SC panel starts ‘Arlene’ probe

MANILA, Philippines - The Supreme Court (SC) is closing its doors to the public in the probe on the reported influence peddling in the judiciary allegedly perpetrated by a certain “Ma’am Arlene.”

Proceedings and deliberations of the ad hoc committee chaired by Associate Justice Marvic Leonen tasked to conduct the investigation will be “confidential and not open to the public,” according to the SC public information office (PIO).

In an advisory issued yesterday, the high court explained the committee would just provide the PIO with regular reports “so that the public may be informed of the progress of the investigation.”

But the hearings will not be open to media coverage.

Ma’am Arlene has been dubbed as the Janet Lim- Napoles of the judiciary. But unlike this controversy in the judiciary, the investigations on the pork barrel scams of Napoles of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Senate have been open to media coverage.

The SC committee, meanwhile, has tapped several resource persons “to shed light on certain facts relevant to the investigation,” according to the SC PIO.

The resource persons, whose identities were withheld by the high court, would be required to attend the next meeting of the probe body.

“The identities of these resource persons will not be disclosed to the public. As instructed by the committee, the PIO shall be releasing a statement after the meeting,” the PIO explained.

It was learned that Leonen and two other members of the body created by the high court last month – retired SC associate justices Ma. Alicia Austria-Martinez and Romeo Callejo Jr. – have been “meeting informally to discuss organization structure and internal procedures as well as a working schedule and timeframes.”

“The committee has agreed to meet regularly on an almost weekly basis; it has also confirmed the previous instructions given by the committee chair Justice Leonen that all information will be given through the PIO,” the SC announced.

The high court also clarified the committee is still at the fact-finding stage and has yet to conduct any administrative hearings.

“But it is not foreclosing any such hearings, should the information gathered warrant any such investigation and should the Court so direct,” the PIO added.

Initial probe by the Office of the Court Administrator (OCA) had revealed three “Arlenes” in the judiciary who are known for supposedly “fixing cases” in the Court of Appeals and regional trial courts.

The Arlenes were a clerk in the CA, a former employee in Manila regional trial court and a prominent staff in Manila City Hall.

The OCA had traced the source of the reports to a supposed smear campaign in their electoral contest in Philippine Judges Association.

It was earlier confirmed that Arlene Lerma – the woman who reportedly left the country last week – is among those being investigated by the NBI.

The three judges who vied for the top post in the Philippine Judges Association (PJA) have denied involvement on the controversy.

Newly elected PJA president and Quezon City regional trial court Judge Ralph Lee and his rivals Makati City RTC Judge Rommel Baybay and Marikina City RTC Judge Felix Reyes all said they had nothing to do with the allegations.