SC snubs House probe on PAL-FASAP case

Representatives from the Supreme Court on Tuesday failed to show up at a congressional hearing regarding its controversial decision to recall its final ruling on a case filed against flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL).

Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) party-list Rep. Democrito Mendoza, who was presiding the inquiry at the House of Representatives, said the Supreme Court justices or their representatives did not attend the hearing despite the invitation sent to them.

Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Teodoro Casiño, who filed House Resolution 587 that led to the probe, said the House committee on labor and employment should insist on the Supreme Court’s participation in the inquiry.

“Congress should send a strongly worded letter to the Supreme Court to send the Chief Justice or his representative to clarify this matter so that we can come up with the necessary legislation,” he said.

Mendoza said the House panel “will endeavor” writing another invitation to the high court for the next hearing.

Supreme Court spokesman and court administrator Jose Midas Marquez, meanwhile, said he did not attend the House investigation because he did not receive an invitation. “I did not receive any invitation,” he told reporters at a press briefing in Manila.

In a controversial resolution announced last week, the Supreme Court recalled its supposedly final decision asking PAL to reinstate 1,400 retrenched flight attendants who went on strike in 1998 and ordering PAL owner Lucio Tan to pay P3 billion to Flight Attendants and Stewards Association of the Philippines (FASAP).

The high court said the case was handled by the wrong division and decided to allow the reopening of the case by re-raffling it off to a “new member-in-charge.”

Casiño earlier said that the court justices’ decision to reopen a final and executory ruling constitutes betrayal of public trust, which he said is an impeachable offense.

The FASAP, for its part, has asked the high court to reinstate its ruling favoring them. — with Mark D. Merueñas/KBK, GMA News