Poe grandson asks Corona to inhibit self from Arroyo cases

Now comes a descendant of “Panday.”

A grandson of the late actor and an unsuccessful presidential candidate, Fernando Poe Jr., on Tuesday joined the fray involving Malacañang and the Supreme Court by asking Chief Justice Renato Corona to keep his hands off cases involving former President and now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Brian Daniel Poe Llamanzares led the filing of one of three separate petitions asking Corona to inhibit himself from the deliberations of Arroyo’s pending cases in the Supreme Court.

Llamanzares is the son of Grace Poe Llamanzares, chairperson of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB), who is the daughter of Poe. The movie action hero died in December 2004, seven months after losing to Arroyo in a presidential election in which he accused Arroyo of cheating.

Poe played the role of a sword-wielding defender of the poor in a 1980s film series called “Panday” (Blacksmith).

“We feel this is our opportunity to (claim the) justice that we’ve been deprived of all these years,” Llamanzares told reporters after filing the motion for inhibition against Corona.

Asked if he had a personal interest in filing the petition, he said: “Of course, there is a personal interest. My family did not forget all the things that have happened to us… because of the 2004 (elections).”

“As a representative of my family, it’s important that I show my support. We are after the truth, not just in 2004, but in all the cases against Arroyo that have taken place between 2004 and today,” he said.

He added: “I’m doing this not just as a member of my family but as a student and citizen of this country. I can’t allow the abuses that have been committed on such a high level to go unquestioned.”

Poe died of cerebral thrombosis and multiple organ failure in December 2004.

Other petitioners

Joining Llamanzares in filing the petition were fellow student leaders Mose Mikhael Albiento, Gibby Gorres and Ferozya Simbulan.

Similar petitions seeking Corona’s inhibition were earlier filed by Yasmin Busran-Lao of Bantay Gloria Network and by Jimmy Regalario of Kilusan para sa Makabansang Ekonomiya (KME).

Members of the media could not help but remark on Llamanzares’ physical similarities to his grandfather. Wearing a barong Tagalog and a pair of dark tight-fitting jeans, the 19-year-old political science student also sported sideburns like that of Poe’s.

Llamanzares said the criticisms against the high court’s supposedly questionable rulings were proof that “finally, there are people rallying for the cause.”

“We’re all here no matter what your age is. You have a right to defend the truth and you have a right as a voter of this country to find out the truth behind your government,” he said.

‘Bulwark of democracy’

In their petition, Llamanzares et al. said judges should inhibit themselves from handling cases “in which (they) might be perceived, rightly or wrongly, to be susceptible to bias and partiality.”

“This principle equally applies to the honorable court and its members… for the reason that it is the last bulwark of justice and democracy of the Filipino people,” they said.

The group noted that before Arroyo appointed him as Chief Justice, Corona worked under the former President as her chief of staff and acting executive secretary.

They said Arroyo could not have put Corona in such sensitive posts if she “did not maintain a  close personal and professional relationship” with him.

In his petition, Regalario claimed Corona’s supposed bias for Arroyo was “clearly reflected in the consistency by which he voted in favor” of cases involving her.

Appearance of bias

He claimed  that in 15 out of 19 “politically significant” cases from 2004 to 2008, the Chief Justice voted in favor of Arroyo and her administration. “He took a position adverse to (Arroyo) only a meager three times.”

During the Supreme Court’s oral arguments on the constitutionality of the watch-list order that Justice Secretary Leila de Lima issued against Arroyo stopping her from leaving the country, Regalario said Corona showed his impartiality and gave the impression  that he had “already prejudged” the cases against the former President.

“The voluntary inhibition of (Corona)… would prevent the appearance of bias… and would preserve the integrity and impartiality of the honorable court,” he said in the petition.

Speaking to reporters, Regalario said that in filing the petitions, “we are actually (doing Corona) a big favor because we are working to restore the faith of the people in the Supreme Court.” With Tetch Torres, INQUIRER.net

Originally posted: 7:29 pm | Tuesday, December 6th, 2011