Vizconde Massacre

MANILA, Philippines — Chief Justice Renato C. Corona said Monday that judicial independence is under severe test, but vowed to safeguard the courts in the exercise of their judicial discretion.

“We are public servants at a time when judicial independence and, it goes without saying, freedom itself, are being severely tested,” Corona said in his speech during the awarding ceremonies of the Society for Judicial Excellence at the historic landmark Manila Hotel.

Lately, the Supreme Court has been under severe criticisms in its decisions on several cases, notably the acquittal of Hubert Webb and others in the Vizconde massacre, the unconstitutionality of the creation of the Truth Commission, the issue on midnight appointments, the constitutionality of the cityhood of 16 towns, and the temporary restraining order on the implementation of the law that postponed election in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, synchronized it with the 2013 election and allowed the President to appoint officers-in-charge in the region.

The judiciary’s budget for 2011 was slashed by Congress, and for 2012, aside from the budget cut, the allocation for certain judicial posts that remained unfilled has been withheld by the Department of Budget and Management.

“While this is certainly a positive development in terms of encouraging the people to take a more direct participation in governmental affairs because of their stake in the process and outcome of governmental action, it can also potentially pose a danger to the exercise of judicial discretion,” he said.

“It was one thing for the men and women of our courts to struggle against the blatant attempts to impose authoritarian control on the judiciary during the Martial Law years. It is quite another today, however, to ensure a balance between the unimpeded performance of our functions and the need to assure our people that justice is being dispensed even-handedly to all,” he said.