THE Secretary of Justice should serve as a role model to all lawyers and those in the judiciary and, as part of the executive department, he or she should respect the other co-equal branches of the government in order to protect democracy, according to Senator Miriam Santiago.

Santiago admitted that as a lawyer she has misgivings over Justice Secretary Leila De Lima’s disregard for a Supreme Court (SC) order which enjoined the Department of Justice (DOJ) from enforcing a watch-list order (WLO) on former President Gloria Arroyo who attempted to travel abroad reportedly for medical treatment.

She added that instead of heeding the order of the SC, De Lima argued against the SC decision, and refused to lift the order issued to the Bureau of Immigration preventing Arroyo to leave the country.

Santiago, who is a former Judge, said the temporary restraining order against the WLO of the DOJ is clear, but instead of honoring it De Lima insisted on disregarding it by citing her own arguments.

There are three co-equal branches of the government the executive, legislative and the judiciary and unlike the executive, which is backed by the Armed Forces, the Judiciary is said to wield only its moral authority.

The senator said De Lima’s actions send the wrong signal to the public that the decisions of the SC can be ignored.

She added that it would be better if those in the executive department could see the SC as an institution instead of an amalgam of the men and women behind it.