MANILA, Philippines — President Benigno Aquino III’s scathing speeches against Chief Justice Renato Corona and the Supreme Court weren’t meant to influence the High Tribunal in cases involving former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, a senior political adviser said on Tuesday.
Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said President Aquino’s speeches — one before the Manila Business Club on Friday and another in a Supreme Court event on Monday –were meant to remind the magistrates that all government power comes from the people and not from the person that named them to the post.
“It was in no way meant to influence the decision of the high court on cases involving Arroyo before it. It was meant principally to remind our people in government, especially the high court, about where governmental power emanates from, whether you’re in the executive, legislative or judiciary,” Abad said.
“It is from the people. And every high official and institution of government must always keep that freshly in mind,” he added.
Most of the members of the Supreme Court were appointed by Arroyo during her nine years in power. Corona’s appointment as Chief Justice, on the other hand, has been criticized as a midnight appointment as it was made a week after the May 2010 elections.
Asked whether the President’s speech on Monday was a reminder that the power of government officials, including Supreme Court justices, come from the people instead of from the person that appointed them, Abad said, “Ultimately, that’s correct.”
Originally posted at 09:40 am | Tuesday, December 06, 2011