Yes, the country's justice secretary should be better known as the injustice secretary. His namesake, the national security adviser, should have his title changed to the national insecurity adviser too.

But so much for those two incoherent officials who have been a cause for a drop in the country's reputation in the international community. Let's go back to the Supreme Court.

There are a lot of reasons to be proud of the SC especially with the abuses of president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and the executive branch, the lack of independence of the lower house majority from the administration's policies and the bickerings in the Senate.

As the people continues to suffer under a relentless barrage of political killings, forced abductions, and other human rights violations directly linked to the military and the Arroyo government's total war against communist insurgents, the Supreme Court has remained a bastion for the upholding of civil liberties.

1. There was the Supreme Court decision against the Presidential Proclamation 1017 or the President's declaration of a State of National Emergency last February 2006. PP 1017 generally paved the way for the harassment of the political opposition and the escalation of violent attacks against civil society groups. [Read the decision here: http://www.supremecourt.gov.ph/jurisprudence/2006/may2006/G.R.%20No.% 20171396.htm]

2. Then there was the SC's ruling against the illegal Calibrated Preemptive Response or CPR. CPR was basically a go signal for the police and other security forces to disallow and disperse rallies and other peaceful assemblies of the people in the guise of curbing "communist terrorism." [The decision can be read here: http://www.supremecourt.gov.ph/G.R.%20Nos.%20169838%20169848_CPR.htm]

3. Another SC decision in favor of the rule of law is making Executive Order 464 partially void. EO 464 was signed by the president to disallow Senate investigations of scrupulous members of the executive branch, including human rights violators in the military, without her consent. [Read the SC's decision here: http://www.supremecourt.gov.ph/DECISION%20EO%20464%20Final.htm]

4. A recent positive SC decision is the ruling on the government's case against 6 Leftist lawmakers. The government's case was junked in favor of civil liberties and freedom. The government's case was tagged by the highest court of the land as a weak case. It lacked evidence and was clearly filed for obvious political motivations to prevent the leftist parties from sitting in Congress. [Read more here: http://www.bulatlat.com/2007/06/sc-ruling-batasan-6-another-decision- civil-liberties]

I guess that's all I can remember for now. For clarifications, try looking for at http://postcardheadlines.wordpress.com. Thanks!