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Rep. Lagman lauded the SC for junking with finality the Philippine Truth Commission as a constitutional aberration

Press Release
  • Office of Minority Leader Edcel C. Lagman
  • 0916-6406737 / 0918-9120137
  • 27 July 2011

 

              Minority Leader and Albay Representative Edcel C. Lagman lauded the Supreme Court for once again upholding the supremacy of the Constitution and the ascendancy of the rule of law in junking with finality the Philippine Truth Commission as a constitutional aberration.

              The Truth Commission was created by Executive Order No. 1 issued by President Aquino on 30 July 2010.

              Lagman added that the “final decision of the Supreme Court is a virtual sanction against the President who was found to have been motivated by partisan vengeance and selective retribution in solely targeting for prosecution his immediate predecessor.”

               According to Lagman, the “Aquino administration self-derailed its ballyhooed agenda against corruption for one year by foisting an unconstitutional body and insisting on its contrived validity before the public and Supreme Court.”

              Lagman challenged the constitutionality of E.O. No. 1 as a patent violation of the equal protection clause for selectively investigating officials of the Aquino administration and as an arrogation of the legislative power to create public office.

              Lagman has also contested the constitutionality of Republic Act No. 10153 postponing the ARMM elections and authorizing the President to appoint officers-in-charge for being violative of Muslim autonomy and Republic Act No. 10149 or the GOCC Governance Act of 2011 for violating the security of tenure of Government-Owned and Controlled Corporations (GOCC) officials and creating the “Governance Commission for Government-Owned and Controlled Corporations” (GCG) as a super executive body with powers to unilaterally repeal, with the imprimatur of the President, original charters granted to the GOCCs by Congress.

               The petition assailing Republic Act No. 10153 has been set by the Supreme Court for oral argument on August 9, 2011, thus effectively granting due course to the petition.