Press Release
April 1, 2008

KIKO CENSURES EXPANSION OF EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE
"With a powerless Blue Ribbon, it's open season for the illegal and the corrupt in the Executive!"--Kiko

Senate Majority Leader and Independent senator Kiko Pangilinan today challenged the Supreme Court ruling on Neri's invocation of executive privilege saying, "The net effect of the Neri ruling, if it becomes final and executory, is that the Blue Ribbon committee will henceforth be powerless to conduct its inquiries on alleged wrong doing involving high ranking government officials. All the Executive Secretary has to do is send a similar letter he sent in the Neri case by giving a general reason for invoking the privilege, then we in the Senate can no longer ask questions on the issue."

"This can be done in the Jocjoc Bolante case, the Northrail and Southrail projects, the Spratlys Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking (JMSU) case and so forth and so on. Hence, we will have a toothless Blue Ribbon Committee," Kiko lamented.

"Not only will this decision expand the areas of executive privilege, thereby limiting further the public's access to information, the Senate's role as a constitutional check and balance on other branches of government will likewise be severely impaired. It will be open season for the illegal and the corrupt in the executive branch!" Kiko warned.

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