High court’s Neri, JPEPA rulings haunt Filipinos
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 03:19:00 08/15/2008
The Two Supreme Court decisions (on the case involving Romulo Neri and on the case involving the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement, or JPEPA) upholding executive privilege has come back to haunt the Filipino people with a specter far worse than the dismemberment of the Philippine Republic.
The decisions have emboldened the executive department of government to create a situation that could lead to a civil war: The Christians are incensed at seeing their homes and farmlands given away without their consent; the Muslims will be enraged if the “ancestral domain” that was promised to them will not be delivered. And no plebiscite will remove the “clear and present danger” of civil war erupting as a result. In the end, the Republic will be ripped asunder and the Constitution rendered useless.
The decision of the Supreme Court to issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) on the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) may be a step in the right direction. But the wheels needed to open the floodgates to widespread strife have been set in motion. We can only hope and pray it is not too late yet to stop the wheels.
We should also pray that this government will not choose later to ignore unfavorable decisions of the Court by invoking the principle of separation of powers. That would drive the final nail into the coffin of our beloved country. If this happens, the Supreme Court should be made accountable for having created a legal atmosphere conducive to the abuse of executive privilege.
RAFAEL E. EVANGELISTA, 71 C. Salvador St., Loyola Heights, Quezon City
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