Soriano sees no rift, no constitutional crisis looming

By NITZ ARANCON
Correspondent

FORMER vice mayor Antonio Soriano yesterday expressed his support for President Duterte’s war on illegal drugs and called on citizens to stop debating and instead help the government succeed in its campaign.

Soriano, a lawyer and convenor of the Citizens Watch for Good Government, said this even as he brushed aside fears of a looming constitutional crisis resulting from a perceived rift between the executive and judicial departments.

Soriano said this a day after lawyer Rey Raagas, president of the local chapter of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP), expressed fears of a possible constitutional crisis following Duterte’s pronouncements against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno and the Supreme Court, and threat that he would order members of the executive department to defy the SC should it get in the way of his war on illegal drugs.

Soriano said Duterte’s statements against the judiciary did not mean there was a rift.

“Walay mahitabo nga constitutional crisis kay wala may panagbangga  sa executive department ug Supreme Court,” he said.

Soriano said there was just a misinterpretation of pronouncements, and that Chief Justice Sereno “overreacted” over Duterte’s naming of judges in his list of alleged drug protectors.

“The President did not say that the judges should surrender. He merely said they should report to the Supreme Court. That was not an order, it was just a request,” he said.

Sereno, according to Soriano, could have just started a fact-finding  investigation  on the judges named by Duterte.

“Nag-overreact si Chief Justice Sereno ug   iyang gi-ingon nga dili   mahimo nga  mo-surender   ang walay warrant of arrest. Dili man kana mao    ang gisulti sa Presidente,” he said.

Soriano also said there was no such thing as “total independence” from the executive branch in the judiciary, pointing out that judges were appointed by the President.

“Ikaw lugar huwes,  human ka gi-appoint sa    Presidente, mo-ingon   lugar ka nga. ‘Hoy President, gi-appoint na man ko nimo, wala na kay labot nako ha. Dili man kana mahimo,” he said.