légal profession.
The strict enforcement of rules, including disciplinary measures, présents a paradox.
On the one hand, many Filipinos express the need for such enforcement in order to
restrain the lusot mentality. In public debate, there is a clear weariness of the effects of
pervasive corner-cutting and lack of discipline in the country, including in the justice
system. On the other hand however, the strict and consistent enforcement of rules runs
counter to a dominant tendency in the socio-cultural system itself, that of leniency. The
powers in charge of discipline may be influenced by this tendency toward leniency,
which can inhibit a consistently strict enforcement of rules and punishments in cases
which require such strict enforcement.
Nevertheless, Filipino society also has its share of effective disciplinarians, though they
are not necessarily appointed to positions where strict enforcement of rules matters most.
It seems imperative therefore that the ability and courage to exercise impartial and
consistent discipline, would be a necessary criterion for appointment of persons to
stratégie positions in the judiciary, such as members of the Supreme Court, the chairman
of the IBP, and the executive judges in the trial courts. Needless to say, exemplary
integrity also needs to be an essential criterion in such appointments. This last criterion
is ail the more important since the potential for persons in such positions to influence
the conduct of other judges and lawyers - either for the better or for the worse - through
their function as rôle models, is particularly high.
Main Conclusions 209

Final Comments

Efforts to improve the independence of the judiciary and the quality of the justice system
have been an intégral part of the wider economic, political and socio-cultural develop­
ment of the country. Though this development has been advancing, it will probably still
take quite some time before sufficient resources are allocated to improve the judicial
system. Moreover, higher salaries in the judiciary do not automatically eradicate corrup­
tion in the judicial system. Moral campaigns will require patience and endurance before
producing a measure of success.
Economic development furthermore does not necessarily imply greater independence
of the judiciary. Such independence may even be interpreted as a hindrance to economic
progress ‘Asian style’. In addition, economic development has not succeeded in reducing
the poverty of great sections of the Filipino population. The uneven distribution of wealth
remains reflected in uneven access to justice.
The country continues to experience fundamental law and order problems, even though
the concrete forms these problems take may change. In the meantime, such law and order
problems are easily used to legitimize a réduction of citizens’ rights. They may even give
the concepts of due process and human rights a bad réputation among sections of the
wider public.
Political threats to judicial independence also exist. In spite of the fact that the EDSA
revoit created a significant space for démocratie development, the démocratie system has
revealed itself to be tenaciously and fundamentally flawed. One such flaw is that political
candidates can still successfully cheat their way into office without risking disqualifica­
tion or other forms of punishment from either the executive or the judiciary. As the 1995
élections have demonstrated, this possibility of effective cheating also applies to élection
to important posts such as the office of Senator. Another indication of the immaturity
of the present system is the high success rate of former movie or sport stars, who are
elected on the basis of their cultural popularity rather than their political qualities and
experience.
The immaturity of the political system has a negative impact on judicial independence,
human rights and due process. For instance, it is quite possible that a new Président in
1998 might persuade his or her voters that due process itself is to blâme for many social
evils. Not only might the Président condone the bypassing of judicial procédures by law
enforcers, but actually facilitate a lenient or careless attitude among the judiciary
concerning the way law enforcers and prosecutors handle the rights of suspects. This
could be done by appointing candidates who are critical of due process to stratégie
positions in the judiciary. Furthermore, some judges might be tempted to demonstrate
their toughness toward suspects - at the expense of these persons’ rights - in order to
qualify for promotion. A possible variation of this would be a subtle new authoritarian-
ism, brought about either by overhauling the present presidential and législative system
or by abolishing restrictions on the terms of elective officiais and by reducing checks
of presidential power, as has been discussed in chapter 2. Such authoritarianism could
lead to a tighter control of the executive over the judiciary. As the presidential élections
210 Main Conclusions

of 1998 approach, the controversies over the future of the Filipino political order become
increasingly intense.
Nevertheless, there are also promising developments. Recent proposais regarding the
anti-terrorism law have met with widespread résistance, not merely in the civil society,
but also in Congress. Furthermore, there is a genuine and tenacious vigilance about the
resurgence of authoritarianism in various sections of society, even though this vigilance
is sometimes distorted by partisan interests or selfish motives. This demonstrates that
the spirit of EDSA, which ousted a dictator, is by no means dead. In addition, the
Philippines have displayed - and continue to display - enormous potential in terms of
human resources, whether in the NGO field, academia, the judiciary, government or
business. Though efforts to improve the quality of the justice system have met with many
frustrations, the system's problems have been widely discussed, and partly addressed as
well. And though the improving economic conditions may not automatically produce
improvements in the légal system, they nonetheless facilitate the introduction of more
successful, practical judicial reforms.
The challenges and problems of the Philippine justice system, as outlined in this study,
will take consistent and persistent effort to resolve. But though there is ample reason for
caution in expecting substantial improvements, there is ample reason for hope as well.

Notes

1. ‘Report on the Pursuit of a Comprehensive Peace Process.’ 1993, Quezon City, National
Unification Commission: 40.
2. Some organizations, like FLAG, have warned about one possible negative drawback of free
légal aid when implemented without economic reform. This concems the fact that such aid
may make people more dépendent rather than provide them the opportunity to become self-
reliant and thus rise from their situation of dependency and economic misery. This concern
is quite valid. Nevertheless, the problem of the costs of litigation for the poor is so pressing,
that it needs to be addressed even while the process of socio-economic reform is lagging
behind (Diokno, M.S.I. and Sanidad, A.V. ‘Justice and the Rule of Law’, Paper presented
before the Solidarity Seminar on Justice, Metro-Manila: Philippines 1990: 17).
3. In this context, various informants remarked that traditionally Filipinos are very good at
developing new plans, but that the implementation of plans tends to be the ‘achilles heel’.
4. On the basis of the records of the Constitutional Commission, Ricardo J. Romulo has
convincingly argued that the powers of judicial review were primarily and predominantly
intended to protect the fondamental rights of the citizens against government abuses (Romulo,
R.J., ‘A Plea for Judicial Abstinence.’ Philippine Law Journal, 1993, Vol 67.3: 349-51).
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Further D ocum entation

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In this study, dr. Jan Willem Bakker analyzes and evaluates the quality and
development of the justice system in the Philippines. T he independence and
impartiality of the judiciary, the independence and integrity of lawyers, the
protection and prom otion of hum an rights and the access to swift and fair
justice for ail citizens have been key issues in his analysis. Dr. Bakker concen­
trâtes particularly on the period between 1986 when the late Président
M arcos was ousted by the popular EDSA revoit, and 1997.
This study is a joint publication of the ‘Interdisciplinary Research
Program into the Root Causes of H um an Rights Violations’ (PIO O M ) and
the ‘C entre for the Independence of Judges and Lawyers’ (CIJL). PIO O M is
connected to the the National University of Leiden, the Netherlands. T he
CIJL is a com ponent of the ‘International Commission of Jurists’ (ICJ),
which is established at Geneva, Switzerland. Dr. Bakker works with PIO O M
as project coordinator and senior researcher.