Supreme Court to resume session on Tuesday

Cases related to the "midnight appointments" by outgoing President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, including that of Chief Justice Renato Corona, will be some of about 300 petitions the Supreme Court (SC) is expected to tackle when it resumes its full-court session on Tuesday. These cases, which likewise include those related to the May 10 automated polls, have been pending since the High Court went into recess on May 5, SC spokesperson Jose Midas Marquez said. Part of the Court’s agenda is the second motion for reconsideration filed by the Philippine Bar Association (PBA) questioning the SC’s March 17 ruling allowing President Arroyo to appoint the next chief justice. A slew of petitions by groups, including the PBA, earlier sought to bar President Arroyo from appointing the next chief justice, citing the constitutional ban on appointments in light of the national elections. Petitioners said it will allow the outgoing President to tighten her hold on the Court, whose members are now all appointees of Arroyo. The Court, however, ruled that Presidnet Arroyo can appoint the next chief justice, saying the constitutional ban on appointments applies only to the executive branch. Tuesday’s resumption of session also marks Corona’s first time to preside over the Court en banc after he was appointed last May 17 when former Chief Justice Reynato Puno retired. Other controversial Presidential appointments the SC will discuss, according the Marquez, include the petition questioning the constitutionality of the appointment of Armed Forces chief Gen. Delfin Bangit and two other military officials on April, and Justice Secretary Alberto Agra’s appointment as concurrent solicitor general. Also pending before the SC is losing presidential bet Sen. Jamby Madrigal’s petition to stop the destruction of the compact flash cards used in the May elections. Part of the Court’s agenda is the request of Hubert Webb, the convicted murderer in the Vizconde massacre case, to submit to DNA testing the semen specimen extracted from the body of victim Carmela Vizconde. The High Court’s agenda also include a request for copies of the statement of assets, liabilities, and net worth of the Court’s justices, and a motion to resolve the controversies in the election of officers of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines. - JMA, RJAB Jr/KBK, GMANews.TV