Truth body a go despite pending SC case — Miriam

Only a temporary restraining order (TRO) from the Supreme Court can stop the Office of the President from implementing Executive Order No. 1, which creates the Philippine Truth Commission of 2010 that will investigate corruption scandals in the Arroyo administration. This was according to Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, a perceived ally of former President and incumbent Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, in a radio interview Sunday. "In our jurisprudence, anything that is being challenged can still be implemented except when the Supreme Court issues a TRO," Santiago said in Filipino in an interview on dzBB radio. Despite the petition filed by Arroyo's allies in Congress questioning the validity of EO 1, President Benigno Aquino III last week said the Commission is set to begin its inquiry this week. Its members — retired Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr., former Supreme Court Associate Justices Romeo Callejo Jr. and Flerida Ruth Romero, Ateneo Human Rights Center head Carlos Medina Jr. and Ateneo law professor Menardo Guevarra — are expected to take their oaths on Monday. Members of the minority bloc at the House of Representatives are asking the SC to declare EO No. 1 unconstitutional because it supposedly usurps Congress' powers to create government offices and allocate funds for them. The SC conducted oral arguments for the petition last Tuesday. This week, the government, through Solicitor General Jose Anselmo Cadiz, will defend its side. Malacañang is standing by the legality of the truth body, saying Arroyo's camp has nothing to fear is the former president did nothing wrong. - Sophia Regina Dedace/KBK, GMANews.TV