Aquino not getting good legal advice, says bishop

WITH four of his executive orders being challenged in the Supreme Court so early in his term, it looks like President Benigno Aquino III is not receiving enough good advice from his people.

Marbel Bishop Dinualdo Gutierrez suggested that the President take more people into his legal team so he can make sounder decisions.

“He has very, very few people around him,” Bishop Gutierrez said. He said it was a poor indication of the quality of Mr. Aquino’s governance that four out of the seven executive orders he has issued since taking over from his predecessor, now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, are being questioned before the high court.

“It makes people ask what kind of government we have that its decisions are being questioned. That means that they are not reflective of the feelings, aspirations and wants of the people,” the bishop said.

According to the bishop, it would appear that Mr. Aquino only has Executive Secretary Pacquito Ochoa Jr., his longtime legal adviser, and Presidential Chief Legal Counsel Eduardo de Mesa to provide legal advice.

“It’s not good if there are only two of them … I would say that they should take in more people because many is better,” he said.

Worried that Aquino’s credibility will have crumbled to nothing by the time he issues his 100th executive order, Bishop Gutierrez has asked the public for prayers for the President.

“I ask from everybody to please pray for Mr. Aquino. We want to him to stay there because for one thing, he is really very honest and you don’t get that kind of person very often,” said Gutierrez.

Report from Inquirer.Net