File a case.
This was environmental lawyer Gloria Estenzo-Ramos’ response to Capitol consultant Christina Codilla-Frasco’s statement that Ramos and lawyer Benjamin Cabrido would “face legal consequences” for filing complaints against Capitol officials.
Frasco’s statement came after the Supreme Court dismissed a petition for certiorari filed by the Global Legal Action Against Climate Change (GLACC) led by Ramos and Cabrido.
The petition stemmed from the Ombudsman’s dismissal of their complaint that the Capitol violated the anti-Red Tape Law for allegedly failing to provide them documents requested in 2009 about the province’s agreement with the Korean Electric Co. to build a coal ash waste facility in barangay Tina-an, Naga City.
Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia showed last Thursday the Supreme Court en banc decision on the dismissal of the lawyers’ petition.
The High Court said the petitioners failed to provide a complete set of dates and sufficient evidence that Capitol officials and “the Ombudsman-Visayas committed grave abuse of discretion.”
Ramos told Cebu Daily News yesterday that she and Cabrido have not received a copy of the order from the Supreme Court dismissing their petition for certiorari.
“We haven’t received any notice or order from the Supreme Court,” she said.
“Our stand is not to issue a statement on the alleged dismissal because we don’t have a copy of the order yet,” Ramos said in Cebuano.
“We will study what our next steps will be after we receive the order,” she said.
Until then, she said, they consider the report presented by the Capitol as “hearsay.”
Ramos said she and Cabrido were not threatened by Frasco’s statement.
“In so far as the statement of the daughter is concerned, is she threatening us? If she did, we only have this to say—file a case,” she told CDN.
“We don’t even have resources for our advocacy. What we do, ang amo ra gyud nga tumong is for environmental laws and for our laws to be followed by everyone,” she added.
Ramos dismissed allegations that the environmental lawyers were harassing anyone for filing the cases.
“We never harassed her. We are not in a condition to harass. We don’t have the power. We don’t have resources. Naa man sa ilaha,” Ramos said.