PDI columnist ‘influencing’ court to favor Poe, David tells SC

RIZALITO David has asked the Supreme Court to take appropriate action against former chief Justice Artemio Panganiban for allegedly trying to influence the court to rule in favor of Senator Grace Poe.

There are three cases lodged before the Supreme Court involving Poe. The first was filed by David where he challenged the decision of the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) that dismissed his petition to disqualify Poe as a senator.

The other two petitions were filed by Poe challenging the decisions of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) en banc that ordered the cancellation of her certificate of candidacy (COC) for presidency.

Panganiban, in his Jan. 10, 2016 column published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, said the case of Poe is “unique.”

“Beyond the text. I  believe her case presents a rare moment for judicial greatness for those who see beyond the text…” Panganiban said.

David told the high court that “a careful reading of the aforesaid article will inevitably show that the writer is trying to sway this Honorable Court into ruling in favor of private respondent Poe and the public respondent represented by the Office of the Solicitor General led by Solicitor General Florin Hilbay…Suffice it to state that this act is as dangerous as the attempts of foreign governments to influence the executive decisions of the President of a republic,” he said.

He added that the high court should “bear in mind the stringent demands of justice and the need to promote proper ethical conduct among the members of the bar vis-a-vis the respect due the court.”