Atty. Fernando Perito files a disbarment case against pugilist lady mayor Sara Duterte just as the Sheriffs Confederation of the Philippines (SCHOPHIL), for Abe Andres, files its own raps for direct assault and grave misconduct against the said mayor before the office of the Ombudsman. While we clamor for the Supreme Court to make its own statement on the mayor's (sara's) contumacious subversion of its order (of demolition), Court Admin. Midas Marquez, when asked to comment, said he has not had info on the disbarment, and went on to remind the media that disbarment proceedings are confidential.
Susmariosep, when you're a public person and you do something that media is certain to feast on, you tacitly shed off your right to confidentiality; this whole thing is public by any measure. Try googling her name and you get over half a million suggestions in less than a second, not all hers of course, but you can sense how the search engines had quickly adapted to such an entry. Scan the papers; tabloids and all, TV news programs, social networks, blogs, she’s all over, so pervasive that it borders on invasion. Given that, I guess confidentiality is the least of her worries.
Her popularity right now, I surmise, can even eclipse that of Pnoy's. And with the news on the disbarment and ombudsman cases, expect the media to go on a renewed and reinvigorated coverage of her . Free air time and ad space: Talk about incidental gains, or opportunities in crisis.
I strongly doubt if the incident (punching) itself could justify disbarment. Everyone knows now the antecedent circumstances to the incident: tragic flooding that took an unusually high number of casualties; roughly 3000 families displaced; over a hundred homes washed away; an estimated 40 million pesos damage on infrastructure; most of all, the ensuing evacuation problem, and its maintenance and management in the evacuation center.
That is no doubt stressful, and calls for tough and steady personal constitution, which I guess the mayor had displayed until that day. That she lost her calm, as the nation had witnessed, although not to be condoned readily, is understandable. As they say, when emotions are high, intelligence is low. In fact, that endeared her more to her constituents. Who wouldn’t want a leader who fights for her people.
However, to remain defiant and unapologetic is all IMPUNITY. That’s what sets off the furor. People elsewhere find it offensive that while all else have to process thoughts first before action considering the consequences vis-à-vis the laws, which is what keeps order, one can disregard the same laws and act based on her emotions and not be accountable to it.
We don’t lust for anyone’s blood, but we want the authorities to show and affirm that we are a country of laws and not of men. The last time I checked, Davao is still part of the Philippines, so there’s no reason why we should have different laws for them, or suspend the application of laws to them.
Sadly though, voices of our government have not pronounced one bit that has any semblance of what justice requires, and continue to be evasive and hedging on the issue. We’ve heard what the court, the DILG, and the police had to say. The police leadership from Manila even intimated that the bodyguard (SP01) is liable for failing to stop her boss, the mayor. Hell, he may be accountable for his act or omission, but to see him and NOT the mayor is cowardice for the police. Even so, knowing the Dutertes in Davao, would any bodyguard dare go against the mayor, or much less parry her punches. Not a chance, unless you’re on death wish.
The police if it had nothing sensible to say, should just muzzle itself. Damn, I’m reminded of the Manila hostage crisis. Now, with the Chinese thumbing their noses on us, it’s hard to see how our police would be of any help when it can’t even stand up to one mayor, lady at that.
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