SANDIGANBAYAN Associate Justice Karl Miranda on Monday urged the public to the trust the judiciary.
“To the general public, I just want to say this: Do not fear. Do not be anxious. Because the court, the judiciary, is here to provide a peaceful forum for the resolution of disputes inside the courtroom and not in the streets,” he said in Filipino and English.
Miranda is the chairman of the Sandiganbayan Third Division, which on Monday ordered the arrest of Sen. Rodante Marcoleta, former lawmaker Michael Defensor, Joseph Espiritu, and Aristotle Viray in the plunder case filed against them in connection with a total of P75 million that Ombudsman investigators said Marcoleta had accepted from Defensor, Espiritu, and Viray.
“This court, the judiciary, is here to transform conflict into orderly legal processes ... and, finally, to preserve social stability, not the division of our society,” Miranda said.
“This is what I can guarantee: By finding the truth, the court will clear up things. It will resolve matters. Justice will follow for justice is the truth and the truth is justice,” he said.
“I urge the public to trust the judiciary to do its duty. Trust the Sandiganbayan, the pillar of our nation,” Miranda said.
“Most importantly, trust the Supreme Court which is the final arbiter of all legal disputes. To the public, trust your Supreme Court,” he said.
Miranda assured the public that they are heard and that the court will do its job.
“We see you, we hear you, we understand you ... The court will do its duty and render justice by acquitting the innocent and holding the guilty accountable. That is our duty,” he said.