The Prosecution of the Arroyos is Rule of Law – @gendannylim

Official Statement of (Ret.) Brigadier General Danilo Lim

I join the Filipino people in celebrating their victory in preventing the escape of Mrs. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo from the hands of justice. I join them as we collectively take the first step in making the former “untouchable” account for her high crimes against the country. Amid the confusion brought about by the hubris of blind legalism spawned by the Arroyos’ legal representatives who acted with the intention to muddle if not conceal the real character of the issue, I salute the Filipino people for being steadfast in their pursuit of justice and accountability. It is admirable that despite the growing disarray within our judicial system, the people refused to be bamboozled. They simply and correctly followed their instinct and political sense. And because of that, Mrs. Arroyo was prevented from running away from her accountability, had been arrested and is now awaiting trial for her transgressions.

I also extend my support to Department of Justice Secretary Leila De Lima for demonstrating extraordinary political will in a very extraordinary situation. That she was willing to be cited in contempt, disbarred from legal practice and even incarcerated is very admirable. We, who hail from the patriotic and progressive section of the uniformed service and who broke away from Mrs. Arroyo’s corroded chain of command completely identify with the justice secretary. We thank the justice secretary for validating the struggle of the soldiers who sacrificed their military careers and even put their lives in harm’s way in order to free the people from Mrs. Arroyo’s illegitimate rule.

Lastly, on the question of rule of law. I believe laws are threshed out from the people and from their “ordinary rules of common sense.” In this case, the political sense of the people is to pursue justice, which is one of the bedrocks of the rule of law. Hence, the desire to make the Arroyos account is primarily premised on this maxim. The prosecution of the Arroyos is Rule of Law.

In the final analysis, if our democratic institutions will fall short of swiftly and judiciously providing justice to those who desperately seek it, the people, the true sovereign who give consent to these institutions and raison d’être to the rule of law can always exact it.