TRINIDAD, Eva Angeline M.

2011-41125

Constitutional Law 1 Professor Anthony Charlemagne Yu

December 15, 2015
Insights on Shadow of Doubt: Probing the Supreme Court
The integrity of the Supreme Court as a whole as well as its Members is a delicate thread
from which peace and order hang. This is why in cases where their integrity is put to question,
Justices bend over backwards to protect their peers and their reputation.
Renowned journalist Marites Vitug began her book by saying that the writing of Shadow
of Doubt: Probing the Supreme Court (2010) was spurred by how she and a colleague were
summoned to the Supreme Court to explain and defend their published Newsbreak story of a
reported bribery by one of its Members. The summoning resembled a court proceeding, she said,
and it was though they, being the messenger of the news, were being put on trial themselves for
releasing the news item. She mentioned how it was as if it was expected that the Court should get
special treatment when it came to media coverage. She quoted Justice Vitugs saying that,
Perhaps they (Justices of the Supreme Court) deserve some different kind of treatment [from
politicians].
Based on the nature of the judiciary itself and the duties it carries out, it is generally nonnegotiable that the Supreme Court, the highest bastion of justice in the country, goes about its
business privately and in isolation, ideally free from political influences and exists autonomously
from the different branches and departments of government. It is also held to the highest standard
in terms of image, and its Members are required not only to practice integrity but have the

outside appearance of integrity as well, to establish and maintain the trust of the general public.
This is likely the reason the Court reacted the way it did when it came to the bribery issueif the
media releases stories that casts even the slightest of doubts towards the Courts integrity, then
what reason do the people have to continue subjecting themselves to its judgments?
As a graduate of broadcast communication, I am a firm advocate of efficient and accurate
information dissemination when it comes to subjects of public interest, especially regarding the
transparency and accountability of those in public office. This is the topic in Vitugs book that I
was interested in the most. The necessity of secrecy with regard to Court workings is inherent in
the duties they perform, but it is a delicate process balancing this need with the publics right to
knowledge and to be able to hold these public officials liable and accountable for their actions
during their tenure.
The rock on which the Supreme Courtand the rest of the judiciarystands is that of
integrity and public trust. Tangentially, the justice system in the Philippines firmly rests on the
balance and separation of the three branches; this is why certain supervening events and factors
that upset that balance or undermine the integrity of the government branches hold the country
on the brink of chaos.
Vitug enumerated some of them in her book: the controversies regarding the Judicial
Development Fund in conjunction with former Chief Justice Davides impeachment trial; the
erratic and often imprudent screening of the Judicial and Bar Council for members of the courts;
the political atmosphere, and religious groups influence,

surrounding the Presidents

appointments to judicial positions; the Courts intervention in EDSA II, proclaiming

Macapagal-Arroyo as the countrys de jure President; the constant reversals and flip-flopping of

the Courts decisions; the Courts independence when it accepted donations from certain parties
and entered partnerships with local government units in its Justice-On-Wheels program; the
massive backlog of cases, especially upon Justices retirements; and the midnight appointment of
former Chief Justice Corona, among others. My main takeaway from these illustrations is that no
matter how much we wish it, the Supreme Court cannot and will never be able to exist in a
vacuum, subject exclusively to the letter of the law and to the greater good. There is always a
confluence of factors and political players that affect the Courtand in conjunction with it, the
Chief Executive and Congressin its administration of justice and ultimately its image in the
public eye.
I finished reading the book at the end of my first semester as a law studentI have read
the cases, I understand the references, I can make sense of the language. Perhaps it was my
youth, or my naivet, or the novelty of the subject matter that in the beginning I never questioned
the correctness of Supreme Court decisions. It was only later that I began wondering how or why
a far-fetched conclusion was reached, and began noticing discrepancies and oddities in Justices
reasons for deciding a particular way. This is how Marites Vitug tackled the topic of the Supreme
Court: with a critical eye and a voice that was not afraid to speak out its doubts and questions,
not afraid to step on the toes of powerful people if it meant ensuring that the masses are
adequately informed as to the processes that take place beyond the closed doors of government
officials. That, I think, is the most important essence of Shadow of Doubt. Its plain language and
casual prose makes it a practical means for the general public to understand the workings of the
government on a legal levelsomething commonly thought of as exclusive to those who are in
politics or students of the law. It invites its readers to look closer into the actions of public

officials and make themselves aware of the catalysts, as well as the consequences, of these
actions.
Moreover, I believe it challenges those who are and who will be in public office in the
futurewhether in the Supreme Court or notto hold themselves to the highest of moral
standards. It aims to say that the trust of the citizens in the Court and its Members should be
earned and maintained not through censorship of the media or through covering up their taboos
but through their honest performance of duties, their integrity inside and outside of the
workplace, and their full commitment into meting out justice for the betterment of the country.
WORK CITED:
Vitug, Marites Danguilan. Shadow of Doubt: Probing the Supreme Court. Quezon City,
Philippines: Public Trust Media Group, 2010. Print.