'It doesn't take a lawyer to understand precedents of my predecessors'

MANILA, Philippines - What’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.

This was President Aquino’s reaction to the Supreme Court’s perceived bias against him, pointing out that the voided Executive Order 1 creating the Truth Commission was no different from his predecessors’ past legal precedents which he had religiously observed.

“Sa atin (term/administration), there were allegations of widespread corruption (in the past administration) and we did come up with the same, pati iyung (even) terminology, a commission to study and submit recommendations,” he told reporters.

At the Supreme Court (SC), spokesman Jose Midas Marquez invoked the SC’s constitutional duty to uphold laws and settle legal disputes.

“We have the highest respect for the President and the institution he represents,” he said.

“We have to adhere to his policies of governance. That is his jurisdiction.

“In the same manner, the judiciary needs to decide cases in accordance with its understanding of the same constitutional provisions and principles.

“This too, will have to be respected, rather than impugned.”

Marquez urged Aquino to stop comparing the voided Truth Commission to previous presidential committees.

“More so if their creation were never questioned in Court,” he said.

“I think what has to be clearly understood is that different branches of government have different roles to play, and we have to respect each of them in their exercise of their respective constitutional duties and mandates.

“We all have to work within this constitutional framework which the people ratified more than two decades ago.”

Marquez downplayed Malacañang’s challenge for the SC to prove that it is not protecting former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who had appointed 14 of the 15 SC justices.

“It is not the function of the court nor its spokesman to explain its ruling beyond its written decision,” he said.

“It is best if institutions are preserved and respected.”

Marquez agreed with the reported claim of presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda that Malacañang supposedly has a competent legal team.

“I have great admiration for the presidential legal advisers,” he said.

“And I have confidence that they can explain these fairly simple nuances to the President, who need not be a lawyer.”

Aquino had made a direct comparison to commissions past presidents have created, from the Presidential Commission on Good Government of his late mother Corazon Aquino in the early 1990s, and up to those of former President Arroyo’s, which totaled five or six.

“What’s the difference, for instance, of former President Estrada to set up the Saguisag Commission to study the 1998 Centennial Expo? That was one particular project of the entire Ramos administration,” he pointed out.