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upreme Court Administrator Jose Midas Marquez may have made a fatal career mistake when he threw all his eggs into the Corona basket. Blind loyalty to one’s superior in certain instances can be admirable, but unfortunately in most cases, it is unprofessional and counterproductive.

Marquez however was only displaying a trait that he shares with most Filipinos. In the novo feudal culture that is Philippine society today; Filipinos remain unquestioningly loyal to their superiors. They stick with them through thick and thin pretending not to notice their shortcomings or misdeeds. Some even become willing participants in their boss’s questionable activities. Pinoys are loyal to a fault and this is probably one of the reasons why the country is in the sorry shape it’s in.

This explains why corrupt and incompetent local officials from Barangay Tanods to Mayors and Governors are continually reelected. This also explains why political dynasties continue to thrive in the Philippines today.

Had Marquez taken a purely professional perspective, he would have realized from the onset that his job required his fidelity to the court itself and not to Chief Justice Renato Corona. Chief Justices can come and go (or be impeached and replaced) but that is “above his pay grade” and should be of no concern to him. His job as spokesperson and administrator is to see to it that the courts continue to operate smoothly regardless of what is happening at the very top. Had he done that, it would have been seen by one and all as the actions of a true professional.

The situation that now confronts Marquez and the Supreme Court is analogous to one that routinely confront officers of a naval vessel. Should the” top brass” high up the chain of command decide to replace a ship’s captain or Commanding Officer, it is the job of the Executive Officer and all the Department Heads underneath him to keep the ship at its required readiness level so that the transition from one captain or CO to the next would be smooth and uneventful.

Marquez should have done the same but instead chose to turn his job into that of errand boy/cheerleader to the Chief Justice, rallying other court employees who like him manifest that trademark Pinoy fuzziness as to whom or what to owe allegiance to—the boss or the institution.

For a smart individual like Marquez to get it so wrong, sadly highlights the appalling level of civics education in the country. Schools, both public and private have failed to train generations of Filipinos how to be good, responsible citizens.

Marquez will soon find himself in a no-win situation. Having firmly tied his fate to that of the Chief Justice; should Corona lose his impeachment trial, an Aquino-appointed replacement will likely not want Marquez around. And even if Corona keeps his job, Marquez has shown one and all that he is unfit for the job because he lacks that level of professionalism that allows him to understand that his loyalty is to the institution of the high court itself, and not to the person who happens to sit as its Chief Justice for the time being. Published 2/4/2012

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