Corona is specifically fingered for his appointment of one individual as court administrator, head of the Public Information Office, and chair of the Bids and Awards Committee leading to a diminished internal auditing mechanism. No other specific allegation is made against him in the media report, perhaps with good reason, since delays in the project clearly started before Corona took office. While the buck stops with the man in charge, any insinuation in the media report that Corona is to be held responsible solely or mainly for the breaches in the program may be premature, at best, and possible propaganda. What of the Program Management Office and other players in the program? What of the role of individual justices who claimed for and/or received ineligible disbursements? Surely, all knowing and willing participants in the alleged abuse of the program are individually and equally culpable, irrespective of administrative weaknesses.
When a former president and a Chief Justice of the Supreme Court can be hauled into court for alleged abuses, the Rule of Law is surely alive. The question is, is it well? Will the prosecution of both Arroyo and Corona result in convictions and meaningful sentences? One must guard against overzealousness in expecting too much from a process that is politically charged. The Rule of Law may be of little significance where an impeachment, which many argue ought to be akin to a judicial process, takes place in an otherwise political tribunal. The legislative branch is not well rehearsed in processes meant to guarantee fairness in a trial, and with political interests which may be averse to such a process.
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