Marcos camp: SC should not be 'bullied' by Congress

The camp of Gov. Imee Marcos and the six detained Ilocos Norte officials on Wednesday said the Supreme Court (SC) should not allow itself be "bullied" by members of the House of Representatives.

Marcos' camp asked the SC to immediately resolve the petition for the issuance of a writ of amparo to protect the constitutional rights of the detained officials.

The statement was issued after they received information that some legislators decided to move the detained Ilocos Six to an area outside the Batasan complex.

“Under the rules of the Supreme Court, the writ of amparo should be issued immediately if, upon its face, there is a ground for its issuance. Unfortunately, the justice in charge and two others have inhibited from the case, so no action has been taken on our petition,” said Vicentito Lazo, one of the lawyers of Governor Marcos and the Ilocos Six.

“But where else would aggrieved Filipinos turn to if not the Supreme Court as the bastion of people's rights and defender of the rule of law? My clients worry that with this delay, they will continue to languish in detention. Where else can they get relief? Their right to liberty has already been trampled upon. Our prayer is for the Supreme Court to issue the writ of amparo immediately,” Lazo added.

Earlier, Marcos and the Ilocos Six asked the SC to stop the congressional probe on the local government's use of its share of tobacco excise taxes.

Marcos insisted that local politics was behind the House inquiry.

The six employees, namely; Josephine Calajate, Encarnacion Gaor, Genedine Jambaro, Evangeline Tabulog, Pedro Agcaoili Jr. and Eden Battulayan, were detained on May 29 by the House panel that is investigating the Ilocos Norte provincial government’s purchase of motor vehicles amounting to P66.45 million using tobacco excise tax.

They were detained after allegedly failing to give satisfactory answers to congressmen regarding the purchases. — BAP, GMA News