Fair, relevantReporting the Corona Trial
The number of news reports and opinion pieces on the SALN issue increased as the public became more interested on the use of the document as an anti-corruption tool. InterAksyon (the online news portal of TV5) even launched a “SALN watch”:
“April 30 was the deadline for government officials to file their Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN), a crucial instrument for ensuring transparency and accountability in government. Thanks to the ongoing impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona, there is higher public awareness on the SALN’s ability to discourage corruption, and its potential to expose it out where it exists.
“Filing SALNs, however, is one thing. Disclosing its contents to the public is another.”
The events in the past five months raised the level of public awareness of the legal system and the administration of justice. To address the demand for further information, the news organizations have been reporting the search, screening, and selection process for the next Supreme Court chief justice. Press coverage on the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC), whose “primary task is to recommend appointees to the Judiciary and the Office of the Ombudsman for the President’s perusal”, has visibly surged.
For example, 24 Oras asked possible nominees, legal experts, and members of the JBC to explain the minimum qualifications for the position, predict who might be appointed, and to explain the consequences of the President’s choice. (“Pagpili sa Chief Justice”, May 30)
VERA Files released a three-part special on judicial appointments.
A variety of views
During a one month period, PJRR noted over a hundred editorials, editorial cartoons, columns, commentaries, and analyses on the Corona trial.
The opinion pieces provided a variety of views on the issue. Some explained the court proceedings and legal issues; others provided background and gave policy reviews. While a number of columnists were critical of him, several were sympathetic to the former chief justice.
The issue of individuals/groups with vested interests trying to influence the decision of the impeachment court also came up in the opinion pieces. For example, Rigoberto Tiglao wrote in his Inquirer column “A pyrrhic victory for Aquino”:
“Whatever happens, Corona will be remembered not as the chief justice who was ousted from office because of his inaccurate ‘SALN,’ but as the chief justice who got screwed because he went against the President’s clan in order to implement genuine land reform….
“Corona’s conviction sets a very dangerous precedent for our republican system: A President can mobilize the entire apparatus of government and break laws and, supported by media, go after his perceived enemy—even the highest official of the judiciary—with a Congress terrified of opinion polls as his accomplice.” (Outlook, May 31)
Other pieces dealt with the consequences of the impeachment trial on governance, transparency and accountability:
“The observations spoke of the senators’ fear that the impeachment trial is being set as a precedent for the Ombudsman to go after them. The fear is misplaced; it’s a paranoia that is irrational and baseless. In devoting much time interrogating Morales on the powers of the Ombudsman, the senators deflected attention from the fundamental issue facing the impeachment court and betrayed a strange persecution complex. It’s not about you, your honors. It’s about grafters and bringing them to justice.” (“It’s not about you”, Editorial, Inquirer, May 17)
“As public officials review their SALNs more closely for proper compliance with RA 6713 (Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees), mechanisms for verifying the accuracy of the asset statements should also be fine-tuned. SALNs can be matched with an official’s tax payments, for example. If public officials routinely lie in their SALNs, it is because they think they can get away with it….
“The lifting yesterday of the SC resolution on the secrecy of justices’ SALNs is a good step toward promoting transparency and public accountability. Now there must be an effective mechanism to verify all SALNs for accuracy.” (“Mechanism for verification”, Editorial, Star, May 31)
Press reporting overall was fair, relevant, and responsive to what it correctly saw was an interest in the impeachment process and the subsequent selection of the next chief justice. Although some commentators could be accused of bias for or against Corona, there was no indication of institutional bias either in the news or opinion pages. #
[…] Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile so recently cheered and lionized for his stunningly diligent pursuit of truth in the judgment of former Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato C. Corona. Coming to the defense of […]