21st Century Literature - Philippine Justice System

21st Century Literature - Justice System

• Objectives:

  • Recognize the use of symbols and figurative language in poetry.
  • Understand how the Philippine justice system works and its problems.

• Philippine Justice System Issues:

  • Described as a "mixed legal system" of civil, common, Islamic, and customary law.
  • Judicial institutions are considered weak, corrupt, and slow, especially for the poor.
  • The judiciary may be controlled by the president or the legislative branch, making it vulnerable to political influence.
  • This weakens checks and balances on the executive and legislative branches, thus potentially causing unfair trials.
  • The reliability of law enforcement agencies and policemen in the Philippines is ranked 123rd out of 140 countries.
  • The Philippines is ranked 105th in terms of an independent judiciary.
  • Corruption in the Supreme Court is noted with the Philippines ranked 95th out of 140 for this. Transparency International ranked it 111th out of 180 countries.

• Impeachment of Chief Justice Renato Corona:

  • Corona failed to report $2.4 million in his Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN).
  • According to him, this was not an impeachable offense and protected by 1974 bank privacy law.
  • He was impeached by the Philippine Senate, with 16 Senators voting for impeachment and 3 for acquittal.
  • He did not declare 183 million pesos in his SALN. This is a public document required for all government officials.
  • This event may be interpreted as a victory over corruption, but there are differing interpretations, with some seeing a political motive behind it.
  • Concerns were raised about former Chief Justice Corona's actions and the broader issue of corruption.

• Symbolic Representation (Poem Analysis):

  • The poem's symbols represent elements of the Philippine Justice System.
  • Blindfold signifies impartiality.
  • Golden scales represent validity of evidence.
  • Double-edged sword represents pro and con of evidence.
  • Thoth's feather of truth represents truth, and possibly legal proof.
  • Fading goddess of Justice represents weakening of the system.
  • Cloudy as doubts represents uncertainty within the justice system.
  • Right and wrong as shuffled cards represent the uncertainty of justice and fairness that is susceptible to manipulation.

• Guide Questions:

  • Questions presented about the poem and the Philippine Justice system. These are meant to give further insight into this complex matter.

• Group Activity:

  • Research and report on the impeachment of Chief Justice Corona, considering how this event affected the perception of the justice system.
  • Analyze if this literary work reflecting the Philippine perspective of the country's justice system.

• Assignment:

  • Compose a reaction paper addressing what was learned from the lesson about justice in Philippine society.