SC orders OSG, senator to tackle pres’l immunity

THE Supreme Court (SC) yesterday ordered the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) to comment on the motion for clarification filed by Sen. Leila de Lima, in connection with the writ of habeas data petition she filed against President Rodrigo Duterte.

In an en banc session yesterday, the SC directed Solicitor General Jose Calida to respond to the motion filed by de Lima within 10 days.

The SC also directed Calida and de Lima to respond on the contents of the memoranda answering the issue of presidential immunity both parties had filed with the SC, respectively.

“The court directed counsel for petitioner de Lima and the Solicitor General to traverse the

The writ of habeas data filed by Senator de Lima on Nov. 7 aims to stop President Duterte and his men from securing details on her personal life and using them to degrade her dignity as a human being, a woman and a senator

contents of the memoranda submitted,” SC spokesman Theodore Te said.

In a 25-page memoranda submitted by the Office of the Solicitor General, it asked the Supreme Court to dismiss the petition for writ of habeas data filed by de Lima against Duterte.

According to Calida, the con- cept of presidential immunity is a well-entrenched doctrine.

He also added that the immunity has long been recognized not only in jurisprudence, but also the Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land.

De Lima, in a 14-page memoranda, meanwhile, reiterated her stance that the President’s attacks were “outside the realm of legitimate public concern” and therefore, not covered by the presidential immunity.

The writ of habeas data filed by de Lima last Nov. 7 aims to stop Duterte and his men from securing details on her personal life and using them to degrade her dignity as a human being, a woman and a senator. (Keith A. Calayag/Sunnex)