Gibo vows less use of executive privilege under his presidency

Administration party presidential bet Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Friday said he wants “minimal use" of executive privilege if he is elected to the presidency in the upcoming May polls. Asked in a forum about projects of the Arroyo administration that he intends not to continue, Teodoro replied that he wants the use of the executive privilege to be kept at “a minimum." “I think the demand of the people is for administration change and a leadership change. I guarantee transparency. I will use to a minimum, without saying that I will abandon, executive privilege," he said. Teodoro spoke on Friday night in front of businessmen, foreign dignitaries and members of the press in a forum organized by the Manila Overseas Press Club (MOPC). In his speech, the Lakas-Kampi-CMD standard-bearer laid out his plans for the country, specifically his foreign and economic policies. In a separate interview with GMANews.TV, Teodoro however clarified he did not mean that the use of the executive privilege was abused during Mrs. Arroyo’s term. “It was used because of the political circumstances. You have an antagonistic Senate, admittedly, so you’ll have to balance these things," he said. Teodoro explained that he just wants the use of executive privilege to be kept at a minimum if he wins the presidency to ensure “transparency" in government. “It will be minimally used because I will consult as many sectors as possible in a controversial decision," he said. “I guess there are times when a country needs executive privilege as a doctrine. Even the most liberal democracies in the world recognize the necessity of that," he added. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo had been criticized for abusing executive privilege, which allows members of the executive branch to resist subpoenas and other interventions from the Congress or from the courts, throughout her administration. At the height of the investigation on the “Hello Garci" tapes in 2005, Arroyo even issued Executive Order 464 explaining the scope and coverage of executive privilege, and requiring executive officials to secure her consent before appearing in any congressional inquiry. (See: Executive Order 464 backgrounder)—JV, GMANews.TV