Aquino administration waiting for 'third strike'

AFTER no less than the Supreme Court (SC) opposed the laws crafted by the Aquino administration, the House minority bloc says that it has one more strike to go and it is out, just like in American baseball.

House Deputy Minority Leader Danilo Suarez made this comparison in a weekly news conference.

"So far, naka-strike two na kami. Pag naka-strike three na, you’re out…Kung strike three, heads should roll already," he said.

Although he declined to identify whose heads should be on the chopping block, he said that the weak points of the administration are presidential legal counsel Eduardo de Mesa, Executive Secretary Paquito “Jojo” Ochoa Jr., and Solicitor General Jose Anselmo Cadiz.

He made these remarks after the High Court issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) on the implementation of Republic Act 10153, which synchronizes the elections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm) with the mid-term elections on May 2013.

The SC also declared as “unconstitutional” Executive Order No.1 creating the Truth Commission. Both petitions were filed by House Minority Leader Edcel Lagman.

Lagman also has a pending petition with the SC questioning Republic Act 10149 or the GOCC Governance Act of 2011. “We are expecting another favorable decision,” he told reporters.

Zambales Representative Mitos Magsaysay advised the Aquino administration to review the qualifications of its legal and political advisers since President Benigno Aquino III’s orders and memorandums have already been questioned in the courts.

“I think Aquino–so that he will not suffer all these setbacks in the Supreme Court–I think he should look at the qualifications of advisers that maybe they are not doing a good job in giving advice,” Magsaysay told reporters.

“It’s the legal advisers who are supposed to watch the back of the President and the government,” she added.

Magsaysay further said that the Aquino administration hid items in its proposed national budget for 2012 which will be debated upon by members of the House of Representatives until Friday this week.

Meanwhile, Lagman said the Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) estimate of conducting automated elections in eight months is “too long” but stressed that with the SC issuance of a TRO, there is no need for a law authorizing the poll body to hold the polls in Armm.

When the term of the incumbent Armm officials expire on September 30, they should assume a holdover capacity until their successors are elected, the lawmaker explained.

“That’s the logical scenario and it is very possible that once the Supreme Court declares with finality (its decision) on Republic Act 10153, then it may mandate the Comelec to set elections in Armm because under the Omnibus Election Code, the Comelec has the power and jurisdiction to set the elections,” he said.

With the vote of 8-4 from SC justices, Lagman said it will be “very hard” to reverse the High Court’s decision with the appeal of Malacanang. (Kathrina Alvarez/Sunnex)