Ex-Chief Justice Puno willing to lead pro-Chacha coalition

Retired Chief Justice Reynato Puno on Wednesday said he is willing to head the coalition now being formed to push for Charter change, even as President Benigno Aquino III had earlier said amending the 1987 Constitution is not a priority of his administration. In an exclusive report on GMA News’ “24 Oras," Puno said the group will be composed of leaders from the academe, Church, labor and other sectors. He did not elaborate. “I’m willing to be part of the coalition, for the sake of having a better democracy, having a better constitutionalism, better republicanism in the Philippines," he said. Puno said the time is perfect to amend the Constitution, unlike before when Charter change proposals were tainted with accusations that former presidents would only use it to prolong their stay in office. “Mayroon tayong bagong presidente na napakataas ng credibility, ng trust rating (We have a president who is very credible and whose trust rating is very high)," Puno said of Aquino, son of the late President and democracy icon Corazon “Cory" Aquino.

Too much power Puno said the distribution of power among the three branches of government must be thoroughly reviewed, as the judiciary which he previously headed currently holds so much power. “I think too much power has been vested in the judiciary, especially in the Supreme Court," Puno said. “The Supreme Court can strike down, set aside any act of government, any act of the executive, any law passed by Congress, on the ground of grave abuse of discretion," he added. The Aquino administration had clashed with the Supreme Court on several instances, such as when the high court declared as unconstitutional Aquino’s order to create a commission that will investigate alleged corruption under the Arroyo administration. Puno noted that 14 of the 15 Supreme Court justices, including the current chief justice, Renato Corona, were appointed by former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. “Hindi ko naman sinasabing sila ay hindi impartial, sila ay hindi unbiased (I am not saying that they are not impartial or unbiased). [But] the public perception matters a lot," he said. Puno said Charter change could possibly be the best legacy the Aquino administration could leave to the Filipino people. In a text message to GMA News, Aquino said the subject of Charter change, though not a priority, is still being studied by his administration. - KBK, GMANews.TV