Bishop: Truth Commission may be toothless tiger

The Truth Commission created by President Benigno Simeon Aquino III may yet turn out to be a toothless tiger, a senior Catholic Church official said Friday. Retired Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz said the body should have the power to assemble evidence of corruption. “The question is what authority would it [the commission] have to issue a subpoena and to obtain document," he said on Church-run Radio Veritas. Excerpts of the interview were posted Friday night on the Union of Catholic Asian News website. In a radio interview on Saturday, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima admitted the commission may be toothless, but she said the body can gather evidence of corruption. “May punto ang sabing walang gaanong ngipin.... Ang importante dapat natin matandaan ang importante makakuha ng sapat na facts at ebidensya sa sari-saring kaso na yan (Critics have a point in saying the Truth Commission may lack teeth. But the important thing is to get evidence about past cases)," she said in an interview on dzBB radio. She said the commission’s primary mission is to get evidence from informants, witnesses and documents from government agencies. “If respondents refuse to cooperate, that will have no effect because what is important is to gather evidence," she said. On Friday, Aquino signed his first executive order that created the Truth Commission to investigate alleged corruption in the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo administration. Headed by retired Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr., the Truth Commission can request and obtain information and documents from any government agency. But the Commission has no prosecutorial function, and can only recommend actions to be taken. Cruz suggested the commission can do better as part of the Department of Justice (DOJ). That would negate the need for further legislation and provide access to existing facilities and powers, he said. Integrating the commission as a “line function" of the DOJ would make it readily operational according to law and would “give it teeth," he added. — LBG, GMANews.TV