Hope for big change blows fresh in Chief Justice Sereno

CHANGE HAPPENS BECAUSE OF THOSE WHO DARE BOLDLY

Hope for big change blows 

fresh in Chief Justice Sereno

By BERTENI "TOTO" CATALUÑA CAUSING

P-Noy and CJ Sereno after the oathtaking (Inquirer photo)

Niel Armstrong who has just died today did it.  Along with two other astronauts Michael Collins and Dennis Aldrin, they risked their lives not knowing whether they would live or die in the first journey of man to the moon.  They succeeded and they came back alive.  He made a small step that made a giant leap to mankind.

Rebels like Andres Bonifacio and Jose Rizal dared to die. Their blood along with countless nameless men and women and heroes regarded lower than their greatness delivered the blow that mattered most, leading eventually to the conquest of the once mighty government of the Kingdom of Spain.  Of course it went with the finishing help from Commodore George Dewey.

Gandhi had his unique brand of fighting technique, anchored on the wisdom that says: "Don't give your enemy a reason to hit you."  So that the Indians during his time laid down their bodies ready for the killing by the colonizing British soldiers.  Conscience conquered the foes and compelled the latter's government to give independence to India.

Steve Jobs dared the world with his expensive McIntosh computers, ipod, iPhone and iPad tablets.  He changed the world rapidly from pure text messaging to reaching dreams by fingertips.  Subsequently, all competitors followed the standards he set.

During one more time of turbulence in the Philippine history, then National Defense Secretary Ramon Magsaysay Sr. dared to risk his life to conquer the hearts of the rebels of his time.  It led the people to elect him to become the 5th President. (The author does not regard Emilio Aguinaldo as the president.)

During another dark days, martial law, one man in the person of Ninoy Aquino dared to give his life. It led to the collapse of the dictatorial regime and democracy was born again.

One more game-changer is this woman whose father hailed from Siasi, Sulu.  She is Maria Lourdes Punzalan Aranal-Sereno.  The youngest justice-nominee was appointed the 24th Chief Justice of the Philippine Supreme Court.

Sereno's interview by the JBC reveals the uniqueness in her wisdom and person. She appears like a saint in her way of life as she follows her seven guiding principles in her life. 

She defines her judicial philosophy as: "vision, courage and accountability."

These revelations of her own self must have led P-Noy to choose her to be the first woman CJ and to serve for a long 18 years at that.  That period is long enough to change the Justice System and the Judiciary.

Hukuman ng Mamamayan Movement Inc. (HMMIC) and Alab ng Mamamahayag (ALAM), where I am the president in both, are hopeful that she would open the door to the proposal to change the hearings to jury trials.

If she does so, she would be giving back to the people the power to judge.

LISTEN TO HER INTERVIEW