Arroyo ex-lawyer wants SC to swiftly decide on PET fate

The former election lawyer of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Monday asked the Supreme Court to quickly act on his motion filed in April seeking to abolish the Presidential Electoral Tribunal. The Supreme Court's 15-member bench convenes itself as the PET, with Chief Justice Renato Corona sitting as ex-officio chair and the 14 other associate justices as members. The PET resolves election contests relating only to the presidential and vice presidential races. In a four-page motion to resolve, Romulo Macalintal reiterated the contents of his April 6 petition, which argued that Supreme Court justices must not perform other functions. He insisted that the magistrates' designation as PET members violates Section 12, Article VIII of the 197 Constitution. The provision states that "the members of the Supreme Court and other courts established by law shall not be designated to any agency performing quasi-judicial or administrative functions." "Petitioner [Macalintal] reiterates his position that the creation of the PET is unconstitutional considering that the function of resolving election cases involving the President or Vice-President is part and parcel of the function of the Supreme Court 'sitting en banc...,'" Macalintal said in his motion filed on Monday. "Clearly, the Constitution does not authorize this Honorable Court to create PET where the Honorable Chief Justice is designated as Chairman and 14 Associate Justices as members thereof," he added. Citing President Benigno Aquino III's first State of the Nation Address criticism of redundant compensation for government workers, Macalintal criticized the additional payment the SC justices receive as PET members. PET receives a separate budget from the national government. Under the 2010 budget, about P55.97 million has been allotted for the body. Roxas poll protest The PET is currently handling the election protest of defeated vice presidential bet Manuel Roxas II, running mate of President Aquino. Last month, the tribunal found the former senator's protest sufficient in form and substance. (See: PET finds Roxas' poll protest sufficient in form, substance) Roxas is seeking to nullify the victory and proclamation of rival Vice President Jejomar Binay, former mayor of Makati City. Roxas asked the tribunal to account for three million null votes and other votes that were not counted during the national canvassing after the May 10 automated elections. He also asked for a thorough review of the automated elections system in light of the technical glitches encountered before, during, and after the elections. "The vice presidential contest was marred by various manifestations of fraud, anomalies, irregularities and statistical improbabilities. It is anomalous that for the Vice President alone, approximately three million votes were disenfranchised to be null/misread votes. Incidence of null/misread votes was interestingly high in provinces where protestant won while curiously low in provinces where protestee (Binay) allegedly win," part of Roxas' poll protest read. — RSJ/KBK, GMANews.TV