KILL ALL THE LAWYERS!

KILL ALL THE LAWYERS!
Impeachment Court Presiding Juror Juan Ponce Enrile

By BERTENI "TOTO" CATALUÑA CAUSING
Editor-in-chief, Dyaryo Magdalo


I talk on some poetic defenses that succeeded and relate them to the defense being put up for Chief Justice Renato Corona.

I hope everybody now sees the beauty of the theory of the defense team. 

His assets' total may not be commensurate to what has been shown as his actual.  But former Justice Serafin Cuevas has been repeating lines to that him is poetry in motion.

Cuevas has been arguing that the law on SALN, Rep. Act 6713 allows corrections, that these were but "inaccuracies" that can be corrected under such law, that the law does not say the reflection in the SALN must be centavo-by-centavo or peso-by-peso, that substantial equality between the actual wealth and the SALN-listed wealth is enough, and finally that non-disclosure or "inaccuracies" as he termed is not so grave enough like treason or high crime to be considered as a justification to impeach.

With this I recall the "romantic liaison" theory used in acquitting Daniel Smith from the conviction over the rape of that mysterious woman who called herself "Nicole."  The lawyer of Smith here was Atty. Justiniano, one of the private prosecutors of Corona.

I also recall the phrase that let Shakespeare shout in a poetic line he created: "Kill all the lawyers!" Here, a loaner was about to be adjudged to have a pound of flesh taken off the body, but a lawyer came and told the judge: "Wait Your Honor If I may say. The contract never said that blood will also be taken off for non-payment.  Now, we cannot avoid taking blood if we were to take a pound of flesh."

I also recall the story that let Shakespeare say through the mouth of Delilah when the enemies who cheated her in their agreement: "It is not the letter that killeth but the spirit that giveth life."  Here, Delilah agreed to cut the long hairs of Samson upon the pledge the enemies will not touch him.  But after capturing Samson, the foes placed a blazing steel one-inch away from the eyes of Samson, making him blind forever.  When Delilah complained of the breach of contract, the foes just said: "Look, we never touched Samson. The blazing steel never touched his body for it was put an inch away from the eyes."

This beauty stands a good chance if the ones who would decide are the justices of the Supreme Court.

The problem, however, is whether the people and the senators who are not lawyers would see the POETIC DEFENSE being put up block by block by Cuevas et al.

The only question in the end is this: Is this beauty enough to allure the minds of the people and the senators?

Good luck to my former professors Tranquil Salvador III, Jose "Judd" Roy and Jacinto "Jack" Jimenez.

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