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By Jomar Canlas Reporter
THE Supreme Court has formed a
committee composed of retired high court justices to probe the
alleged P10-million bribe to Associate Justice Consuelo Ynares-Santiago,
and contempt charges against Philippine Press Institute president
Amado Macasaet who wrote the exposé.
A court insider told The Manila
Times that the SC en banc headed by Chief Justice Reynato Puno,
tapped retired SC Justices Carolina Grino-Aquino, Vicente Mendoza
and Romeo Callejo to investigate Macasaet’s story.
SC also tapped SC Justice
Bernardo Pardo to act as the alternate investigator of the panel.
The panel was given 30 days to
submit its suggestions, recommendation and report involving the
same.
Recently, the High Court asked
Macasaet to explain after Santiago denied the story, and Daisy
Cecelia Munoz Delis deposed in an affidavit that no such bribery
attempt was made to Santiago.
Macasaet wrote in his column that
Delis’ name was mentioned as the staff of Santiago who resigned
after receiving the gift box containing the alleged bribe.
Justice Santiago allegedly has
created “enemies” inside the court starting with retired SC
Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban. Still, many justices sympathize
with her and want to defend the name and honor of the court.
The last time that a justice was
penalized by the SC en banc was during the time of then Associate
Justice Fidel Purisima, who was reprimanded by his peers and whose
fee, amounting to P250,000, as chairman in the 1999 Bar Examinations
was reduced.
Purisima was penalized for his
insistence to remain as bar chairman even while he should have
inhibited himself since his nephew Mark Anthony Purisima took the
examinations that same year.
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