Drilon: Senate can invite, but not force, CA justices to attend probe

Senate President Franklin Drilon. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

The Senate has the power to invite in its hearings the appellate court justices being linked into the alleged “justice for sale” system but the chamber should not coerce them to appear before it, Senate President Franklin Drilon said on Friday.

“Karapatan po ng committee na mag-imbita ng kung sinuman na sa tingin ng committee ay makatutulong doon sa subject of the investigation as resource persons. Ngunit as part of the interdepartmental courtesy, sa akin po, we should stop at invitation at kung hindi po sila sisipot ay let us limit at that. Huwag na po nating pilitin at mayroon po tayong interdepartmental courtesy sa ating Saligang Batas.”  Drilon said in an interview over Radyo Inquirer.

(The committee has the right to invite whomever it thinks will help in the investigation as resource persons. But as part of interdepartmental courtesy, I think that we should stop at an invitation, but just let them be should they decide not to attend. We shouldn’t force them because we have interdepartmental courtesy in our Constitution.)

“The power to discipline the judiciary is with the Supreme Court. Of course, this is not a disciplinary process. Ngunit kung imbitasyon lang po ang ating pag-uusapan, wala namang bawal mag-invite. But if the justices would deem it would be not proper for them to appeal before the subcommittee, huwag na po nating ipilit and I am not in favor of using the coercive process of Senate investigation to conquer the attendance of these justices,” he said.

Drilon was reacting to Senator Antonio Trillanes IV’s statement that the two justices that he accused of receiving P25 million each in exchange for the issuance of a temporary restraining order  on the suspension of Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay should be called to appear before the Senate probe.

READ: Trillanes wants justices in TRO ‘sale’ to appear before Senate

Trillanes identified the two as Court of Appeals Associate Justices Jose Reyes Jr. and Francisco Acosta in a resolution he filed in the Senate seeking an inquiry into the alleged system of “justice for sale” in the judiciary.

READ: Trillanes: 2 CA justices got P50M for Binay TRO

Drilon noted that Vice President Jejomar Binay has also been invited to appear before the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee looking into the alleged anomalies in Makati City but the latter deemed it not proper to appear before it

“Uulitin ko lang, may kapangyarihan ang senado na mag-invite anyone. We can invite anyone. We have invited Vice President Jejomar Binay but the Vice President deemed it not appropriate to appear,” he said.

“Let us limit it at that. Ganoon din po sa mga justices ng Court of Appeals…Prerogative po ng Senado ang mag-invite but to compel their attendance is another matter. Siguro, huwag na nating ipilit sir (Let us not force them to),” the Senate leader added. IDL