While they believe that Supreme Court Chief Justice Reynato Puno will make a good president, leftist party-list congressmen on Monday cautioned him against getting involved in partisan politics.

“We have been supportive of the Chief Justice because of the failure of the executive and the legislative departments. We recommend that the Chief Justice be cautious in making statements about the proposal for him to run for president,” said Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo.

Ocampo and fellow Bayan Muna representative Teodoro Casiño said they fear that Puno could be distracted from his duties as head of the judiciary and in his judicial reform agenda.

“He cannot be distracted and dragged into the chaotic arena of partisan politics. Whatever your political inclination, he is a good candidate [for President]. It’s okay to talk about it, but this is not the right time,” Casiño said.

“We admire his current focus. Let him complete the judicial reform that he started,” Ocampo added. Leftist congressmen have been thankful to Puno for his efforts in addressing extra-judicial killings.

The Supreme Court Action Watch, a group monitoring activities of the High Court, has not made a position on the chief justice's possible involvement in politics.

“SCAW’s advocacy is an independent judiciary through an open and accountable appointments process. We have no official position on a 'Puno for President' movement,” said convenor Vincent Lazatin, who is also with the Transparency and Accountability Network, an anti-corruption watchdog.

Not the first time

This is not the first time that Puno has been called to lead the country. At the height of last year's calls for President Arroyo to resign, several sectors—including Church figures—welcomed the idea of Puno becoming President. Puno has turned down offers to make him head of a proposed transition government.

The call for a Puno leadership was renewed by Senator Panfilo Lacson, who last week said he will drop his plan to run for president in 2010 if Puno heeds the call to run for president. In response, Puno said he was going to consult his “moral force,” who he identified as his grandchildren. 
 
The new call was made following rumors of an impeachment bid against the chief justice. The camp of former Negros Oriental Rep. Jacinto Paras has denied any involvement, but according to some reports, he has an ally gathering signatures in the House of Representatives to impeach Puno.

Paras has criticized Puno for delaying the promulgation of a Supreme Court decision disqualifying his successor, Jocelyn Limkaichong, on the ground of citizenship. Limkaichong defeated Paras’s wife, Olivia, by over 7,000 votes in the 2007 elections.

Puno supposedly noticed that majority of the Justices only concurred in the result—meaning they agreed with the result but not with the arguments and the facts used in the decision. The SC thus decided to put on hold the draft decision written by retired Justice Ruben Reyes.

“The evidence against Chief Justice Puno is thin, at least, those that came out in the media,” said Ocampo. “We don’t see any ground to impeach the Chief Justice. The High Court has explained itself. It is a clear and justifiable ground to stop the promulgation of the decision.”

'Political karma'

Akbayan Rep. Risa Hontiveros said the alleged impeachment move against Puno “boomeranged” on the administration.

Malacañang also denied involvement in the alleged impeachment moves, although its critics accused President Arroyo of being behind it allegedly so that she can appoint a Chief Justice who will support Charter Change in case Puno leaves the court earlier than his retirement on May 2010.

The Supreme Court is said to be the last battleground for Charter change. This is the reason why the anti-Chacha forces have urged the Chief Justice to reject the political offers.

“This is political karma for the administration. The public wants an alternative leadership. The impeachment moves against the Chief Justice boomeranged on the administration. This could be his ticket to the presidency,” Hontiveros said.

“He is the symbol of the judiciary. What is at stake here is the independence of the judiciary,” she added.