Pet Melliza

T he Beekeeper BY PET MELLIZA SC can redeem self The Supreme Court can still redeem its reputation by reconsidering its status quo ante order on the Congress, virtually stopping it in its initiatory tracks of impeaching Ombudsman Ma. Merceditas Gutierrez. With that controversial order for the Lower House to turn back the clock before Rep. Niel C. Tupas, Jr. (LP, 5th district, Iloilo), chair of the committee on justice, threw the monkey wrench on Madame Gutierrez, the High Tribunal forfeited a very rare opportunity to redeem its tarnished reputation as an “Arroyo Court”. Fr. Joaquin Bernas, SJ who holds a master of law degree and a professor at the Ateneo College of Law called the highest court of the land the “Arroyo Court”. Yours truly can’t add to that. Fr. Bernas is among the few legal luminaries who don’t hesitate to chide anybody in his column at the PDI, like Madame Gutierrez, his student in Ateneo Law and the members of the judiciary, many of them also his former students. ...

Virginia Palanca-Santiago’s exercise of raw power (8) Posted on September 6th, 2009 Author: Pet Melliza, The Beekeeper, ☼ IloiloViews Libat Dos had some misgivings against Libat Uno and was compelled to express it during the meeting of their group in a house just across the PNP station at Igbaras, Iloilo. He was aggrieved with the latter for skimming off a substantial amount from his share in the operation to kick out the municipal treasurer and the private secretary to the mayor. The latter was all denial but Libat Dos countered that the source of the fat mullah herself told him of the specific amount he was entitled to. Libat Uno muttered back that he needed the amount and anyway, it was him who took the pain of contacting the benefactor who sent the largesse with the instruction to deliver five-digit amounts respectively to contacts in the Office of the Ombudsman – Region 6 and the Bureau of Local Government Finance to execute the order of dismissal on the two employees...