Executive overreach

President Aquino has accused the Supreme Court (SC) of judicial “overreach” in declaring the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) and Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) unconstitutional.

But now, the uniform 54-4 votes on all three impeachment complaints by the House Committee on Justice once again confirms the President’s control of the House of Representatives.

This same is true of the House as it refused to pass the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill which Malacañang opposes.

It was also indicated when the President was successful in pushing an impeachment complaint against then Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez. 188 congressmen also signed the impeachment complaint against Chief Justice Renato Corona.

What is doubly sad is the President’s control of the Senate as shown by the Corona impeachment vote.

There are signs too that the Commission on Audit (COA) is subservient to the President as it has not released an audit of pork barrel funds released from 2010 to 2013.

Drilon suspends JPE, Jinggoy

Acting Senate Minority Leader Vicente Sotto III has validly questioned Senate President Frank Drilon’s unilateral suspension of Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile and Senator Jinggoy Estrada, who are facing plunder charges over the pork barrel fund scam before the Sandiganbayan.

Estrada said he wants Drilon to allow all its members to vote on whether one of their colleagues should be suspended, pointing out Senate President Drilon is not the Senate and the Senate should decide as a collegial body as it involves a member or members of the Senate.

The senator also said that as a co-equal branch of government, the legislature can choose whether or not to implement suspensions by making its own decision.

Voting to expel or suspend a senator requires the concurrence of two-thirds of the members of the Senate.

Estrada stated the House of Representatives has precedents where congressmen were ordered suspended by the Ombudsman but this was not immediately implemented after lawmakers were asked to vote.

The House of Representatives has refused to enforce a decision for suspension of a member by the Ombudsman.

SC voids airtime limits

The Supreme Court (SC) ruled that the airtime limits of 180 minutes for radio ads and 120 minutes for TV ads imposed by 2 Commission on Elections (Comelec) resolutions is null and void.

The SC said it is against the freedom of expression, the right of speech and of the press mandated by the Constitution.

The SC decision will be favorable to rich candidates who can place unlimited number of TV and radio ads.

The Comelec limits were questioned by TV and radio companies.

MRT breakdown

Another Metro Rail Transit (MRT) breakdown happened last Monday, with no services from North Avenue to Shaw Boulevard, because of signaling system disruption. On Tuesday, a door opened while the train was running.

MRT Holdings Inc., the majority shareholder of Metro Rail Transit Corp. (MRTC), had been proposing upgrades in anticipation of reaching 500,000-passenger design capacity of the MRT-3, but DOTC did not act on these proposals.

On P-Noy’s MRT challenge, Malacañang said that the President need not ride the MRT to feel or understand the plight of commuters. Presidential Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. appealed for understanding from the public, saying the President is also dealing with far greater problems.

At the Senate hearing, Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya admitted that the 48 new trains will be completely delivered by 2016.

The lack of an efficient mass transportation system is another failure of the Aquino administration. Senator Ralph Recto blamed the DOTC for lack of foresight.

Three cops arrested

Police Officer 3 Domino Alipio, who is engaged in a money lending business, shot 4 teachers and wounded 3 others at the Pangasinan National High School (PNHS) in Lingayen. Alipio fumed when he was not able to collect loan payments from teachers. Alipio entered the PNHS campus and fired at will using a pistol and a rifle. The shooting resulted in the death of Florenda Flores, a teacher of Labrador National High School and Alipio’s agent; Jonalito Urayan, Alipio’s collector; Acedillo Sison and Linda Sison, both teachers of PHNS. PNHS teachers Ferdinand Entimano, Jovito Jimenez and Juliet Molano were shot and wounded.

Senior Police Officer (SPO) 1 Michael Lescano, a former member of the defunct regional special operation group 4A (RSOG4A), was arrested by Batangas police for kidnapping and murder of Raff Rufino Katigbak. Katigbak was found dead under a bridge in Barangay Sto. Toribio, Lipa City. Lescano is detailed in the office of Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief, General Alan Purisima.

Police Officer 2 Edgar Angel, a Pasay City policeman, was arrested for drug peddling and for killing car racer Ferdinand “Enzo” Pastor in exchange for P100,000.

These 3 cases refute General Purisima’s claim that the Edgar Angel crime is an isolated one.

Chief Inspector Roderick Medrano, an officer of Quezon City Police Station 4, was shot dead in an ambush by 3 unidentified men  at the corner of Zabarte Road and San Diego Drive. Medrano’s area of responsibility covers the city’s Novaliches district.

Violeta Almazan, 62, school district supervisor of Midsayap, North Cotabato and her husband, Gervacio Almazan, were shot dead in an ambush in Pikit, North Cotabato.

MMDA Officer Russel Jun Sindac was shot and wounded in Cavite.