THE Lakas-Kampi-CMD, political party of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, is studying the possibility of questioning the legality of the Truth Commission before the Supreme Court (SC).
“That would depend upon the recommendation of our legal panel whether we would be filing the necessary petition to question the legality of the creation," said Lakas-Kampi-CMD spokesman Raul Lambino.
“As a lawyer and as a professor of constitutional law, I think the Truth Commission is unconstitutional,” Lambino reiterated.
The minority bloc at the Congress is set to announce their party position on the commission anytime this week.
Lambino said like other senators and groups, the minority believes that the body is in conflict with the existing investigative agencies like the Office of the Ombudsman and the Department of Justice.
“We believe that there are legal infirmities more particularly the powers given to the Truth Commission that is to investigate and to subpoena and even to sanction the government officials and employees who will be called upon to testify,” the spokesperson added.
But Justice Secretary Leila de Lima already affirmed the constitutionality of the creation of the Commission through President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III's Executive Order No. 1 signed Friday.
Aquino earlier dared critics of the Truth Commission to question it before the High Court.
Arroyo's son Juan Miguel "Mikey" said the Truth Commission should probe other allegations of fraud committed in the previous administrations even during the time of first Philippine President Emilio Aguinaldo.
“Let us not be selective...Dapat lahat ng administrasyon must answer questions and issues there,” Mikey noted.
The Truth Commission, headed by former Chief Justice Hilario Davide, is set to investigate the anomalies during the Arroyo regime like the NBN-ZTE deal, the "Hello, Garci" scandal and the fertilizer fund scam.
Kabataan party-list Representative Raymond Palatino told Sun.Star that the Truth Commission should hold its office at the Batasan Pambansa, where the lawmakers hold their office.
“Since they are targeting GMA, why not hold office inside the Batasan?" asked Palatino.
Meanwhile, Arroyo as representative of Pampanga's second district attended the minority caucus at the House of Representatives and again, avoided questions from the media when asked about the Truth Commission. (Kathrina Alvarez/Sunnex)