Carpio may be venting his frustrations on the political arena, hoping to become the catalyst for the return of the era of vindictiveness.

Daily Tribune Editorial

Former Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, new leader of the yellow mob through the premature political movement 1Sambayan, was founder of what used to be notoriously known as The Firm, or what was known during its pinnacle as the Carpio, Villaraza, Cruz, Marcelo law office.

The Firm lorded over both the legal profession and Philippine politics in a long span stretching the administrations of former presidents Fidel Ramos, Gloria Arroyo and Benigno Aquino III.

The Firm, which became the Villaraza Cruz Marcelo & Angangco, or CVC Law office, broke up in 2013 over “financial and management” differences among its partners.

With Carpio being well entrenched in the Supreme Court (SC) after his appointment by Arroyo on 26 October 2001, The Firm consolidated its influence in the Judiciary and Executive branches of government.

It was Carpio and Conchita Carpio-Morales, an Associate Justice and later on the Ombudsman, who openly objected to Arroyo’s appointment of Renato Corona as Chief Justice after Reynato Puno retired shortly before the May 2010 elections.

Insiders in the High Court then attributed Carpio’s vehement objection to the certainty that he wouldn’t get the top SC post after a falling out with Arroyo, who used to be a big client.

His cousin, Carpio-Morales, was said to have been named to the position in the Tribunal after being backed-up by “The Firm.”

Relations between Carpio and Arroyo turned for the worse after former Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz, a member of “The Firm” and a fraternity brother of Carpio and Senator Franklin Drilon in Sigma Rho of the University of the Philippines, backed Noynoy Aquino for the presidency.

Carpio even issued a statement then before the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) that he would refuse an appointment by outgoing President Arroyo, while adding that he would accept a JBC nomination for the then vacant Chief Justice position on the condition that the same will be submitted to the next president after Arroyo.

The question then was the propriety of Arroyo naming a successor to Puno in the twilight of her term, which many of her critics then insisted should be a privilege available to her successor.

The fact, however, that the JBC proceeded with the selection process indicated that the judiciary’s appointing body cleared President Arroyo’s designation of the SC head despite the questions raised on the process.

At the height of the oust-Corona campaign launched by Noynoy Aquino, the then Chief Justice revealed Noynoy’s proposal for a term-sharing agreement with Carpio.

Under the supposed deal, Corona would step down after serving a year and relinquish his post to Carpio.

Corona said he turned down the offer since the Constitution provided him a fixed term until 2018 when he reached retirement age.

Aquino, through an expensive campaign, succeeded in ousting Corona, but events unfolded in which instead of Carpio, the much younger Maria Lourdes Sereno was named Noynoy’s choice, assuring a longer tenure for a chief ally as head of the SC.

Missing several chances to become the head of the Tribunal, Carpio may be venting his frustrations on the political arena, hoping to become the catalyst for the return of the era of vindictiveness.

Source： Daily Tribune 22-03-2021