Justice Abad: 'We have a wounded court after impeachment trial'

In the pained voice of an aggrieved party, Supreme Court Associate Justice Roberto Abad described his institution as a "wounded court," and suggested that a court insider like himself would be the best choice for Chief Justice to lead it in a time of healing and reconciliation. He said he would forgive President Aquino and Congress for hurting the court. "Kung nasa loob, he or she is somebody with a mind to forgive. Ang dapat na gagawin ng chief justice ay... forgive the President, forgive Congress for the things that [the judiciary] has suffered," Abad said before the Judicial and Bar Council panel interviewing the 22 nominees for chief justice. "At kami rin ay patawarin niyo," he added. Abad is the first of six current Supreme Court justices to be interviewed for the vacant post of Chief Justice before a live television audience. In an impromptu statement that immediately made the rounds on Twitter, Abad said, "We have a wounded court after the impeachment trial. We were taken aback by this and discouraged." With Supreme Court justices usually avoiding public statements, Abad voiced rarely heard insider sentiments about the impact of the Corona impeachment trial on the court. Most of the justices, as well as many lower court judges and Supreme Court employees, had rallied around the beleaguered Corona during the five-month-long trial that ended with his conviction and removal from the court. "The impachment trial awakened us. It made us consider where we are. It makes us look at our inner being," he said. Upon questioning from JBC member and Rep. Niel Tupas, who was also a lead prosecutor in the Corona trial, Abad admitted to being a loyal friend of the former chief justice who attended masses at the Supreme Court in support of Corona. The 68-year-old Abad said appointing a lawyer who was not already a justice of the high court would add insult to injury. "Kapag mag-appoint kasi ng outsider, nasugatan na nga ang judiciary, sinubsob mo pa," he said. He asserted that an insider like himself would result in a "renewal" after the upheaval resulting from the ouster of Corona. "Parang mas mabuti yata na taga-loob para magkakaroon ng renewal within," Abad said.