SC to probe 4 judges tied to drugs

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / RICHARD A. REYES

THE SUPREME Court on Tuesday formed a fact-finding committee to look into allegations by President Duterte that four incumbent trial court judges had been involved in illegal drug activities and asked Malacañang to file a formal complaint against them.

In a resolution, the court en banc appointed retired Associate Justice Roberto A. Abad to lead the panel and to submit a report in 30 days after the filing of the charges and the replies of the accused.

“The court today resolved to direct Executive Secretary Salvador C. Medialdea to submit complaint affidavits against the four judges within seven days, furnishing the respondent judges with a copy of the same,” said the resolution, which was read by spokesperson Theodore Te during a news briefing.

The high court also directed the judges named―Exequil Dagala of Dapa-Socorro in Surigao province,  Adriano Savillo of Iloilo City, Domingo Casiple of Kalibo, Aklan province, and Antonio Reyes of Baguio City―to respond to the allegations within seven days upon receiving the Palace complaint.

The court said it would treat as a complaint the remarks made by Mr. Duterte during a televised speech in Davao City early Sunday in which he named the judges among 159 officials, soldiers and policemen he said were involved in illegal drug activities.

In a letter to Mr. Duterte on Monday, Sereno reminded the President that the Supreme Court was the only entity empowered to discipline members of the judiciary.

She also pointed out that of the seven judges named by the President, one had been dismissed in 2007 for gross ignorance of the law or misconduct (Lorenda Mupas of Dasmariñas, Cavite province). and another (Roberto Natividad of Calbayog, Samar province) was killed on Jan. 14, 2008, at the age of 69. A third judge, Rene Gonzales of Iloilo City, retired last month.

During the briefing, Te said the committee would look into administrative liability of the four judges in the performance of their duties.

He pointed out that the Supreme Court did not have jurisdiction over criminal complaints.

Te said the court’s inquiry would allow the judges to clear their names as their alleged involvement would have an impact on their duties. He also said dragging judges in Mr. Duterte’s war on drugs would expose them to possible danger because of the extrajudicial killings that have accompanied the campaign.

Paid media people

Earlier on Tuesday, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said the Cabinet cluster for security, justice and peace that met on Monday in Malacañang was told that drug lords were funding some members of the media to derail Mr. Duterte’s campaign against illegal drugs.

Aguirre did not give details in his speech at the 43rd anniversary of the Alpha Kappa Rho fraternity.

Reacting to the disclosure, the National Union of Journalists in the Philippines (NUJP) urged Aguirre to provide evidence and name the media groups concerned.

“If the evidence warrants, file charges against them,” NUJP president Ryan Rosauro said in a statement.

“Without presenting any proof, Secretary Aguirre is not only committing a serious injustice, he is endangering all journalists,” he said.

Rosauro said Aguirre’s accusation “is much worse than claiming most of the more than 170 journalists who have been murdered since 1986 deserved their fates because they were corrupt.”

“What Mr. Aguirre has done is spread a deadly rumor that could place any and all journalists in the cross-sights of those responsible for the orgy of drug-related extrajudicial killings that continue to flood our streets with blood,” he said.