CA to conduct own probe of Ma’am Arlene

Court Administrator Jose Midas Marquez: Only one ‘Ma’am Arlene’ under probe. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—The Court of Appeals will conduct its own investigation of “Ma’am Arlene,” an alleged “decision broker,” or one involved in “fixing” cases at the tribunal, a Supreme Court official said on Tuesday.

Court Administrator Jose Midas Marquez said the Court of Appeals Presiding Justice Andres Reyes Jr. has ordered an internal probe about the activities of a certain “Ma’am Arlene,” said to be a clerk in the appeals tribunal.

“While we have jurisdiction over the Court of Appeals, the Presiding Justice also shares our jurisdiction. He vowed to conduct a thorough, impartial probe,” Marquez told reporters, adding that Reyes will be submitting a report on his findings and recommendations within 30 days.

Marquez earlier said there were apparently three “Ma’am Arlenes” who are suspected to be involved in case-fixing in the appeals court. However, only the “Ma’am Arlene” who is a judiciary employee will be investigated, he added.

Marquez’s office has already obtained her real identity but chose not to reveal it pending the results of the investigation.

The second and third “Ma’am Arlenes” are reportedly a former employee at the Manila Regional Trial Court and a staffer at the Manila City Hall.

Marquez earlier said the alleged illegal activities of the three “Ma’am Arlenes” should not be compared with those of the pork barrel scam’s suspected mastermind, Janet Lim-Napoles.

Marquez’s office has already started a separate investigation on the activities of a “Ma’am Arlene” in the recently concluded elections of the Philippine Judges Association. The winning president, Judge Ralph Lee of the Quezon City regional trial court, and runners-up Judges Rommel Baybay of Makati City RTC and Felix Reyes of Marikina City RTC were ordered to submit a comment in writing regarding the issue.

Only Reyes submitted his comment to Marquez’s office last Monday, which was the deadline.

On the same day, Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno accepted Justice Secretary Leila de Lima’s offer to tap the National Bureau of Investigation to conduct a parallel probe on the criminal aspects of the controversy.

The Court of Appeals has 81 justices who sit in 23 regular divisions, 17 of which are located in Manila.