Palace to SC: Independence not a free pass on criticism

The word war between Malacañang and the judiciary continued to flare during the weekend, with a Palace executive reminding the Supreme Court that its independence does not mean it will be spared criticism. “Independence does not mean you are free from criticism, even the executive (branch), we take that to heart," she said on government-run dzRB radio. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte directed her comments at Supreme Court administrator Jose Midas Marquez, who scored the Palace for commenting on the high court’s decision recall of a decision involving Philippine Airlines flight attendants. “Atty. Marquez said we should have not said anything because the chief justice inhibited from the FASAP cases which is missing the point. In the first instance it was never the Chief Justice being alluded to. I sort of don’t see why it had to be brought up," Valte said. Besides, she said the Palace was not alone in asking what happened when the high court recalled this month a September order favoring the Flight Attendants and Stewards Association of the Philippines in its labor dispute with Philippine Airlines. “At that point we were not alone in asking what happened," she said. She also scored Marquez for linking the Palace’s comments on the high court’s recall to a separate exchange between the Palace and Chief Justice Renato Corona over a Palace plan to place P4.97 billion of the budget of the judiciary and constitutional bodies for unfilled positions in a “miscellaneous personnel benefits fund" (MPBF). Marquez had twitted Malacañang for claiming that Corona was sidestepping the issue on its recall order on FASAP by citing the budget issue. — ELR, GMA News