Leftist group urges IBP to drop gov’t lawyers who drafted EO 464 from its roll of members

Friday, 30 September 2005

Leftist group urges IBP to drop gov’t lawyers who drafted EO 464 from its roll of members

Leftist group urges IBP to drop gov’t lawyers who drafted EO 464 from its roll of members

Staunch critics of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her controversial Executive Order No. 464 barring government officials from appearing in any congressional hearings on Friday urged the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) to drop the names of government lawyers who drafted the controversial EO from its roll of members.

The militant fisherfolk group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) said the IBP should disown and dismember Defense Secretary Atty. Avelino Cruz, Presidential Chief Legal Counsel Atty. Merceditas Gutierrez and Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales.

“ Secretary Cruz, presidential legal counsel Gutierrez and Justice Secretary Gonzales violated the code of conduct and ethics and advocacy of IBP for truth, justice and transparency and respect for the Constitution and sovereign rights of the people when they collaborated to pursue this no consent, no appear policy of the female dictator,” said Pamalakaya national chair Fernando Hicap.

Pamalakaya’s Hicap said it would be better if the IBP would recommend and pursue the disbarment of Defense secretary Cruz, Justice Secretary Gonzales and presidential chief legal counsel Gutierrez.

“ That’s the price they have to pay for crafting a monster edict like EO 464 for violating the 1987 charter and for defending a criminal, corrupt and puppet administration. The IBP should carry this as a campaign or advocacy on an across-the-nation scope,” the leftist leader added.

Presidential spokesperson and Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye on Thursday disclosed the names of government lawyers as he dared critics of EO 464 to challenge the legality of said measure to the Supreme Court.

Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, a staunch ally of President Arroyo urged the Chief Executive to follow Shakespeare’s advice and kill all her lawyers –or at least fire them from office. The senator said those Palace lawyers should be criminally charged and held without bail – if there were such a crime as culpable ignorance of the 1987 Constitution.

For his part, Pamalakaya information officer Gerry Albert Corpuz said the Fr. Joaquin Bernas view on E0 464, which the constitutional expert and one of the framers of the 1987 Constitution described as a gag rule, an obstruction of work of legislature from exercising its’ role as a fiscalizer and disturbed the balance of power among branches of the government should move the IBP from pursuing the dismembership and disbarment of the three government lawyers.

“ The IBP is facing a Herculean task of getting rid the pro-Arroyo Three Stooges in Malacañang who all conspired with the ruling syndicate in crafting an evil measure that would virtually place the entire country under the US-backed Macapagal-Arroyo dictatorship,” he said.

Corpuz also asked other constitutional experts and legal luminaries to come out in the open to denounce and challenge the constitutionality, legality and morality of EO 464.

The group’s information chief said the bandwagon of resistance against the controversial order is putting pressure to Malacañang and it may succeed in compelling Ms Arroyo to withdraw EO 464 and other measures, which the Palace might pursue in the coming weeks. #