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SC can’t stop Blue Ribbon probe on Building II—Drilon
By AMITA O. LEGASPI, GMA News
The Supreme Court has no authority to stop the proceedings of the Senate Blue Ribbon Sub-Comittee looking into the alleged overpricing of the P2.7-billion Makati City Hall Building II and other alleged cases of corruption in the city during the mayoralty of Vice President Jejomar Binay.
Senate President Franklin Drilon made the remark a day after the camp of the Vice President announced that it will question before the high tribunal the jurisdiction over the investigation of the sub-committee chaired by Senator Aquilino Pimentel III.
Asked if the SC has authority to stop legislative function, Drilon, a lawyer, said he did not believe the High Tribunal had power to enjoin legislative acts. “The principle of separation of powers would dictate that we are supreme in our own sphere,” Drilon said.
Senate President Franklin Drilon made the remark a day after the camp of the Vice President announced that it will question before the high tribunal the jurisdiction over the investigation of the sub-committee chaired by Senator Aquilino Pimentel III.
Asked if the SC has authority to stop legislative function, Drilon, a lawyer, said he did not believe the High Tribunal had power to enjoin legislative acts. “The principle of separation of powers would dictate that we are supreme in our own sphere,” Drilon said.
Drilon said Binay could present his case before the SC but expressed doubt that the tribunal would stop the Senate investigation.
“Vice President (Jejomar) Binay or Mayor Binay can bring the issue to the SC, that’s a privilege of every citizen but let me reiterate that the questions (asked during the hearing) are in aid of legislation, not for anything else," Drilon said.
"And that is consistent with the decision of the SC on the jurisdiction of the Blue Ribbon Committee,” he added.
"And that is consistent with the decision of the SC on the jurisdiction of the Blue Ribbon Committee,” he added.
Drilon said that in a number of cases that had been brought to the SC before, the tribunal had always sustained the right of the legislature to conduct inquiries in aid of legislation.
The Senate probe on the allegedly overpriced Makati City Hall Building II stemmed from the resolution filed by Senator Antonio Trillanes IV on July 22 based on the plunder complaint filed by lawyer Renato Bondal before the Ombudsman.
Senate Blue Ribbon Committee chairman, Senator Teofisto Guingona III, said the panel would conduct the investigation but granted Pimentel's request to lead the inquiry.
“I firmly believed that the Blue Ribbon Committee has jurisdiction as defined in the rules on the basis of the resolution filed that this is an investigation in aid of legislation. Merong jurisdiction ang Blue Ribbon Committee sa mga inquiries na ginagawa,” Drilon told reporters.
Makati Mayor Jejormar Erwin "Junjun" Binay, the Vice President's son and one of the co-accused in the plunder complaint in connection with the allegedly padded construction costs, questioned on Thursday the jurisdiction of the Blue Ribbon Sub-Committee to summon him to its hearing.
Junjun Binay said the Sub-Committee already prejudged him and his family. He wrote a letter to the committee to state his position.
The mayor and two alleged former aides of the Vice President didn't attend the sub-committee hearing on Thursday despite subpoenas issued to them.
Pimentel said the probe was within the jurisdiction of the committee as stated in the Senate rules:” All matters relating to, including investigation of, malfeasance, misfeasance and nonfeasance in office by officers and employees of the government, its branches, agencies, subdivisions and instrumentalities; implementation of the provision of the Constitution on nepotism; and investigation of any matter of public interest on its own initiative or brought to its attention by any member of the Senate.”
Junjun Binay said the Sub-Committee already prejudged him and his family. He wrote a letter to the committee to state his position.
The mayor and two alleged former aides of the Vice President didn't attend the sub-committee hearing on Thursday despite subpoenas issued to them.
Pimentel said the probe was within the jurisdiction of the committee as stated in the Senate rules:” All matters relating to, including investigation of, malfeasance, misfeasance and nonfeasance in office by officers and employees of the government, its branches, agencies, subdivisions and instrumentalities; implementation of the provision of the Constitution on nepotism; and investigation of any matter of public interest on its own initiative or brought to its attention by any member of the Senate.”
He said a member of the Blue Ribbon Committee should be the one to raise the matter on jurisdictional authority.
The sub-committee issues new subpoenas for the attendance of Junjun Binay and the two others, all of whom were alleged to have received kickback money for the Vice President when he was still mayor of Makati City.
The Binays have denied any wrongdoing while running the affairs of Makati City. —NB, GMA News
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