Malacanang accepts SC ruling on Truth Commission

MANILA, P HILIPPINES–Malacanang on Tuesday acceded to the Supreme Court’s ruling with finality that its bid to set up a Truth Commission was unconstitutional.

“Since the Supreme Court has spoken, the issue has been settled,” presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said in a text message.

But Lacierda said that the Palace will “continue to explore other avenues for the truth to come out.”

Chief presidential legal counsel Eduardo de Mesa said the Palace can now “move forward on whether to abolish the body or amend the executive order” that created it.

At a press briefing Tuesday, Lacierda said that he still has to ask President Aquino on what it would do with the Truth Commission now that he has appointed retired Supreme Court Justice Conchita Carpio-Morales as the new Ombudsman.

“It would seem like a natural sequence of not pursuing the Truth Commission…but I cannot categorically say if we are going to stop the Truth Commission right now,” he said, adding he needed to ask President Aquino first about it.

Malacanang created the Truth Commission so as to investigate the alleged past sins of the Arroyo administration. This after President Aquino had expressed dissatisfaction with the performance of then Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez.