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Wednesday, June 18, 2003
SC condemns picket on homes of 2 justices
By Benjamin B. Pulta and Annica Marin
MANILA -- Supreme Court officials Tuesday denounced two lightning rallies conducted by supporters of jailed former President Joseph Estrada outside the homes of two Supreme Court (SC) magistrates in Metro Manila.
"It was uncalled for," Supreme Court (SC) Public Information Office and Deputy Court Administrator Ismael Khan told reporters Tuesday regarding the incident.
"If the rally was done without a permit, the police should know what to do about it," he added.
Justice Secretary Simeon Datumanong, a member of the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) chaired by Chief Justice Hilario G. Davide Jr., for his part, urged the proper department "to take action on the security of the bulwark of our democracy."
A handful of Estrada supporters calling for the ouster of SC justices who ruled on the legitimacy of President Arroyo's administration picketed the houses of Davide in Fairview, Quezon City and Associate Justice Artemio Panganiban in Makati.
Estrada's camp earlier lobbed impeachment charges against the SC magistrates for violating the Constitution when they swore in then Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as president.
The prosecution panel handling Estrada's case insists the former president's bid to cast clouds on the legitimacy of the Arroyo administration is intended to delay his plunder case and allow him to claim immunity from suit.
Earlier, Estrada's lawyers asked the Sandiganbayan to order President Arroyo and several SC justices to testify in the plunder case filed against the former president.
Senator Joker Arroyo, commenting on the move of the Estrada camp, said there is "something wrong" with the way Estrada wanted his case before the Sandiganbayan to proceed.
Asking the SC court justices to testify before the Sandiganbayan and explain why they ruled on the legitimacy of President Arroyo's succession is folly, according to Arroyo, who pointed out that it is the High Court that asks the judges of the lower courts to explain their decision in cases.
"What the former president is trying to do is to reverse the process. The way I look at it, this never-ending case of Estrada is out of this world. This is not welcome," Arroyo added
The motion can be considered as "nuisance suit" because this matter has already been litigated twice in the Supreme Court, which ruled that President Arroyo's administration is legitimate, he pointed out.
"More disturbing is the way the Estrada camp has gone about it. The former President has many lawyers and good ones. They have not participated in the latest move, only the newly discovered lawyer is behind it," said Arroyo in his press briefing Tuesday. Sunnex Luzon
(June 18, 2003 issue)
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