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PNoy wasted first year trying to create Truth Commission – Lagman


President Benigno Aquino III has wasted the first year of his anti-corruption drive trying to create the Truth Commission, which the Supreme Court has deemed unconstitutional. This was according to House Minority Leader Edcel Lagman, who on Wednesday said the high court had “virtually sanctioned" Aquino for his “selective retribution" for officials of the past administration. “I think the President wasted one year of his agenda against corruption... The executive should learn its lesson from the judiciary," he said at a press briefing. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court, via a 9-2 vote, nullified with finality Aquino’s Executive Order (EO) 1, which created the Truth Commission, by junking a motion of reconsideration filed by the government on an earlier ruling declaring the order unconstitutional. The SC maintained that the controversial order violated the 1987 Constitution’s equal protection clause by targeting the corruption scandals involving the administration of former President and current legislator Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Lagman, who challenged EO 1’s constitutionality before the SC, lauded the court for “upholding the supremacy of the Constitution." “It (Truth Commission) was a propaganda maneuver, but the SC saw through it," he said. Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, however, said the appointment of former SC justice Conchita Carpio-Morales as the new Ombudsman makes up for the nullification of the Truth Commission. Lagman said he expects Carpio-Morales to be fair in her deliberations on cases filed against Arroyo. “After her [Morales’] long stint in the judiciary, we grant that she will be judicious and fair," he said. - KBK, GMA News

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