Battle of gov’t megaphones: Marquez fires back at Carandang

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines—The verbal tussle between Malacañang and the Supreme Court continues after high court spokesman Jose Midas Marquez told Presidential Communications Secretary Ricky Carandang to read first before making a comment.

“Don’t talk if you don’t know what you’re talking about. Listen first, take time to read the speech first,” Marquez told reporters referring to Carandang.

On Wednesday, Carandang said Marquez should instead explain Chief Justice Renato Corona’s questionable deposits and hidden entries in his statement of assets, liabilities and networth (SALN).

Carandang made the statement in reaction to Marquez’ lecture Wednesday during the media forum in Baguio City.

Marquez, in his lecture said the Aquino administration is emboldening the public to defy the courts.

Marquez said the judiciary is bearing the brunt of the impeachment trial and the public attacks of President Benigno Aquino III against Chief Justice Renato Corona.

Among the defiance of court orders cited by Marquez include the Department of Finance and the Bureau of Internal Revenue’s (BIR) disobeying an order to stop collection of a 20 percent final withholding tax on P35 billion worth of government’s Poverty Eradication and Alleviation Certificates (PEACe bonds) last November in spite of a temporary restraining order (TRO) handed down by the high court; the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) and the Aquino administration’s refusal to honor a TRO on DOJ watch list orders against former first couple Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and Mike Arroyo also last

November; and the DOJ’s defiance of a Manila trial court judge’s order for the inspection of the vehicle National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Deputy Director Reynaldo Esmeralda was riding in when he was supposedly ambushed last February 21.

Also, Marquez took note of the defiance of St. Theresa’s College High School Cebu to follow a trial court order allowing certain students to march for graduation.  The students were barred from attending the graduation rites after they posted in a social networking site their photos wearing bikini; SM Baguio’s refusal to receive the copy of a trial court-issued Temporary Environmental Protection Order (TEPO) to stop the mall from cutting down 182 trees for its expansion project; and, in Eastern Samar, a governor’s defiance of a trial court-issued TRO preventing him from using his administration’s annual budget.

“What was his business in meddling with SALN? The issue is defiance that started with Justice Secretary De Lima. If De Lima is still the human rights chair, I don’t think she would do what she did,” Marquez said.