The so-called “Ilocos Six” have become unwitting “victims” in the ongoing confrontation between the House of Representatives and the judiciary, their lawyer, Estelito Mendoza, said on Thursday.
“If there is a quarrel now between the Court of Appeals, the Supreme Court and the House, it’s the six who are affected,” Mendoza told reporters at the Sandiganbayan.
“They are the victims in this quarrel,” said the lawyer who represents the Ilocos Norte provincial government employees who were detained last month by the House after being cited in contempt.
The Ilocos Six dispute has sparked fears of a constitutional crisis, after the House rebuffed the Court of Appeals’ (CA) order to release the six from detention.
Its leadership considered the CA an inferior court which it accused of interference for ordering Congress to release the detained officials.
The dispute escalated on Tuesday after the House retaliated by directing the three justices of the CA Special Fourth Division to explain why they should not be cited in contempt.