Senate set to file motion vs ruling on Neri case

MANILA, Philippines - Senate lawyers will go full force when they go to the Supreme Court on Tuesday to submit a motion for reconsideration on its decision upholding executive privilege particularly on the case of former Socio-economic and Planning chief Romulo Neri. Lawyer Carlos Medina, one of the counsels who prepared the motion for reconsideration, said Senate and private lawyers will jointly submit the motion before the high court Tuesday morning. "Kasama ang mga ibang abogado ng Senado rito. Merong official legal counsel ang Senate, si David Jonathan Yap, at may private counsels din ang Senate, si Dean Pacifico Agabin, Attorney Jose Anselmo Cadiz, ako rin at si Melencio Sta. Maria (We will have the Senate's legal counsel David Jonathan Yap as well as private counsels. These include Dean Pacifico Agabin, Atty. Jose Anselmo Cadiz, myself, and Melencio Sta. Maria)," Medina told dzBB radio in an interview Sunday. Agabin is a constitutional lawyer listed in the Integrated Bar of the Philippines website as its general counsel. Cadia is a former president of the IBP. Sta. Maria served as lawyer for "One Voice" convenor Christian Monsod. Earlier, the high court upheld Neri’s invocation of executive privilege in snubbing Senate hearings on the $329.48-million ZTE broadband deal mess. Neri repeatedly invoked executive privilege in refusing to attend further Senate hearings. Medina said the Senate's motion for reconsideration will not likely question former Labor secretary Arturo Brion's participation in the vote for the original decision, at least for now. "Sa ngayon, ang tinitingnan natin ay yung good judgment niya pinapaubaya natin sa good judgment ng justice to decide (For now, we would like to think the good justice decided on what he thought was right)," he said. Medina also said the Senate has not made up its mind on whether to re-publish its rules to avoid being cited on a technicality. "Tingin ko hihintayin ng Senado ang magiging decision sa motion for reconsideration (I think the Senate will hold its decision on whether to publish the rules, depending on the outcome on the motion for reconsideration)," he said. Meanwhile, presidential son Pampanga Rep. Juan Miguel "Mikey" Arroyo on Sunday said "political ambition" keeps some senators from ignoring the SC's ruling on the issue of executive privilege. Without naming names, Arroyo said senators should be thought to accept their defeat in the SC battle on the petition filed Neri. “All law abiding Filipinos must respect the decision of the Supreme Court. The senators are not exempted," the presidential son said. "Hindi pa nga pangulo ang mga ibang naghahangad ay hindi na nila iginagalang ang Korte Suprema (They are not elected president yet but they are already disrespecting the Supreme Court). What if they are elected in the a higher position like president or vice president comes 2010?" Arroyo asked. Administration ally Palawan Rep. Abraham Mitra, chairman of House Committee on Agriculture, said both Houses of Congress should better focus their attention on finding ways to solve rice crisis and the extension of Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP). “We respect the Senate’s decision but there are other things to do which should be given priority like the looming rice crisis or extension of CARP more than an appeal," Mitra said. - with reports from Fidel Jimenez, GMANews.TV