My 2 cents on the plagiarism issue

2 cents or 0.86 pesos  

I find it strange that the SC formed the investigating body from their ranks.

The Vinuya case was decided by the Supreme Court en banc...so technically, that decision was reached in consultation with all the members of the SC...All of them are tainted by that decision.  As my boss said, there are a lot of retired justices still active who could have constituted the investigating committee.  How can we expect to have had a truly objective investigation if the parties who signed and concurred in the decision (and therefore, can be reasonably expected to have read, reviewed and done their own research on the topic) are the very same people who will investigate and evaluate if plagiarism had indeed been committed? 

In an attempt to save one of their own, and presumably their own skins, they came out with a whopper of a decision, absolving del Castillo from any allegation of plagiarism and in the process, creating the doctrine of "intentional plagiarism" and blaming Microsoft, too.  Now, they want the blood of the U.P. professors who dared to bring the issue into the light. Wheeee-hoooo! 

I've heard some people making an issue about how U.P. professors are such assholes and making trouble wherever they can.  I've even heard some people say it's just a manifestation of the U.P.-Ateneo rivalry...Hey, I'm from U.P.  (I wasn't even aware that there's a rivalry.  Are we even on enough of a similar footing to be called rivals? :-D.)  This isn't an issue about U.P. or any other university.  This is an issue concerning every Filipino and what we all put a lot of pride in...Filipino integrity.  Eeek.  And just to point out what seems to me is obvious...ok, so Del Castillo is from Ateneo and yet the Ateneo Law School has not issued any statement. I guess they prefer to stay out of the issue.  That's fine. But what's really notable is that not one Ateneo alumnae has gone out and defended Del Castillo in public.  Even the usually outspoken Fr. Bernas is conspicuously silent.  In hindsight, this was probably the best course of action.  Especially now when there is the possibility of another plagiarized decision.

I especially liked De Quiros' commentary, particularly this passage:

All the professors were calling for was for Del Castillo to resign or be held in contempt by the public. They weren’t calling for him to disembowel himself, though heaven knows that is what people of honor do in Japan. They weren’t calling for him to shoot himself in the head, which was what people of honor do in Europe. They weren’t calling for him to flagellate his back with thongs studded with glass shards, though heaven knows that is what people of dishonor do in this country on Good Friday. Resignation is the least of what justice calls for, resignation is the least of what a justice goes for.

I should think that anyone with an ounce of delicadeza would have stepped down at the earliest hint of scandal, even more so since he holds such a position of trust and respect.  He can't just shrug off the fact that plagiarism was committed.  Or, if we follow the SC decision, even if there had been no intent to plagiarize, Del Castillo should have been sanctioned.  He had the responsibility to make sure that what comes out of his office has been reviewed to within an inch of perfection (because nobody's perfect, I'll settle for an inch shy of perfection) before signing his name.

As for the SC, they're objecting to all the publicity because they feel that the respect that the judiciary is entitled to is being eroded.  But as we all know, respect is earned.  In their attempt to erase any doubt as to their "supremacy", they are considering sanctioning the U.P. professors who have been vocal (or signed the petition which the SC is saying was just a "dummy" document) about the issue.  However this turns out, it looks to me that the SC has boxed itself in.  Really neatly too.  Now, even the plagiarized authors have expressed their support for the U.P. professors.  "Damned if you do, damned if you don't"  If they sanction the U.P. professors, then the professors would be martyred for the cause...the SC won't get any sympathy nor support on this one.  If the SC decides to back off, then they won't exactly come out as villains, but that would still leave the plagiarism issue out in the open.  Unless, they decide to issue an amended decision -- which I don't see happening, anyway.

I hope the SC has a fantastic spin doctor to get them out of this one.  Or maybe, all they need is a little humility and admit they were "maybe just a little bit wrong."