Bending the Law: The Legacy of Estelito Mendoza

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At the age of 95, the so-called “Lawyer of last resort”, Estelito Mendoza, passed away today, March 26, 2025. While many will herald him as one of the titans of the Philippine legal landscape, we must not forget the roles he played during the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos Sr.

As Minister of Justice and Solicitor General during the period of Martial Law, Mendoza was key to giving legal clothing to the Marcos dictatorship – using the law to silence dissent, sweep away democratic institutions, and kept political prisoners deprived of liberty.

The infamous case of Javellana v. Executive Secretary, Mendoza justified the legality of Martial Law and the indefinite suspension of civil liberties.

Even after the fall of the Marcos dictatorship, Mendoza continued providing legal services to the many cronies who enabled and benefitted from ill-gotten wealth: Imelda Marcos, Lucio Tan, Roberto Ongpin, and Danding Cojuangco.

Mendoza served as chief counsel for Joseph Estrada during his impeachment trial.

He went to score legal victories for accused plunderers:

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was acquitted of plunder in the PCSO fund scam

Jaime Dichaves, the self-confessed owner of the Jose Velarde accounts, was acquitted of plunder charges.

Bong Revilla who was implicated in the pork barrel scam of Janet Lim-Napoles, also got acquitted.

Juan Ponce-Enrile, former Defense chief and one of the architects of Martial Law, was granted bail thanks to Mendoza.

When the Supreme Court decided in favor of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s appointment of Renato Corona as Chief Justice, ruling that the ban on midnight appointments did not cover it, it was Mendoza’s arguments that formed the basis for that decision.

This is Estelito Mendoza’s legacy: bending the law to benefit his clients, regardless of precedents or its spirit.

Double disqualification for Ferrari at Chinese Grand Prix

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Ferrari fans all over the world are in shock and tears. Lewis Hamilton’s maiden pole and win for the Scuderia at this weekend’s Sprint race has been all but forgotten after both drivers were disqualified from the Grand Prix itself.

Cars undergo scrutineering after a race to check for compliance with existing regulations. Unfortunately, both cars had been found to violate said regulations. For Charles, his car was 1kg short of the required 800kg minimum. As for Lewis, the plank assembly of his car was 0.5mm below the limit.

It’s already been a tough start to the 2025 season but I never thought I’d see the day that both Ferrari cars would be disqualified from a Grand Prix.

Duterte Impeachment – Timing is Everything

Opinion, , , , , ,

Nothing happens in the House of Representatives without the approval or support of the President. So when 215 of its members endorsed the 4th and last impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte – the largest ever number of endorsements for impeachment in the history of the House, you’d know that the Marcos administration has done its homework, chosen a plan and finally set the ball rolling.

The INC rally was supposed to be a show of force to persuade the Marcos-Romualdez bloc to maintain the status quo, but the recent SWS survey showing 41% of the public supporting the VP’s impeachment and the VP herself suffering a continuing decline to 52% trust rating was enough to convince the administration that it’s time to get it done and over with.

As it has always been in politics, timing is everything. Sending the articles of impeachment to the Senate days before Congress adjourns on Feb 8 puts pressure on Senators who are running for re-election. These Senators are not only up for re-election, but they are also perceived to be friendly to the Dutertes thus making them vulnerable: with considerable public support for the VP’s impeachment, it will be difficult to go on the campaign trail if they would be seen to be defending and voting against Sara Duterte’s removal from office. Also, the impeachment trial would take away their time from campaigning.

Additional pressure comes from the daunting prospects of going against a well-funded administration whose prospects of securing a continuation of the Marcos restoration depend on the results of the 2025 elections.

If all goes well, the Marcos-Romualdez bloc would see more compliant Senators coming in to conduct Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial and give a satisfactory verdict.

This would then give Marcos a chance to nominate his preferred VP – a tantalizing prize for those with ambitions come 2028 – Romualdez, Escudero, Poe.

Ultimately, the Dutertes once more are in the fight for their political survival.

The Admirable John Amos

I first learned of the talented John Amos when I watched The West Wing, in which he played Admiral Percy Fitzwallace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He played the role brilliantly, and even though it was part of the supporting cast and had fewer scenes, his character had some of the most beautiful lines.

To hear of his passing, on the 25th anniversary of The West Wing certainly hits differently. Thanks to The West Wing channel on YouTube, we can relive the brilliant lines masterfully delivered by John Amos as Admiral Percy Fitzwallace: