BAGUIO CITY—A small but determined group of protesters gathered in front of the Supreme Court  (SC) mansion on Tuesday morning to press their appeal for the reversal of the SC decision on the question of executive privilege as invoked by former socioeconomic planning secretary Romulo Neri on his conversation with President Arroyo.

In an event dubbed “Lakbayan para sa Katotohanan, Katarungan at Pagbabago” at least 130 leaders of student groups and progressive movements traveled to this city, where they were joined by local groups to present an open letter to the justices, asking them to uphold the public’s right to know.

The Court en banc did not take up on Tuesday the motion for reconsideration filed by the Senate blue-ribbon committee to reverse the earlier ruling that Neri may invoke executive privilege on three questions asked of him during a Senate investigation, largely dealing on the President’s reaction to the bribery in connection with the national broadband network deal with China’s ZTE Co. that Neri reported to her.

Renato Reyes, Bayan secretary-general, said: “Ang Korte Suprema ay nararapat na bumoto para sa nakalalawak na pakinabang ng tao. Naglakbay kami mula Manila upang suportahan ang public interest  kaysa executive privilege. 

Prominent in the rally were the placards of photos of the three justices who were repeatedly asked by the speakers to recuse in the decision on the Neri case.

They said Justice Arturo Briones, who never joined the discussions and deliberations on the case and yet voted for executive privilege, Justice Renato Corona who was accused of being behind paid advertisements in support of executive privilege and Justice Presbitero Velasco Jr., who is a golfmate of Neri.

Policemen cordoned off the front portion of the SC mansion, claiming that it is a no-rally zone. But Fr. Joe Dizon of Solidarity Philippines, who presented the open letter to the SC, said that Chief Justice Renato Puno himself had requested the police to allow the activity to go on.

Dizon said Puno, in accepting the open letter said, “Personally, I listen to the sentiments of the people. People voicing their position on crucial issues is a right action.”

Ex-PA chief: We didn’t seize Jonas Burgos

FORMER Army commander Lt. Gen. Romeo Tolentino on Tuesday denied that he or any of his men were involved in the disappearance of Jonas Burgos, political activist and son of press freedom fighter Jose Burgos Jr., almost a year ago.

THE Ombudsman have junked the administrative and criminal complaints against the 20  policemen assigned in Calabarzon (Cavite-Laguna-Batangas-Rizal-Quezon) filed by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in connection with the burning of a public elementary school during the May  2007 midterm election that resulted in the death of a teacher in Taysan, Batangas.

ZAMBOANGA CITY—A religious leader branded as an act of darkness the Sunday bombing at the Immaculate Concepcion Metropolitan Cathedral in downtown Zamboanga City.

THE Court of Appeals (CA) has affirmed the public-auction sale of the 18.4891-hectare “Payanig sa Pasig” property to the Pasig City government following the failure of its private owner to pay real-property tax in the amount of P389 million covering 18 years, or from 1987 to 2005.

BAGUIO CITY—A small but determined group of protesters gathered in front of the Supreme Court  (SC) mansion on Tuesday morning to press their appeal for the reversal of the SC decision on the question of executive privilege as invoked by former socioeconomic planning secretary Romulo Neri on his conversation with President Arroyo.

ARCHBISHOP Antonio Ledesma of Cagayan de Oro has accused the President’s brother in law, Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino Rep. Ignacio “Iggy” Arroyo of Negros Occidental, of blocking the extension of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) as he charged that most obstructionists in Congress are allies of the administration.

AMBASSADOR John Danilovich, chief executive officer of the United States’ Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) reminded Philippine government leaders that the political noise on corruption in the government is not in any way affecting Manila’s stake in qualifying for the multibillion-dollar grant, saying it is better to hear news on corruption than having a silenced media in the country.