DateLine Philippines

MANILA–A private think tank of lawyers, which includes former justice secretary Alberto Agra, criticized President Benigno Aquino III and his allies for statements that tend to discredit the independence of the Supreme Court (SC) after it declared the executive order creating the Truth Commission unconstitutional.

The position paper of the Forensic Solutions also criticized Justice Secretary Leila de Lima for branding the high court ruling a political decision.

The Supreme Court, voting 10-5, ruled that Executive Order No. 1, which created the Truth Commission and tasked it to investigate alleged corruption during the Arroyo administration, violated the equal protection clause of the Constitution.

The decision immediately drew flak from the administration and its allies, including calls for the justices to resign and for Chief Justice Renato Corona to be impeached. Read More