With the Ombudsman gone, is CJ Corona next?

In the recent past, the embattled Ombudsman refuse to resign her post and succumb to pressure from the President. However, just after the holy week, and perhaps timed to coincide with the so called Royal wedding of the decade, the Ombudsman announced her resignation. What could have precipitated the change of heart?

The Ombudsman and her supposed master, the former President, has relentlessly been attacked by almost everyone in the mass media for quite some time already. As an observer, I saw that the mass media even increased its attack in the past couple of weeks, even when there are no actual updates on the Ombudsman’s impeachment. Surely, the Ombudsman saw what is happening and knew that no mortal in the Senate could withstand the pressure to find her guilt. Perhaps all she can really do now is to resign.

In my opinion, this proves that when the mass media and the President banded together for a certain cause, they can virtually do just about anything. The question is: What (or who) is their next cause?

For reasons many see only as for political gains, it is quite obvious that the ultimate target of the Aquino government is the former President Arroyo. One can even easily prove that getting at Arroyo may be the only promise Aquino has the determination to fulfill. Meanwhile, everyone knows that whatever stone they throw at the former President will ultimately need the Supreme Court’s concurrence. It is therefore quite simple really to conclude that in order to pin Arroyo down, the government must be able to control as to how the Supreme Court decides. Indeed, it could be noted that the President and the mass media has already been pounding on the SC, CJ Corona in particular, since day one. So far, the administration might have succeeded partly but not yet convincingly.

In order to force the issue against the Ombudsman, it was the House of Representatives who generated some news topics and issues via the impeachment which the mass media all so willingly propagated. In order to pound on the Supreme Court, I am sure a similar impeachment tact is considered. However, I think it is unnecessary. All the administration needed to do is to convert some of the justices to their own fold, albeit silently, and control the majority. With the power of the purse, it is quite easy to do. With the power of the mass media, the conclusion of the task is easy to tell.

This means that former President Arroyo will ultimately be toast whatever her sins are. It is just a matter of when. This is unless something happened with the Aquino government who given its incompetence has a good chance of again chomping on its own tail worse than how they did it in the hostage fiasco last year, or unless Arroyo supporters learn to compete where it matters – in the mass media.