Malacañang hand seen in oust bid vs SC's Puno

(Updated 12:59 p.m.) MANILA, Philippines – Opposition Senator Panfilo Lacson on Sunday said the reported moves to impeach Supreme Court (SC) Chief Justice Reynato Puno smack of politics which he hinted could be spearheaded by Malacañang. In an interview on dzBB radio, Lacson said Malacañang may have a hand in the ouster bid against Puno, which SC spokesperson Jose Midas Marquez said stemmed from the chief justice’s alleged inaction on the disqualification of a lawmaker from Negros Oriental. "Napaka-politically motivated ito kaya ‘di dapat patulan at suportahan. Yun naman talaga ang gusto ng Palasyo, simula’t sapul na ma-kontrol ang (Korte Suprema)," Lacson said. ["This move is very politically motivated and should not be given attention nor supported. To have control of the Supreme Court is what Malacañang wanted from the very beginning."] Before President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo bows out of office in 2010, she will have an almost full sweep of the court, with only Chief Justice Puno as the remaining non-Arroyo appointee in the tribunal’s 15-member bench. Puno, an appointee of President Fidel Ramos June 2003, will hang his robe on May 2010. The 1987 Constitution limits the President from appointing a new member of the Tribunal 60 days before the elections, which means only by impeachment can Puno leave his post. Cha-cha related? The College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) agreed with Lacson, saying reports on Puno's possible impeachment show that fears of an Arroyo-controlled Supreme Court are not entirely baseless. "SC Chief Puno has proved his independence from the Arroyo administration hence these attempts to malign him and remove him from his post," said CEGP national president Vijae Alquisola in a statement. Alquisola questioned the timing of moves to oust Puno, with the SC seen as the last frontier to enact President Arroyo's bid for charter change allegedly for term extension. "With the Senate's united stance against cha-cha, Congress is left with no choice but to bring the matter to the SC. Only Arroyo and her allies would benefit from a Puno ouster," Alquisola said. Limkaichong row A newspaper report Sunday quoted Marquez as confirming the ouster moves against Puno, but he said he does not know where it is originating from. Marquez said Puno was “accused on sitting on the Limkaichong case and of not promulgating the decision despite the signature of 14 other justices.” The Limkaichong case refers to disqualification case against Negros Occidental Rep. Jocelyn Limkaichong, who won against Olivia Paras in the 2007 elections. Olivia is a relative of Jacinto Paras, a stalwart of the Kabalikat ng Mamamayang Pilipino (Kampi), the political party of President Arroyo. Paras, in the major broadsheet, denied any involvement in the impeachment bid against the chief justice. Condemnable Meanwhile, Rep. Teddy Casiño of Bayan Muna party-list said the possible impeachment of Puno is condemnable since it would show that Congress is Malacañang's "willing accomplice" in undermining the brach of government that is at the forefront of protecting human rights and the rule of law. "The reported impeachment threat against Puno, if true, condemns the House, not Puno," Casiño said in a text message to reporters. - with Johanna Camille Sisante, GMANews.TV