“Judge Soriano should be thanked and honored for bravely defending the law. It could not have been easy to render this decision. We should have more of this: more fortitude, greater strength, and true grit. These are what we need in times of rampant political reprisals.”
This was the statement of senatorial candidate Lorenzo “Erin” Tañada as he expressed relief and delight at the decision of Judge Soriano of the Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 148 dismissing the motion of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to issue a warrant of arrest against Senator Antonio Trillanes.
The DOJ had sought the arrest of Senator Trillanes in connection with a bid to revive the case for coup d’état against the former navy lieutenant, which had been ordered by Proclamation No. 572.
“Judge Soriano should be commended for his allegiance to the letter and spirit of the law that final decisions should not be disturbed. If he had ruled otherwise, too many of the most sacred doctrines underpinning our legal system will be thrown into shadow, foremost of which is the principle of ‘Immutability of Judgements’,” said Tañada.
Tañada said there is such a thing as ‘forever’ in law, and that is in final judgments. “If we could keep reviving issues that have already been settled, we will have no end to cases, and judges’ decisions would mean nothing,” he added.