Speaker slammed for defying court

House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez. (File photo by LYN RILLON / Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Former Solicitor General Estelito Mendoza on Wednesday lambasted House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez for refusing to obey an order by the Court of Appeals (CA) to release six detained officials and employees of the Ilocos Norte provincial government.

The six have been ordered released from the custody of the House Sergeant-at-Arms Office after the appellate court granted their petition for a writ of habeas corpus.

Alvarez had ordered them arrested after they were held in contempt for allegedly refusing to answer questions during a congressional inquiry into the alleged irregular procurement of P66.45-million worth of vehicles by the provincial government.

Pedro Agcaoili, chair of the bids and awards committee and provincial planning and development officer; provincial budget officer Evangeline Tabulog; provincial treasurer Josephine Calajate; accountant Eden Battulayan, and treasury office staff Genedine Jambaro and Encarnacion Gaor have been detained since May 29.

Mendoza, a lawyer for the six, lamented that Alvarez again failed to comply with the CA’s directive after House security officers rebuffed the court sheriff who tried to serve its June 9 order for the third time on Tuesday.

A defiant Alvarez said in a text message to reporters on Wednesday: “That’s gross ignorance of the law. Mga gago yang tatlong justices na yan! (Those three justices are fools!)”

He was referring to CA Special Fourth Division Associate Justices Stephen Cruz, Edwin Sorongon and Nina Antonino-Valenzuela who granted the habeas corpus petition.

Mendoza also belied the claim by Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas that the appeals court could not compel the House to release his clients.

“It is a case pending in the CA, let the arguments be made in court by the respective parties,” Fariñas said in a text message to reporters.

Vicentito Lazo, a board member of Ilocos Norte who is also a lawyer for the detainees, called on Alvarez to respect the appellate court’s ruling and “adhere to the rule of law.”

“It’s not true that the writ of habeas corpus is meaningless. We adhere to the rule of law. The six detained employees . . . have the right to avail of anything that will secure their right to liberty,” said Lazo.—WITH A REPORT FROM VINCE F. NONATO