|
HONG
KONG (via PLDT)–Malacañang on Tuesday offered the yet
unconvened Judicial-Executive-Legislative Advisory
Council (Jelac) as a possible venue for an inter-branch
dialogue on the Senate rules on the appearance of
Executive officials in its investigations, based on the
recent Supreme Court ruling on a petition filed by
Commission on Higher Education chair Romulo Neri.
Press
Secretary Ignacio Bunye said in an interview with
reporters at the Grand Hyatt Hotel that through the
venue, "mutually acceptable ground rules" on the
appearance of resources persons at congressional
hearings may be hammered out by leaders of the three
branches of government.
"One
means to have mutually acceptable ground rules is to
convene the Jelac....With three groups meeting to work
out the mutually acceptable ground rules, if this
happens, there will be no more questions when it comes
to the appearance of witnesses in Senate investigations
in aid of legislation," Bunye said.
He said
that if all the concerned parties "agree on principle"
to meet, it would be "very easy to convene" the Jelac,
which has not been created by Executive Order and
remains an informal proposal.
"It is a
question of good intentions, question of good faith on
all the parties, I believe many things could be worked
out, many things could be sorted out in this meeting,"
Bunye said.
He said
that "it is never too late" for the Senate "to comply
with that basic requirement of letting the whole world
know what rules will govern when investigations in aid
of legislations are conducted."
"According to jurisprudence, the final decision of the
Supreme Court has the force and effect of law so let's
abide by that ruling. The reason for all of these
confusion, the apparent disorder, is we don't have any
published rules," Bunye said.
On the
contention of the Senate that it does not have to
publish such rules because it is a continuing body,
Bunye questioned how it can claim to be so when it
elects new sets of officers.
In
August last year, the President ordered the Office of
the Solicitor General to prepare for what was supposed
to be first-ever meeting of the Jelac to help Palace
officials and lawmakers harmonize existing laws and
regulations with legal realities to help improve the
Philippine business climate.
The
meeting was supposed to have been held in September that
year, but never pushed through. |
