Binuweltahan ngayon ng Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) si dating Sen. Rene Saguisag sa naging pahayag nitong hindi dapat maging tuta ng administrasyon ang OSG.
Sa inilabas na statement ng Solicitor General (SolGen), hindi raw niya masikmura ang naging pahayag ng dating senador kung pag-uusapan ang decency at propriety.
Bilang isang miyembro raw ng legal profession, dapat ay marunong pumili si Saguisag ng pananalita at asal laban sa kanyang mga kabaro.
Maliban dito, dapat aniya ay maging patas din ito at hindi dapat pairalin ang personal na pagkaunawa sa nakikita nito sa mga proceedings.
Naniniwala din si Calida na posibleng mayroong mali sa pang-unawa ni Saguisag sa tamang mandato ng OSG base sa batas.
Ipinaliwanag nitong sa ilalim ng Administrative Code of 1987, ang OSG ang siyang tumatayong abogado ng gobyerno at ang SolGen ang pangunahing tagapagtanggol nito.
Maliban na lamang umano sa ilang limitasyon ng otoridad nito tulad ng pagtatanggol sa mga local government units (LGUs) na nasa kapangyarihan ng mga legal officers ng mga LGU’s.
Pinaalalahanan din ni Calida ang abogado na sa dami ng mga nasasangkot laban sa pamahalaan at public order, bilang tagapagtanggol ng gobyerno ay kailangan nitong ipatupad ang tungkulin para sa kapakanan ng estado at ng mamamayan nito.
Kaya naman, nanindigan si Calida na ang hakbang ng OSG ay naaayon sa batas para tumulong sa usaping ligal na hiniling ng PNP bilang kanilang kliyente.
Kaninang umaga ay kinuwestiyon ni Saguisag na counsel ni Sen. Risa Hontiveros ang panghihimasok daw ng OSG sa kasong isinampa ng PNP-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) laban kina Vice President Leni Robredo at 37 iba pang isinasangkot sa umano’y destabilisasyon laban kay Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte sa pamamagitan ng pagpapalabas noon sa “Ang Totoong Narcolist” video.
“Firstly, former Senator Saguisag’s statement spills beyond the walls of decency and propriety. The OSG cannot stomach this language. As a member of the legal profession, Mr. Saguisag should know better than to resort to gutter talk against his colleagues, with whom he has the duty to treat with courtesy, fairness, and candor. Whatever personal misgivings he has in connection with official proceedings should best be kept to himself. Next, it appears that Mr. Saguisag has a distorted understanding of the OSG’s powers and functions. As stated in the Administrative Code of 1987, the OSG is the “law office of the government” and the Solicitor General is the “principal law officer and legal defender of the government.” Indeed, the mandate of the OSG is broad in scope. There are only a few recognized limitations to its authority in special laws and jurisprudence. By way of example, the Supreme Court in OSG vs. Court of Appeals2 held that the OSG cannot represent local government units because this power is vested in the Legal Officer of the LGU concerned as provided for in the Local Government Code. The OSG likewise cannot represent a public official who is an accused in a criminal case. More importantly, Mr. Saguisag should be reminded that several personalities are charged with crimes against the Government and public order. As Defender of the Republic, the OSG is bound to serve its clients in any matter, which, in its opinion, affects the welfare of the State and the Filipino people, as the ends of justice may require. Thus, the OSG is well within the bounds of law in rendering legal assistance sought by PNP, its client-agency,” ang statement ng SolGen.
