EO revoking midnight appointments gets bishops' nod

Amid questions surrounding its constitutionality, President Aquino's executive order revoking midnight appointments of the Arroyo administration got the nod of Catholic bishops. Novaliches Bishop Emeritus Teodoro Bacani Jr. said Malacañang made the right decision if only to restore people’s trust in the government. "It is part of the necessary cleaning (in the government)," said Bacani, in an article posted on the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines news site. Auxiliary Bishops Broderick Pabillo (Manila) and Francis de Leon (Antipolo) also supported the EO, saying such appointments are against the law. But while Pabillo urged Arroyo midnight appointees to resign voluntarily, De Leon said there may be some Arroyo appointees who deserve "a chance to apply again." Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez Jr. also favored the President’s decision, adding that any violation of the Constitution should not be tolerated. On Tuesday, Malacañang made public Executive Order No. 2, which may affect some 977 midnight appointments made by then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on or after March 10. But Mrs. Arroyo's spokeswoman and former Presidential Management Staff head Elena Bautista-Horn said the EO may be questioned before the Supreme Court because the Palace made its own "interpretation" of the Constitution in issuing the order. Bautista-Horn said that while the Constitution's ban on appointments two months before the election covers the appointment itself, Malacañang took it a step further by interpreting it to include the acceptance of the appointment. [See: Arroyo camp: Palace may face SC over Executive Order 2]