SC defuses row over EO 464

The Supreme Court has put to rest the deafening controversy over Executive Order 464 of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The 14-0 decision by the high court also confirms that the members of the Tribunal remain independent-minded and vote according to their wisdom and conscience.

That EO had cramped the style of both the Senate and the House for virtually extending the scope of executive privilege beyond reasonable levels. The high court stopped the continuing collision course between the Senate, especially, and Malacañang over the issue of the extension of executive privilege to the level of low-level Cabinet officers and military officers to evade Senate inquiries into several controversial issues.

Malacañang announced that it may appeal for a review of the ruling. But with the 14-0 vote, it remains highly improbable that the Supreme Court will reverse itself. The high tribunal, however, also upheld the constitutionality of the President's right to ban executive officials from appearing during the question hour of both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Unfortunately, the question hour, which was practised during the Batasang Pambansa, had more or less fallen out of favor.

In the case of a legislative inquiry in aid of legislation, the Legislature has the authority to compel the attendance of a government official.

On the other hand, when invoking executive privilege, the President or her executive secretary must put in writing the reason for invoking such a privilege.

That, I think irons out a major controversial point between Malacañang and the Congress.

On the other hand, another precedent-setting decision was the unified multipurpose identification card system as constitutional. This is being pushed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Negros Occidental Gov. Joseph Marañon is right. "If we go with the Constitution, there's no other way but to implement it. It's up to the President," was how he put it. I, for one, am not bothered by that. The national ID could uniformize our ID system.

Right now, for example, we have to produce a horde of ID cards to establish that one is who he is. For example, I cannot use my SSS card as my senior citizens card, although my SSS ID shows the actual date of my birth which confirms that I am as old as I claim to be. But, no I have to produce my senior citizens ID.

The harmonized ID system is no invasion of privacy because it does not involve information about income, etc. The bare facts only are supposed to be included, including, I hope, not only one's photograph but also one's fingerprints. That does away with a lot of extra IDs and also with a lot of complications.

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The world price of oil seems headed upwards some more. And some of our vociferous leaders insist that the government is to blame for it. As if the government can impose its will (or what our people wish) on the OPEC countries which are the ones extracting the oil from underground reserves.

Not even the most powerful country in the world - the US - can do anything about that. All they have been trying to do is to dig more oil wells and find more rich sources of the fossil fuel.

Brazil stole the thunder from other countries. It went ahead with its ethanol production. It started that some 30 years ago. Now, it is the main producer of ethanol from sugarcane.

That's the principal and feasible approach. Look and develop the alternative fuel sources. But we have been dreaming about it. Until lately, when the price of oil hit more than $71 per barrel that our Senate started to tackle the National Biofuel Bill.

Ironically, a lot of investors on ethanol had been waiting on the wings. They loathe to embark on ethanol production pending the passage of the measure which provides not only incentives but also the policy on alternative fuel.*

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