Justice for a Moro Associate Justice

“If DNA is a factor in molding the character and personality of a person, then Justice Dimaampao is his father’s son.

I have long wanted to write this piece. But delicadeza had overpowered me to tarry. My ethnic and religious affiliation will be suspect as obfuscating my objectivity. But I feel the time is ripe. I have to weigh in my two cents’ worth, else its relevance and validity will be overtaken by time and will not matter a bit later. I refer to the odyssey of one Moro Associate Justice of the Court of Appeals to the highest ladder in the judiciary — the Supreme Court (SC).

Thirty-two years ago, a Moro Tausug was appointed SC Associate Justice — Abdulwahid Bidin. He retired leaving an impeccable record untainted by any whiff of suspicion of whatever kind of human indiscretion. He was the first and last Muslim to occupy such position. Now, after more than two decades, another Moro, this time a Maranao, seeks to fill the lacuna of Moro representation in the Highest Tribunal. And judging from the number of times he was nominated and rejected, it will not be a smooth sail.

Associate Justice Jaafar Dimaampao, who served for years as judge of a Mandaluyong Regional Trial Court and for 15 years in the Court of Appeals, has been shortlisted for the nth time by the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) for the position vacated by retired Justice Mariano del Castillo. Honestly, I have lost track of the number of times he was vetted and nominated by the JBC. The ball again is now with President Digong who has the final say.

I am not about to extol the impressive credentials, competence, integrity, emotional and psychological fitness and other qualifications of Justice Dimaampao, law book author and bar reviewer. The JBC, a constitutional body presumably independent, judicious and competent, had looked into those issues with a surgeon’s eyes. They are beyond reproach. I cannot substitute my personal evaluation over its finding.

If DNA is a factor in molding the character and personality of a person, then Justice Dimaampao is his father’s son. His deceased father, Magdara, was a jurist of untainted integrity. He was for the longest time a city judge of Marawi before being appointed commissioner of the Commission on Elections. As a newbie litigator, fresh from college, I was a constant figure in his sala being his favorite appointee as de oficio counsel for poor accused detainees (no Public Attorney’s Office then). He exuded gravitas and personality traits that unnerved, without being offensive to those appearing before him, being a stickler of court rules. These behavioral traits are all mirrored in Justice Dimaampao, an unassuming taciturn, refine-mannered and mild-talking magistrate, like his father.

The Moros have been historically divided. Sociologists attribute this to the maharlika and aristocratic blood that each major tribe claims. They oftentimes find themselves divided on several issues. I have explained this schism in past articles. But for the first time in years, they shelved tribal diversity in support of the bid of Justice Dimaampao. Muslim members of Congress led by Deputy Speaker Mujiv Hataman, a Yakan, came out in mainstream media with an appeal to President Digong to select him. The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region through its Regional Parliament supports the nomination.

One of the root causes of the so-called Moro problem is the lack of representation in major organs of government. Access to employment opportunities in government is oftentimes denied them although this is an attribute of a representative democracy. They were discriminated against, never mind their qualification and fitness.

By way of atonement, Congress enacted the Organic Law of the defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, expressly providing Moro representation in government offices particularly the Judiciary. Unfortunately, bigot decision makers paid lip service to this legal injunction contributing to the protracted social unrest and fratricide in Morolandia.

If there is anybody most familiar with the historical injustice and discrimination the Moros went through, it’s the President. He articulated this fact in public fora.

This is perhaps the most propitious time for the President to right a wrong. The vacancies in the SC that successively occurred in the last few months after the retirement of justices may not happen again.

Mr. President, forget about your claimed kinship with Maranaos and your being both Mindanaoans. These are extraneous matters and even irrelevant. Just consider the fact that Justice Dimaampao is as qualified and upright, if not more, than others shortlisted by the JBC.

This column joins the chorus for justice for a Moro Justice.