Pinoys hail sanction vs NMarianas judge for ‘muchacho’ remark

GARAPAN, Saipan – Filipinos in the US Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) lauded the CNMI Supreme Court’s decision on Tuesday to publicly censure a judge over his “adios muchacho" (“Bye, servant boy") remark and other racially inappropriate language particularly derogatory to Filipinos. Leaders of Filipino workers groups described the sanction against CNMI Superior Court associate judge Kenneth Govendo as “justice" for Filipinos. The CNMI, a US territory some three hours by air east of Manila, is home to some 15,000 overseas Filipino workers and Filipino-Americans. The Commission on Filipinos Overseas estimates there are some 17,000 Filipinos in this US territory as of December 2009. “I believe that Filipinos in the CNMI feel the same way I do; that justice has been served to somebody who is supposed to be upholding the law. This should serve as an example, as a lesson especially to members of the justice system to be sensitive about their choice of words. What the judge said was hurtful to people," Rene Reyes, president of the Marianas Advocates for Humanitarian Affairs Ltd. or Mahal, told GMANews.TV. The CNMI Supreme Court also ordered the erring judge to complete an off-island educational program, the National Judicial College’s Ethics, Fairness, and Security in Your Courtroom from October 24 to 27, 2011, at his own expense. The justices likewise ordered Govendo’s temporary reassignment from the Family Court for a year, as part of his public censure for using racially inappropriate language in three cases. The reassignment order has yet to be implemented. The erring judge was also ordered to write a letter of apology to the CNMI people. Pilipino Contract Workers Association adviser and former president Jun Concillado said it is just right for a judge to be made accountable for his actions. “If Judge Govendo is not sanctioned, it will set a bad precedent," Concillado told GMANews.TV. Concillado, who is also an organizer of the United Workers Movement – CNMI, added he was hoping that the judge will be suspended and not only reassigned. The Supreme Court justices said Govendo’s remarks, made during the hearings in Roger Castillo’s domestic abuse case and two adoption cases, “unequivocally crossed the line of what constitutes permissible judiciary commentary within the courtroom and must be sanctioned." Castillo is an OFW. Govendo had earlier apologized to Filipinos and Chamorros in the CNMI during the sanctions hearing on his case, saying he did not realize the phrase “adios muchacho" would be interpreted as insulting to Filipinos until his former clerk, Myrna Santos, told him about it after a hearing on Castillo’s cases. (See: N. Marianas judge says sorry to Pinoys for adios muchacho remark) “I was really surprised. So I would like to apologize to every Filipino," he earlier said. He added what he really meant when he said “muchacho" was “boy" or “young man" based on what he saw on TV.—JV, GMANews.TV