Arroyo revokes EO 464 after meeting with religious leaders

MANILA, Philippines - President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on Wednesday bowed to pressure and revoked the controversial Executive Order 464 that prevents government officials from attending congressional hearings on alleged corruption in the government unless allowed to by Malacañang. "Effective immediately, I am revoking EO 464. Executive officials may no longer invoke EO 464 to excuse non-attendance from legislative inquiries," President Arroyo said. The decision was reached after Mrs Arroyo and several Cabinet officials led by Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita met with representatives of an “influential religious group" including some Catholic bishops at the Discovery Suites in Ortigas Avenue in Pasig City. The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) in their pastoral letter last week had called for the scrapping of EO 464, among others. With the scrapping of the said order, President Arroyo said executive officials are now instructed to abide by the Constitution, existing laws and jurisprudence when invited to legislative inquiries. EO 464, or “Ensuring observance of the principle of separation of powers, adherence to the rule on executive privilege and respect for the rights of public officials appearing in legislative inquiries in aid of legislation under the Constitution, and for other purposes" was issued by Malacañang on Sept. 26, 2005. It was issued after the appearance of National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales in a Senate inquiry that ended with the official being detained and held in contempt because he refused to answer questions from senators. Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said the decision of the President was “welcomed warmly" by those who attended the meeting. Bunye said they are not at liberty to disclose the identities of the “influential religious group" that attended but they included members of the CBCP. He added that some sectors may still be unhappy with the revocation but they could not do anything about it. The Palace did not comment on the issue of executive privilege, which her Cabinet members could invoke to skip congressional inquiries. The decision to revoke EO 464 came days after one of Mrs Arroyo's lawyers said that even if the controversial edict is scrapped, executive privilege - which had earlier been used as a shield by former Socioeconomic planning Secretary Romulo Neri during congressional hearings on the ZTE deal - would still be in place as it is enshrined in the Constitution. "Even if Executive Order 464 is scrapped, President Arroyo's executive privilege would still hold as it is protected under the 1987 Constitution," said administration lawyer Romulo Macalintal. "In other words, the abolition of EO 464 will not diminish the President's right to exercise her executive privilege, which exempts her or her Cabinet members from testifying in Congress without her consent," Macalintal added. - GMANews.TV