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By Jomar Canlas, Reporter
After initiating last year a
summit that looked into reported extra-judicial killings under the
Arroyo government, Supreme Court Chief Justice Reynato Puno is
calling for another one—this time to address poverty supposedly
caused by corruption.
The “Summit Against
Extra-Judicial Killings and Enforced Disappearances” in 2007 paved
the way for the writ of amparo and writ of habeas data as two more
legal remedies for complainants. Only the writ of habeas corpus had
been available to them before.
During an exclusive interview
with The Manila Times on Wednesday, Puno said government officials
who are possibly corrupt and insensitive to the plight of the poor
make solving poverty more difficult.
“Corruption compounds the
problem,” the Chief Justice told The Times.
He declined to comment on the
controversy swirling around the aborted $330-million national
broadband project. Puno cited cases questioning the broadband
project that he apparently expects to reach the High Court, as well
as the three that had been filed before it.
Pending before the Supreme Court
are the petitions filed by Iloilo Vice-Gov. Rolex Suplico against
the Department of Transportation and Communications; by Jose
“Joey” de Venecia 3rd of Amsterdam Holdings Inc., also against
the department; and by Romulo Neri, acting chairman of the
Commission on Higher Education.
The Suplico and de Venecia
petitions seek public disclosure of the broadband contract and
immediate termination of the project. That by Neri wants the High
Tribunal to rule on whether he indeed can invoke “executive
privilege” in refusing to tell senators all on the canceled
broadband project.
De Venecia’s Amsterdam Holdings
was a losing bidder for the national broadband network project that
was eventually won by China’s ZTE Corp. De Venecia later alleged
before the Senate that President Gloria Arroyo’s husband, Jose
Miguel “Mike” Arroyo, had told him to “back off” from the
project. Also, he said then-Chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr. of the
Commission on Elections had tried to bribe him in exchange for his
dropping his bid. Neri was the President’s socioeconomic planning
secretary and director general of the National Economic and
Development Authority when the broadband project was being
negotiated. He had said Abalos apparently also tried to bribe him
for his approval of the project.
Puno said his proposed summit on
battling corruption-generated poverty will be led by the High Court.
The summit, “Access to Justice
by the Poor,” is set for launching on March 14. To be invited to
it, the Chief Justice said, are sectoral representatives and
government officials.
He admitted that the role of the
judiciary in fighting graft-induced poverty could be not as big as
those of Malacañang, Senate and House of Representatives.
“You know our role is always
limited,” the Chief Justice pointed out. “The executive and the
legislative branches have their roles to play against corruption,
against poverty, in promoting the socio-economic rights of the
people.”
Lawyer Jose Midas Marquez said
the summit will center on promoting the rights of the poor through
such programs as waiving court and docket fees for them.
Last Tuesday, Puno thumbed down
an invitation of ousted House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. to head
the “Council for Moral Revolution” against corruption that the
former Congress leader had proposed. He cited conflicts that could
arise from his being the “moral” leader in the fight against
graft. Organizers of the council led by Rep. de Venecia and Senate
President Manuel Villar Jr. on February 17 voted Puno in absentia as
the council’s leader.
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