A pacifier
A Truth Commission is only as good as its source. If its source is poisoned, the fruits can only be poisoned. How can GMA truly create an independent commission that will investigate no other than herself? Granting that a Truth Commission is allowed under our Constitution and laws, Commissions like the Davide Commission and the Feliciano Commission that investigated the Oakwood mutiny of young armed forces officers have in the past been created, but in those instances the president was not involved nor herself a suspect. GMA’s credibility is so low that nobody who is independent and who is anyone in the legal profession can believe that a Truth Commission will truly get to the bottom of the truth, or that it will have some usefulness at all.
What is quite obvious is that GMA will create a Truth Commission to pacify the bishops who might have been irked at the misleading propaganda the GMA boys are spinning. After the CBCP’s statement, the palace started spreading the word that the bishops have spoken, that they do not want GMA to resign. They did not say such thing. What they did say is that they are not demanding her resignation, but that GMA should discern to what extent she has contributed to the erosion of faith of the people in their government. What they were saying is that they are not demanding her resignation, but if she resigns, they also have no objection.
If the civil society groups will fall for this trap and get co-opted by giving names of people who will compose the Truth Commission, then GMA has won. It will give her and her Truth Commission credibility.
It will buy her time, and her people probably figure that in a long drawn battle, they who have the resources will win in the end. They think that the people will just give up in the end.
What is probably going to happen is that the impeachment process will begin soon, and the focus of the nation will be on the proceedings in the House of Representatives. The opposition is preparing their legal team, which will be composed of private prosecutors and representatives who will be the public prosecutors. Looking at the profiles of the congresspersons who will compose the public prosecutors team, however, only Congressman Ronald Zamora has adequate litigation experience. Still, we cannot discount the talents of Francis Escudero, Rolex Suplico, and Imee Marcos, all from the U.P. College of Law.
Civil society groups have identified five options as TRIO - Truth Commission, Resign, Impeach, Oust. With GMA digging in her palace bunker, it looks like it will be a long-drawn fight. Mass actions will not move GMA out of the palace unless there are a million people in the streets. It looks like the people for now would rather be glued to their television sets when the impeachment process begins.
GMA’s defenders would do well to learn the lesson of the Erap impeachment, and make sure all the “envelopes” will be opened. Any attempt to block the presentation of any evidence against GMA will be interpreted by the people as a means to obstruct the truth, and this can only work against GMA. There may be some problem with rules on evidence because the persons who wiretapped conversation between GMA and Garcillano will probably not show up in Congress. But who knows? And since GMA has admitted that she did call up a Comelec official, an authentication of the tape and identification of the voices by an expert acceptable to both the administration and the prosecution, will pave the way for a verdict of guilty.*
