Devanadera scores EO No.1 for Truth Commission

Another ally of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has criticized President Benigno Aquino III's Executive Order No. 1 that created the Truth Commission to investigate corruption scandals in the past administration. Former Department of Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera said the Truth Commission will duplicate existing powers and may end up on a witch hunt against erring officials because of limited recommendatory powers. "In the experience of the world on Truth Commissions, this was usually resorted to if the powers-that-be have no wherewithal to investigate. But in the case of the Philippines right now, President Aquino is already head of the Executive branch which has all the agencies needed to conduct a complete investigation and to act on whatever will be the findings," Devanadera said in a statement. She said existing government offices like the DOJ, National Bureau of Investigation, Office of the Ombudsman, and Office of Solicitor General already have powers to do what the truth body intends to accomplish. Because of such duplication, the commission’s probes could "deteriorate into a witch hunt for its lack of power and authority to prosecute." Devanadera served as solicitor general and justice secretary during the Arroyo administration. She resigned early this year to pursue her congressional bid in the second district of Quezon province. She lost to Wilfrido Mark Enverga. Arroyo, who stepped down from office on June 30, is now Pampanga's second district representative. Her allies in the House of Representatives, led by Minority leader Edcel Lagman, are asking the Supreme Court to nullify EO No. 1 as unconstitutional. The petitioners said that creating the commission is illegal because only Congress has the power to create a public office and allot funds for its operations. They added the truth body's inquiry would be an "exercise in futility" because it duplicates existing powers given to the DOJ and the Ombudsman. Devanadera was present at the Supreme Court on Tuesday when the second phase of oral arguments on the legality of EO No. 1 was held. Solicitor General Jose Anselmo Cadiz, the government counsel, admitted that the Aquino administration also had to create the truth body because of the Ombudman's failure to prosecute high-profile government officials connected to Arroyo. —VS, GMANews.TV