Saturday, October 21, 2006 Palace deems 'pressure' on SC on people's initiative as 'normal'
EXECUTIVE Secretary Eduardo Ermita said it is normal to expect that there would be much interest in the deliberations and outcome of the people's initiative case pending before the Supreme Court (SC) as it is an "important, milestone case."
But Ermita and Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye could not categorically say whether Malacanang was among those sectors that are pressuring the high court on the people's initiative.
"It cannot be helped when people start to ask what might be the turnout of their deliberation, I supposed that's the what he's considering as pressure but that is part of the job," said Ermita on reports quoting Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban as saying that the high court is under pressure from all sides on the people's initiative to change the 1987 Constitution filed by the Sigaw ng Bayan and the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (Ulap).
Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said he is not sure if Panganiban was quoted properly and accurately but Malacañang believes in the sound judgment of the
SC.
"We leave it to the sound judgment and discretion of the Supreme Court. We know that they will act on this issue in accordance with law and in accordance with the best public interest so let's just await the decision of the Supreme Court hopefully within this month," he said.
Asked if Malacañang, which is pushing for Charter change either through the people's initiative or constituent assembly is exerting pressure on the high court, Bunye said they have always treated the SC as a co-equal body.
"This is an independent body and we respect that independence. But we also believe the Supreme Court will act on this petition with justice in accordance with law and with best public interest," he added.
Panganiban earlier said while they are under pressure as far as the people's initiative case is concerned, the SC justices are already used to it. He assured that it would not impede the court from deciding on the case and it would be treated the way they treated other high-profile cases like Executive Order 464 on the gag order imposed on officials and employees of government, Presidential Proclamation 1017 on the declaration of a state of national emergency and the calibrated preemptive response to demonstrations.
Meanwhile, Senator Juan Ponce Enrile said "we should always assume that the SC is not immune to the prodding of interested parties."
"Every litigation involves a certain amount or kind of pressure," he said.
He said he did not hear the SC justice say where the pressure was coming from - from Malacañang, the Senate, the minority in the Senate, the majority in the Senate, the people in Sigaw or Ulap or (anti-Charter change) One Voice. "The Chief Justice did not say," he said. (JMR/CPB/Sunnex)
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