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I’m screaming and fuming when I learn of such things as what has happened in the latest Supreme Court case regarding Romulo Neri’s constant use of Executive Privilege in order to evade answering and providing the TRUTH. He will attend The Senate’s Friday hearing into the NBN deal, but is still allowed to use Executive Privilege. He can be cited for contempt, but he cannot be arrested. He is also allowed not to answer three specific questions. What a bunch of bulls@$t

Pardon my French.

In any case, The Supreme Court has not made its final decision, and thus the reason as to why Neri will be allowed to attend the Senate Hearing, but will be utterly useless because The Senate cannot ask him even the most basic of questions.

From The Inquirer,

Former socioeconomics and planning secretary Romulo Neri will attend the congressional inquiry into the graft-tainted Internet broadband deal but the senators cannot ask him questions about his supposed conversation with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the Supreme Court said.

Neri’s lawyer, Antonio Bautista, said the chairman of the Commission on Higher Education would appear before the Senate on Friday.

Marquez said that while Neri could invoke executive privilege to refuse to answer questions from the senators, he could be cited in contempt. The Senate, however, could not arrest Neri him because of his pending petition before the high tribunal, he added

Any contentious invocation of executive privilege would be brought to the Supreme Court, Marquez said.

Earlier, the high court, through Chief Justice Reynato Puno and Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, proposed that the Senate drop three questions they planned to ask Neri on a conversation he had with Arroyo on the NBN contract so the CHED chairman would appear at the inquiry.

These questions were: “Did the President follow it [the NBN contract] with you?; Did the President tell you to prioritize [Chinese firm] ZTE? and; Did the President tell you to approve it?”

Carpio also said that the executive privilege could not be invoked to cover up a crime.

“Can executive privilege be invoked to hide a crime?” Carpio asked Bautista.

“No,” Bautista acknowledged

Uhm, and bribery? Bribery? BRIBERY? GRAFT AND CORRUPTION?? Are these legal now?

Puno also asked Bautista how asking Neri whether Arroyo ordered him to prioritize ZTE would “affect the powers and privileges of the Office of the President.”

Bautista said it would leave the President open to condemnation.

Condemnation? Are they serious? She’s already being condemned. This is the worst excuse yet. Executive Privilege can’t be used under this pretense in order to prevent such an event from happening, because that event has already happened and is happening at this very moment. She’s being condemned already! Next excuse please.

From GMAnews.tv,

Upon interpellation by Associate Justice Antonio Carpio on why Neri thought his testimony might affect national security, Bautista said it was just an assumption because the Senate committee on national defense is involved in the investigation.

Bautista said privileged communication would be rendered inutile if not honored by the senators.

He said not all dealings of the President can be made public, and revealing privileged communication to the public would be an embarrassment, “like washing dirty linens before other countries.”

First of all, are they really basing their defense on an assumption? Yes, I think I just read it right. All thinking and rational Filipinos know that there is no military or national security secret here to be revealed. Only that of Gloria’s secrets. And yet, they find it easy to bamboozle the Supreme Court no less, that this could be military damning because they assume it to be so. Where do they find these lawyers?

And second, the dealings will only be an embarrassment will only be of Gloria. We are a proud nation, only embarrassed because of such officials like Gloria. She’s an embarrassment that just won’t go away, or as we’ve suggested just won’t resign!

tags: antonio bautista, chief justice reynato puno, executive privilege, gloria macapagal arroyo, justice reynato puno, nbn deal, president gloria macapagal arroyo, romulo neri, supreme court case, zte scandal