"The very first point that the Supreme Court should be asked to resolve on the Neri case is whether the bone of contention, executive privilege, is absolute or not.

"If it is absolute, it will not admit any exception. It can be invoked at all times for any reason whatsoever, whether for or against public interests. Worse, it can be used to hide even high crimes against the people, such as treason. In other words, it will cease to be a privilege, it will become an unbridled double-edged right of the Executive Branch that can be used anyway wanted, and how it will be actually used, whether for good or evil, the people can no longer control.

"Under the situation, there will be no more flexibility in the handling of future cases, whether of treason or of staggering corruption. Executive privilege will ensure that dark secrets are carried to the grave while corrupt government officials are laughing all the way to the bank at the expense of the people.

"This is the far-reaching implication of the Supreme Court decision on the Neri case, which upheld executive privilege even on a matter already known as involving massive corruption; a most cruel crime against the backdrop of millions of poor and starving Filipinos. The decision unduly places too much trust and power on Executive Branch officials, without providing safety nets against their using executive privilege as tool of concealment for their crimes, especially corruption. As the successful perpetration of big-time corruption committed by high Executive Branch officials involves planning, execution, and concealment, then the Supreme Court decision may become an unwitting "accessory" in the concealment phase of such successful corruption in the future.

"Why does the Supreme Court let loose an uncontrollable monster – absolute executive privilege – that can undermine the investigative powers of the Senate and destroy the time-honored checks and balances in government? Is it because Supreme Court justices take for granted the propensity of high government officials to commit evil – like staggering corruption committed left and right as reported by media so that they loosen their guard against it? Have they forgotten the lessons to be learned from highest government officials’ evil acts in the past martial law regime, among the first victims of which were Congress and the Supreme Court itself?

"If the Constitution does not explicitly provide that executive privilege is absolute, then, obviously, it should not be so. In which case, it should admit exceptions, among which are cases of crime. Otherwise we will have a rule of imperfect law that protects rather than exposes criminals. If so, does not the alleged P200 million ZTE-NBN deal bribe offer admitted by no less than an alter ego of the President, constitute a crime grave enough to qualify as exception to executive privilege? Consider that the amount involved is four times that of the threshold for plunder!

"The excuse that fully divulging the alleged anomalies in the ZTE-NBN deal may strain our good relations with China is untenable. If ZTE officials committed acts of corruption just to clinch a favorable business deal with us, as can be gleaned from the testimony of Mr. Leo San Miguel who in effect affirmed that ZTE in fact sought the help of a Filipino group to expedite matters, China has no moral ground before the international community to condemn us for taking steps aimed at curbing large-scale corruption in government contracts. On the contrary, if the alleged bribe offers are true, China should even apologize to us for the shameful acts of its nationals.

"What’s more, the Chinese government does not condone corruption among its officials. As reported by international media, two Chinese officials convicted for corruption: one for receiving bribes exceeding $475,000 was executed in year 2000, while another, convicted for taking $850,000 in bribes, was executed last year." – Marcelo L. Tecson

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If the citizen can see such things so clearly, why is our Supreme Court so blind to the dictates of logic? What is the blinding element that convinces these justices that what she wants to hide must be kept hidden and her lies must be regarded as gospel truth?

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We have another letter:

"Sir, we are listening.

"What’s the next step now that we have indeed among the Jesuit Fathers, Good Shepherds meaning to lead the flock?" – Aurora Riel

***

I must ask, Aurora, are we sheep that we must form a flock before we can act? There are calls for the Chief Justice, for instance, to lead because former President Cory Aquino has been sidelined by a spot of cancer. What sort of flock are we that we have to ask – perhaps, even beg – for someone to become our leader? The true leader comes from within, not from the outside.

If we must act, we ought to do so from our own conviction, not because someone from a higher stature or someone more patriotic or smarter has decided for us what our course of action must be. The proper way is for us, the Filipino people, to decide our course of action. We come into the group with our convictions and, collectively – having all come to the same convictions – choose someone to become our leader. We choose the one person who represents our aspirations and our dreams.

To look for someone outside of the group to become leader is to regard ourselves as if we were a bunch of unthinking sheep with no convictions or higher thoughts Are we as lumpen who must be herded together before we can move forward, not on our own free will but from the decision of some outside leader?

I think better of our people. I will go where the people will take us, not some leader chosen from the elite, traditional leader group that has brought us to this ruinous point of our sad political journey.

Think or where we must go and move forward. If this is the right path, there will be enough of us to make a difference.