ANGARA SUPPORTS SC'S DECISION ON PCGG

Senator Edgardo J. Angara today expressed his support to the Supreme Court's decision to put Presidential Commission on Good Governance (PCGG) Chair Camilo Sabio before the tribunal, saying that the immunity PCGG has been defending is expressly or impliedly repealed at the time the 1987 Constitution was created.

"I've always thought that the Supreme Court will never allow an anachronistic agency such as the PCGG to immune itself from all legislative proceedings and investigations," Angara said.

"It's for the same reason that the legality of Executive Order No. 1 had expired at the time we came up with the 1987 Constitution," he continued.

"Former president Corazon Aquino issued Executive Order No. 1 way back in the revolutionary government. When we passed the 1987 Constitution, that provision in E.O.1 which legally grants PCGG immunity from legislative proceedings was impliedly--if not expressly--repealed because we brought back accountability of public officials. No one is beyond reach of the law, including the president herself," Angara explained.

Angara further said the PCGG's immunity defense was obsolete, and belonged to an era when old governments had agencies and institutions that were beyond the reach of the law and were not accountable to the people.

"Their (PCGG's) position that they are above the law and that they are legally granted immunity from any legislative proceeding resembles 18 TH century politics. That was really unacceptable and the PCGG wrongly interpreted it. At present, PCGG does not have any legal basis at all," Angara said.