ILOCOS Norte Gov. Imee Marcos and six other Ilocos Norte officials have asked the Supreme Court to issue a writ of amparo to protect the constitutional rights of the so-called “Ilocos Six” who have been detained by the House of Representatives for more than a month.
Lawyer Vicentito Lazo, one of the counsels for Marcos and the Ilocos Six, said the Supreme Court should not allow itself to be bullied by the lawmakers, who had earlier threatened to issue a show-cause order against three Court of Appeals justices who had ruled that the detained officials must be released immediately.
“Under the rules of the Supreme Court, the writ of amparo should be issued immediately if, upon its face, there is a ground for its issuance,” Lazo said.
“Unfortunately, the justice in charge and two others have inhibited from the case, so no action has been taken on our petition.”
The writ of amparo is a remedy available to any person whose right to life, liberty and security is violated or threatened with a violation by an unlawful act or omission of a public official or employee, or of a private individual or entity.
‘‘But where else would aggrieved Filipinos turn to if not the Supreme Court as the bastion of people’s rights and defender of the rule of law?” Lazo said.
“My clients worry that with this delay, they will continue to languish in detention. Where else can they get relief? Their right to liberty has already been trampled upon. Our prayer is for the Supreme Court to issue the writ of amparo immediately.”
The Ilocos Six have also asked the high court to stop the House inquiry into the purchase of P66.45 million worth of motor vehicles using funds from the tobacco excise tax.
Lazo urged expeditious action on the Ilocos Six’s petition after they received information that the House leadership had decided to relocate them outside the Batasan complex.
The deliberation on the case was delayed on Tuesday after Associate Justice Diosdado Peralta, who was in charge of the case, recused himself for being related to one of the respondents: House Majority Leader and Ilocos Norte 1st District Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas.
Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno and newly appointed Associate Justice Andres Reyes Jr. also inhibited themselves from participating in the resolution of the case. Sereno and Reyes last month issued a joint statement calling on the House to recall its show-cause order against CA Associate Justices Stephen Cruz, Edwin Sorongon and Nina Antonio-Valenzuela.
“We are hoping that whoever gets our petition, the case will already move forward,” Lazo said.
The deliberations on the case have been moved to July 25, the Court’s next en banc session.
In a petition filed on July 13, Marcos and the detained provincial officials cited the “prolonged interrogations, indefinite detention, coerced confessions, presumption of guilt and torture” employed by the respondents in the earlier hearings.
Marcos herself “has been threatened with arrest and incarceration in a ‘detention chamber’ by the respondents if she refused to participate in proceedings where her failure to answer questions in a matter satisfactory to respondents will lead to a similar fate of indefinite detention.”
The Ilocos Six”•Pedro Agcaoili, Josephine Calajate, Eden Battulayan, Encarnacion Gaor, Genedine Jambaro and Evangeline Tabulog”•have also asked the high court to assume jurisdiction on their petition for habeas corpus that is pending before the appellate court.
They elevated the case to the Supreme Court after the House repeatedly and deliberately defied the order of the CA’s Special Fourth Division for their release.
The petition named as respondents Fariñas, House committee chairman and Surigao del Sur 2nd district Rep. Johnny Pimentel and House sergeant-at-arms Roland Detabali.