More than anything, it’s about respect for public office.

And that respect must begin with the person holding it.    

Such respect would almost automatically generate public trust and approval.

Is any wonder then that Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona has the lowest approval and trust rating among top government officials?

According to Pulse Asia’s November 2011 Ulat ng Bayan survey released yesterday,  Corona had a low approval rating even though the SC together with the Senate emerged as the most appreciated and trusted government institutions.

Most Filipinos expressed the least appreciation for the performance of  Corona  (38 percent) among the top five officials of the land according to succession. In fact, they are most critical of his performance  (24 percent).

“In general, trust is most manifest toward Vice President Binay (83 percent) while the lowest trust rating is obtained by Supreme Court Chief Justice Corona (29 percent),” Pulse Asia was quoted by a major broadsheet as saying.

“Between August and November 2011, the most marked movement in the overall trust ratings of these government officials is the six-percentage point rise in the distrust rating of Supreme Court Chief Justice Corona,” it said.

With these new findings then, how can any decent citizen indeed now believe supporters of Arroyo and Corona, that by targeting him for removal, President Aquino is destroying the SC as an institution?

On the contrary, the removal of Corona through impeachment may just be what the doctor ordered to restore the institution’s credibility shattered to smithereens by questionable rulings of the High Tribunal under his direction.

On the contrary, kicking him out for culpable violation of the Constitution, betrayal of the people’s trust, and graft and corruption could be the elixir that could revitalize the SC and restore the people’s trust and confidence in it as a bulwark of our democratic system.

What has he done to deserve an unceremonious exit from a lofty position he acquired through sleight-of-hand?

For starters, we know, thanks to research done by Sen. Franklin Drilon, that Corona has sided with Arroyo in all 19 cases brought before court’s chambers.

The latest of these, of course, is the controversial temporary restraining order that he apparently steered with indecent haste along with seven other Arroyo appointees that would have allowed the Arroyo couple to flee abroad and avoid prosecution here for plunder and electoral sabotage.

And the people have not forgotten how the Corona-led court struck down the proposed Truth Commission ordered set up by P-Noy  shortly after assuming office to investigate the previous administration’s many misdeeds in office. This alone should have sent alarm bells ringing as to the guy’s loyalty.

But let the Senate now dig through the voluminous evidence gathered by the House of Representatives against CJ  to show just how he has demeaned his lofty position to kowtow to Arroyo’s every wish and command.

The concern of every right-thinking Filipino now is whether the senators of the realm who now sit in judgment will be able to exercise sound judgment and decide fairly on a case that is a first in our contemporary political history.