IBP urges executive branch to file complaints vs 'narco judges'

MANILA, Philippines — The Integrated Bar of the Philippines, the national organization of lawyers in the country, urged the executive branch of government to file formal complaints against judges allegedly involved in the illegal drug trade before the Supreme Court.

President Rodrigo Duterte earlier named eight judges in his drugs watch list, prompting SC Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno to express concern over his "premature public announcement."

The Supreme Court has formed a panel to investigate the allegations against four judges still in the service and has directed Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea to submit complaint-affidavits against Judge Exequil Dagala (Dapa-Socorro, Surigao), Judge Adriano Savillo (Iloilo City), Judge Domingo Casiple (Aklan) and Judge Antonio Reyes (Baguio City) so the probe can move forward.

FULL TEXT: CJ Sereno’s letter to President Duterte

RELATED: Sereno answers Duterte remarks with dignified silence

"The IBP thus strongly urges the Executive Branch of Government, including its law enforcement arms, to forward to the Supreme Court the formal complaints or actionable information against erring judges so that the judiciary can perform its duty to police its own ranks whether in an adversarial proceeding or a motu propio investigation," the IBP said in a statement released Thursday.

The IBP stressed that disciplinary power over erring judges falls exclusively with the high tribunal.

"Separation of powers ensures that no branch of government is controlled or subjected to the influence of another. The principle finds no more cogent application than in the case of our judges who are sworn to be impartial and must resolve cases based only on the facts and the applicable law," the statement read.

The organization also lauded the high court for directing Executive Secretary Medialdea to formalize the charges against the judges allegedly involved in drugs.

The IBP, however, noted that Duterte may have been forced by urgent considerations to name government officials in his drugs watch list without evidence.

"The president, as head of the executive department, may have been impelled by urgent considerations in his public censure of government officials under him but, on the other hand, judges perform unique functions so essential in the dispensation of justice that require insulation or protection from all types of unwarranted pressure," the IBP said.

Duterte admitted that he deliberately read an old list of officials with alleged links to illegal drugs to expose people involved in narcotics trade whether dead or alive.

“It really was my intention to read everyone involved in the drug problem, even the deceased,” the president said in his speech during his visit at a military camp in Zamboanga del Sur.

READ: Duterte says he deliberately read old list of 'narco officials'