Santa Banana, as I look back to my six decades in journalism, I cannot forget the fact that I hold the record of having been cited for contempt twice by the Supreme Court.
The first was when I wrote about a decision that had yet to be promulgated. It was on the crime of rebellion with murder, for which Senator Juan Ponce Enrile was arrested and detained during the administration of President Corazon Aquino.
I recall that during a wedding lunch at the Manila Hotel, I saw Supreme Court Justice Abdulwahid Bidin and asked him whether the court had arrived at a decision on the case. Bidin said the case had already been decided, but a female justice close to Mrs. Aquino was holding back the promulgation.
Bidin did not say his words were off the record, so I felt free to write about what he told me.
I wrote the story and my editor-in-chief Cip Roxas headlined it. The Supreme Court immediately said that I should show cause why I should not be cited for contempt since the decision had not yet been promulgated.
My story got mixed reactions from many sectors, including the Integrated Bar of the Philippines. I was writing as a journalist, and not as a lawyer.
I was then asked to appear before the Supreme Court en banc to reveal my source. My lawyers were Rene Cayetano and Tony Coronel. I refused to reveal who my source was, invoking the Sotto Law. I said that if they really wanted me to reveal my source, I could do so in a closed-door meeting. I saw Justice Bidin smiling.
The court declined my request for a closed-door meeting, perhaps knowing that one of them was indeed my source.
After a week or so, the Supreme Court came out with a decision citing me for contempt, not as a journalist but as a lawyer and officer of the court.
The court also fined me P10,000 under pain of imprisonment for an undetermined term. I refused to pay. I figured I would become more famous if I went to jail.
Nonetheless, somebody paid the fine for me.
The case, known as In Re Emil P. Jurado, became a landmark case that it was even asked as in the Bar under Legal Ethics. I believe that the decision was a way for the justices to uphold the sanctity of decisions that have not yet been promulgated.
In any case, I feel good that my name is now in the archives of the Supreme Court.
***
The other instance I was cited in contempt was when I wrote about a senior justice accepting a favor from a known drug dealer and smuggler in Binondo. They were seen dining together.
I was even able to get hold of receipts from a trip to Hong Kong where that justice went with his children and grandchildren. There were 17 of them who stayed at The Peninsula! The drug dealer and smuggler footed the bill. That was another headline for Manila Standard.
For that exposé, I got another notice from the Supreme Court asking me to explain why I should not be cited for contempt. The court threatened me with a fine and jail time. Again, I did not pay and wrote the court that I would rather go to jail. That ended the story.
Through these, Manila Standard stood by me. This is the reason I have not written for other broad sheets even when I had the opportunity to do so.
***
I will be 90 in September, and I have never felt so comfortable in my life.
I don’t have to prove anything anymore. When I visit shopping malls with my wife and daughter, security guards are always ready to help me alight from my car. People are always eager to assist me or make me comfortable.
I hate it when they call me “Lolo,” though.
Except for the aches and pains that go with old age, and the dozen maintenance pills that I take daily, I believe I am still healthy. Others my age have gone ahead, or are bedridden.
Among my peers at Ateneo, the only ones remaining are our summa cum laude and valedictorian Ting Roxas, former senator and vice president Tito Guingona, and former Court of Appeals justice Jimmy Lantin. I heard, however, that Jimmy is now bedridden.
Only God knows how many years I have left.
***
In all my years in journalism, I can say I have walked the corridors of power and have seen the best and worst of presidents.
This is why I have decided to write my memoirs. I may not be a celebrity or a politician, but as a journalist, I have been able to observe the achievers who all have their fascinating stories to tell.