Palace downplays attempts to agitate people over Supreme Court ruling on chief justice

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang said yesterday it was confident that attempts to agitate the people over the controversial decision of the Supreme Court (SC) allowing President Arroyo to appoint the country’s next chief justice would not lead to instability.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Charito Planas also called on critics of the administration to bring their case to court and not to the streets.

“The members of the opposition do nothing but oppose so there will be no end to this,” Planas said in Filipino. “What we should follow is the rule of law. If we will not follow the Supreme Court, there will be trouble,” she said.

She said the Palace respects the right of anybody to rail against the government but it reminds critics to observe legal procedures or specifically, file a motion for reconsideration.

“In the end, it will be the Supreme Court that will resolve the issue,” Planas said.

She maintained the SC on several occasions has ruled against the Palace even if it is packed with Mrs. Arroyo’s appointees.

Planas said the President would abide by the SC ruling once it becomes final and executory.

Mrs. Arroyo’s allies have praised the SC for its decision, but some of them have advised her to just let her successor name the successor of Chief Justice Reynato Puno to prevent the issue from being politicized.

“My earlier position that President Arroyo has the constitutional right to appoint the Chief Justice was sustained by the Supreme Court. But to avoid politicizing the issue, I think President Arroyo should consider leaving the controversial appointment to her successor,” administration senatorial bet and former Justice Secretary Silvestre Bello III, said.

Earlier, administration presidential bet and former defense chief Gilberto Teodoro Jr. also advised the president to think hard before making a decision.

“I counsel prudence,” said Teodoro on the sidelines of the Wallace Business Forum held at the Shangri-la Makati the other day.

Bello also appealed to the opposition to respect the SC ruling and not to bastardize the Constitution.

“It is the Supreme Court which is mandated to interpret the laws and clear the gray areas in the Constitution, not the individual lawyers, not the politicians and certainly not the other people who are not even lawyers,” he added.

Instead of denigrating the SC decision, Bello said critics should look for new arguments and present them in a motion for reconsideration.

“In a mature democracy, you debate on the issue and not engage in personal attacks,” said Bello.

Nacionalista Party standard-bearer Sen. Manuel Villar Jr. also called for sobriety but advised Mrs. Arroyo to just let the next president name Puno’s successor.

“In the end, the Supreme Court has the last say when it comes to the law. We may not agree on some decisions but the decision of the Supreme Court should always be respected,” Villar said in Sagay City, Negros Occidental.

He also shrugged off a call by the Bantay Korte Suprema on all presidential candidates to sign a covenant not to recognize an Arroyo-appointed chief justice.

“That is a very complicated call for us to make. I would rather that we exhaust all of the legal remedies available,” Villar said.

In Bustos, Bulacan during a campaign sortie, Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) candidates led by former President Joseph Estrada said they would not challenge the SC decision. – With Marvin Sy, Perseus Echeminada, Charlie Lagasca, Dino Balabo, Jaime Laude