My Shadow of Doubt

I have not read Ms Vitug’s book, Shadow of Doubt which as they said contains an expose on how the magistrates with the high walls of the Supreme Court sing their songs and come up with decisions full of legalese and jargons that ordinary people do not comprehend.

But I am happy, with the look of things, it took a woman’s courage to break the silence and say something hard about the judiciary where most men are not capable of. I admire her bravery for singing the song which we can hardly muster, much more the men in the legal profession and the judiciary.

It is but high time that we take a look into the third branch of government, the judiciary which is not as often talked about for fear of contempt. It is time that we also take a closer look on these magistrates in robes for after all, a public office is a public trust. They always castigate people in government’s misdeeds but no one notices theirs. Many may notice but keep mum about it.

Maybe, with these, we can look deeper into the factuality of why the poor do not seem to get the justice they seek, the alleged TROs that sell like hotcakes to those who have the money, the peers the people in the judiciary associate with and how they affect court decisions.

I did not say enough of the people in the Executive Branch and Congress but what I am trying drive at would be the balance of the playing field. These people are also humans and also have stories behind the robes. To put it bluntly, I say that we should also take a look at the human side of the people who administer justice and is this administration of justice also reflective of their lifestyles, their personal biases and their morals. Remember the age old adage which said “judge and you will be judged”. Let us also judge them, and say if they are really capable of their being judges.

I am sitting and waiting that this book be publicly distributed, widely read and I am raring to get my copy, too.

I will certainly give my ten cents in this page. I will also listen to what others may say and I am certain that because one has started the ball rolling, thank you to Ms Vitug, that others will also follow to talk about their experiences and what they know of how justice is administered and served in this democratic country. For all we know, these people in the judiciary may have more skeletons in their closets than those we always criticize in the news.