Kiko junks bid to inhibit 3 justices

BY DENNIS GADIL

SENATE majority leader Francis Pangilinan yesterday abandoned his plan to seek the inhibition of three Supreme Court justices after failing to get majority support from his colleagues.

"I take that to mean that the majority in the Senate would prefer that we take a different route," Pangilinan said yesterday at the resumption of sessions after a month-long break.

He admitted the petition still lacked the signatures of 12 senators. The Senate legal team has given Pangilinan until April 18 to produce 13 signatures before it files the motion for inhibition before the high court.

It was earlier reported that at least nine senators signed the petition, including Panfilo Lacson, Jamby Madrigal, Mar Roxas, Pia Cayetano, Alan Peter Cayetano, Jinggoy Estrada and Pangilinan.

Pangilinan had indicated he would go solo if his colleagues would not join him in asking that Associate Justices Arturo Brion, Presbitero Velasco and Renato Corona inhibit from the deliberation on the Senate’s motion for reconsideration on the issue of executive privilege for their perceived closeness to President Arroyo and the petitioner, Romulo Neri.

Senate President Manuel Villar confirmed Pangilinan’s decision.

"We fear that the focus will shift to the inhibition of the three justices from the motion for reconsideration," he said.

Pangilinan chided Sen. Francis Escudero for earlier questioning the plan to inhibit the three justices, stressing the issue was not about losing or winning the petition but taking a principled stand.