Carpio-Morales agrees to swear in Noynoy

MANILA, Philippines - Associate Justice Conchita Carpio-Morales of the Supreme Court (SC) agreed yesterday to administer the oath of office of president-elect Benigno Aquino III during his inauguration on June 30.

“Please consider this as an acceptance of your gracious invitation. The honor is mine,” Justice Morales said in a one-page letter sent to Aquino at around 10 a.m. yesterday.

Morales was one of six contenders for the chief justice post who later declined her nomination following the SC ruling allowing President Arroyo to appoint a chief justice during the constitutional ban on midnight appointments.

Morales also gave Aquino unsolicited advice: “As you enter on the execution of your office, I wish that you make good use of your family’s and our country’s patrimony of intangibles – the common heritage of moral courage and good judgment, which cannot be matched by any amount of affluence and can sustain you in the political road ahead.”

“Your parents, themselves public servants, bequeathed a lasting legacy and left an indelible imprint in the life of the nation. What better tribute to them than a life of selfless service to the Filipino people they so dearly loved,” she added.

Morales thanked Aquino for acknowledging her strong stand against the midnight appointment of the chief justice, saying she considers it simply as performance of an official function to uphold the Constitution, which is part of the sworn duty of public servants.

She has refused to release her letter to reporters who have been visiting her office over the past five days. She has instructed her staff to refer reporters to the camp of Aquino.

Morales cast the lone dissenting vote against the nine justices who agreed that Mrs. Arroyo is allowed by law to name the successor of Chief Justice Reynato Puno who retired last May 17.

Mrs. Arroyo later appointed as chief justice her former legal adviser, Justice Renato Corona.

Incoming president Aquino refused to recognize the appointment of Corona, calling it a violation of the constitutional ban on midnight appointments.

Aquino invited Morales to administer his oath of office instead of taking his oath before the Chief Justice, which was traditionally done by past presidents.

In her dissenting opinion, Justice Morales believed that Mrs. Arroyo cannot appoint the next chief justice because she is prohibited by the ban on midnight appointments under Article VII Section 15 of the Constitution.

The nine SC justices who cast the majority vote, however, criticized her dissenting opinion.

Associate Justice Lucas Bersamin said in his resolution junking the appeal of the ruling that Justice Morales wrongfully applied the discussions of the Constitutional Commission on provision against nepotism as basis of her ruling in the issue on midnight appointment during their deliberations on the case.

Morales was appointed to the SC on Aug. 26, 2002. She earned her Bachelor of Laws and Economics degrees from the University of the Philippines.

Morales went into private law practice after passing the Bar and then worked at the Department of Justice (DOJ), where she held the position of Special Assistant to then Justice Secretary Vicente Abad Santos and later Senior State Counsel before joining the judiciary.

She penned several landmark SC decisions, including those in Francisco vs. House of Representatives (2003) clarifying the one-year time bar rule in impeachment cases, and Senate vs. Ermita (2006) on executive privilege. 

Aquino sisters join preparations

The sisters of incoming President Aquino have been helping out in the preparations for his inauguration in their own little ways, even though they are not part of the official transition team.

The team of the Aquino camp that is in charge of preparations for the inauguration were joined by the president-elect’s sisters Ballsy Aquino-Cruz, Pinky Aquino-Abellada and Kris Aquino-Yap during the inspection yesterday of the Quirino Grandstand at Rizal Park in Manila.

Presidential Management Staff chief Elena Bautista-Horn, who is part of the Arroyo transition team, said the Aquino sisters left a very good impression on her during their meeting.

Aside from Kris, who is the most flamboyant among the siblings, the sisters are known to be simple and unassuming.

Horn said that she got the impression that the sisters wanted the inauguration rites to be simple.

Asked to expound on what gave her that impression, Horn said that she was impressed by the willingness of the sisters to give up their slots for the inauguration to accommodate other guests who might want to be part of the event on June 30.

Horn said that the sisters are her friends and yet she felt humbled by the gesture.

“A lot of people have to be invited and I found it humble that the sisters would give up their space for others to attend if they run out of space,” she said.

Horn said that she was not aware who would eventually be invited to the inauguration because this decision would entirely be up to the Aquino camp.

She said that aside from family, friends, supporters and political colleagues, there would be some foreign heads of state and diplomats who would be coming to the inauguration.

Horn declined to reveal the identities of the heads of state in deference to the Aquino camp, which she said should be the one to make the announcement.

She said that the Department of Foreign Affairs is already making the necessary arrangements for the visiting heads of state and other foreign dignitaries that would be coming over for the inauguration.

Horn said that the preparations for the venue, including the renovation of the Quirino Grandstand, are going smoothly although the schedule is very tight.

“We reiterated that the transition team would give them its full support. We will be assisting them,” she said.

Horn said the president-elect has formally informed President Arroyo about the composition of his official transition team namely: Sen. Manuel Roxas II, former Finance secretary Cesar Purisima, former Education secretary Florencio Abad, incoming executive secretary Paquito Ochoa and Aquino’s chief of staff Julia Abad.

The formal meetings should take place in a matter of days as Horn said that their side is ready to start anytime.

As for the role of Mrs. Arroyo in the inauguration, Horn said that this would be limited to the call of the president-elect at Malacañang and her riding with Aquino to the Quirino Grandstand.

Horn said that Mrs. Arroyo would be sitting on the right side of the limousine, which she called the “seat of honor,” while Aquino would be on her left.

She said Mrs. Arroyo would not stay for the inauguration and would leave immediately on board her private vehicle.

No tokens would be given to the incoming president like what was done by some previous presidents.

Meanwhile, former senator Francisco Tatad expressed concern yesterday that the participation of Roxas in Aquino’s transition team might trigger a rift between supporters of the incoming president and vice president-elect Jejomar Binay.

He told reporters during the weekly Balitaan sa Rembrandt Hotel in Quezon City that the animosity between Roxas and Binay might affect the transition between the outgoing Arroyo administration and the incoming Aquino administrattion.

“Vice president-elect Binay is part of the new government and the antagonism of the group of Roxas might not help,” he said.

Lawyer Aquilino Pimentel Jr., secretary-general of the PDP-Laban, ruled out any rift between Aquino and Binay because of the strong political and personal ties of the two families.

Pimentel said he expects a smooth relationship between Aquino and Binay. With Marvin Sy, Perseus Echeminada