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21st Century Asynch Module - Edited

The document discusses the impeachment of former Chief Justice Renato Corona for failing to declare over $183 million pesos in assets. It notes that this event was seen by some as a victory against corruption, though others viewed it as a political move by the Aquino administration. The document then analyzes the poem "Justice" by Ralph Semino Galan, which explores the concept of justice in Philippine society through symbols like a blindfold and scales. It reflects issues with the Philippine government and questions whether "right and wrong are cards that can be shuffled like money bills."

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Markco Dela Rosa
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29 views2 pages

21st Century Asynch Module - Edited

The document discusses the impeachment of former Chief Justice Renato Corona for failing to declare over $183 million pesos in assets. It notes that this event was seen by some as a victory against corruption, though others viewed it as a political move by the Aquino administration. The document then analyzes the poem "Justice" by Ralph Semino Galan, which explores the concept of justice in Philippine society through symbols like a blindfold and scales. It reflects issues with the Philippine government and questions whether "right and wrong are cards that can be shuffled like money bills."

Uploaded by

Markco Dela Rosa
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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21ST Century in the Philippines and the World

Module 3: the Justice System

Background Knowledge:

In December 2011, former Chief Justice Renato Corona was impeached by the Philippine
Senate, with 16 senators voting to impeach and three senators voting for acquittal. He was impeached
because he did not declare 183 million pesos in his SALN (Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and
Networth), a public document required for all government officials. The declaration of this ensures that
public officials do not accept bribes or are not prone to corruption; the former Chief Justice's non-
declaration of assets close to 200 million pesos hinted suspicion regarding the source of these funds
and that these may be considered ill-gotten wealth.

In a prior case, a court interpreter, Delsa Flores was fired after she had failed to declare a
market stall in her SALN. The senators who impeached Corona stated that the law should apply to all.
One can interpret that event as a victory over corruption, but in the Philippines, this is not as simple as
it looks. Others interpret the event as a political move by the Aquino administration to take away the
obstruction blocking them from prosecuting former President Gloria Arroyo. Be that as it may, it was a
political exercise that showed that the checks and balances in the Philippine government are alive and
well and that no one is above the law.

The following poem explores the concept of justice and how it is applied in Philippine society.
Although it is about the Supreme Court, in particular, it also reflects other problems of the Philippine
government.
Justice by Ralph Semino Galan

These are the accoutrements of her office

The blindfold symbolizes impartiality;

A golden pair of scales measuring the validity

Of evidence given, both pro and con;

The double-edged sword that pierces through

The thick fabric of lies; thot’s feather

Of truth which ultimately determines whether

The defendant's life is worth saving.

In J. Elizalde Navarro’s oil painting titled

Is this Philippine Justice? The figure

The Roman goddess Justitia slowly fades

Into thin air, swallowed by pigments

Cloud as doubts. In my uncertain country

Where right and wrong are cards


That can be shuffled like a pile of money bills,

Even the land’s chief magistrate

Is not immune from culpability; found guilty

He has to face the music of

derision.

Worksheets on Symbols:

Fill in the blanks in the worksheet below to further analyze the poem. Share your insights in class and
submit your paper to your teacher.

Parts of the Poem Symbol Meaning of Symbol


Line 2 Blindfold Impartiality of justice, Justice
has no favorites, it is objective.
Line 3 Golden pair of scales (1)
Line 5 Double-edge sword (2)
Line 6 Thoth’s feather of truth In order to find out whether the
defendant is guilty or not, one
must find out the truth and give
the right verdict.
Line 11 Painting”Is this the Philippine (3)
Justice?” with Justitia fading
into the air… “cloudy as
doubts…”
Line 14 “...right and wrong are cards (4)
that can be shuffled like a pile
of money bills…”
Line 18 “...face the music of derision…” (5)

Formalism and Symbols

One of the literary theories used in analyzing texts is formalism, which is the mastery of the
formal elements of literature and advocates the close reading of a text when studying literature. Under
formalism, when it comes to symbols, there are three types. These are the following:

1. Public Symbols - symbols that are traditionally established, such as the symbol of the rose for love.
2. Private Symbols - symbols that are used by the author, which can signify whatever he would want it
to mean, based on how it is portrayed in the text.

Activity Sheet: Answer the following briefly.

1. Why are symbols important in a poem? Explain what some of the symbols mean and how they add
meaning to the poem.
2. What is the poem trying to say about the difference between justice in the Philippines and justice
anywhere else?
3. Why are symbols important in the life of a nation? What do people get from the symbol of a nation?
4. Why does Justitia look like she is fading in the painting, “Is this Philippine Justice?”
5. Why does the poem describe the Philippines as “my uncertain country”?

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