ARTICLE SERVICES            Reprint this article     Print this article       Send as an e-mail     Send Feedback       Post a comment       RELATED STORIES   Opposition mounting against Charter change bid On whose side is the Court of Appeals? Should we change the Charter to allow treason? Identity, federalism and the BJE ‘Unseen hand’ in GSIS vs Meralco case Hold the line for peace In exchange for what? Justice says justice lying CBCP head renews opposition to Charter change Blast near church kills 5, wounds 35 Hopes for peace kept alive in FGDs MILF talks to resume in July -- Palace exec MILF slammed for bombings, denies role 50 journalists in Maguindanao held, freed Real numbers in Con-ass Charter amendment leads to ‘conquest by money’ More Stories » Opinion Lessons from Erlin Cross of Charter impasse, unfolding economy On being Filipino ‘Balik Baguio’ Ethnoscience Testing, testing Mafioso republic Scramble for power in Meralco Ben Zayb and the possibility of journalism David’s choice Opinion Madame Imelda and Tita Cory Cheating in UP The woes of Ms Marcos Plans for her legal immunity Awesome gathering power Invisible hand No pain, no gain US ready to intervene to ensure clean, free RP polls Abaca industry Honduras coup: Mixed signals for Arroyo Real numbers in Con-ass Uses of abaca fiber   Opinion Most Read RSS Phil Center For Hair Restoration Surgery Real & permanent solution to hair loss. 50% off. Call Celso at 3386895, 0920-9011068 Tierra Maria Estates A fast-rising, fully-developed residential farming subdivision located in Brgy. Anilao, Lipa City, Batangas.

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

• Opposition mounting against Charter change bid
• On whose side is the Court of Appeals?
• Should we change the Charter to allow treason?
• Identity, federalism and the BJE
• ‘Unseen hand’ in GSIS vs Meralco case
• Hold the line for peace
• In exchange for what?
• Justice says justice lying
• CBCP head renews opposition to Charter change

• Real numbers in Con-ass
• Charter amendment leads to ‘conquest by money’