INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines – The 14-0 ruling by the Supreme Court on the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) was a clear verdict that it was unconstitutional, a legal expert said Wednesday in an interview over Radyo Inquirer 990AM.
“There is nothing surprising about the judgement because that has long been the position of many experts and constitutionalists. The bottom line is, do not trespass separation of powers. Do not let legislature play executive and do not let executive play legislature,” said Fr. Ranhillo Aquino, Dean of San Beda College of Law.
Ranhillo said the court had no doubt that the PDAF or popularly known as “pork barrel” was unconstitutional and cited that the separation of powers was fundamental in the Constitution. “The legislature writes laws but does not implement projects. The executive implements projects authorized by the legislature, and the judiciary interprets the laws and applies these laws to particular cases,” Ranhillo said.
Ranhillo said the decision would not only affect Congress but would also be a blow on Malacañang that has always maintained the legality of PDAF. He said the president could not ignore the decision of the high court because it would be a culpable violation of the Constitution. “If the president will not veto provisions in the 2014 budget on PDAF, he will be charged with violating the Constitution,” Ranhillo said.
Ranhillo said the government has 15 days to file a motion for reconsideration but if the high court refused to consider it and retained the finality of their decision, the government should follow the ruling. He added that the congressmen, including the senators and the president, should perform their “bounden duty” to uphold the Constitution and respect the decision.
Asked about his message to President Benigno Aquino III and Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, Ranhillo said, “It’s okay to be stubborn and right, but to be stubborn and wrong is a bad combination.” Ranhillo said as he advised the President to listen to sound advice.
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