‘Judiciary should deal with criticism’

THE judiciary should be prepared to deal with criticism of its decisions from the public and  counterparts in the executive department.

Associate Justice Gabriel Ingles of the Court of Appeals-Cebu City station said this in light of President Benigno Aquino III’s recent tirades against Chief Justice Renato Corona in a speech at a  criminal justice summit last Monday.

“We in the judiciary should always be open to criticism because it’s part of accountability, especially so today when our credibility to the public is low,” Ingles told Cebu Daily News.

Ingles said the judiciary should make  efforts to show  the public that it is independent from political and private interests.

President Aquino picked anew on Corona’s appointment as chief justice as well as the High Court’s decision in investigating and arresting former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

The President  declined to comment on whether he would support impeachment moves against Corona.

A consumer group launched a signature campaign in Cebu City demanding  Corona’s impeachment.

Asked whether he was open to offers by bishops to mediate talks between him and Corona, the President in Manila replied in the affirmative.

“Of course,” he said, but he defended the Palace’s aggressive stance in questioning the Supreme Court, saying its rulings, such as the one junking the Truth Commission, affected his government’s duty to govern.

“But if the list (of complaints against the High Court) gets longer,  there are many decisions that are questionable… If we feel there is a mistake, then we have to focus on it,” the President said. Reporter Ador Vincent Mayol with an Inquirer report