Romulo Makalintal is So Overrated

Speaking of lawyers, I think Romulo Makalintal is overrated.

Sure, he has a radio DJ voice, but on some things, his arguments are at best, always a stretch of the truth.

Before the Hello Garci controversy, Makalintal was already busy defending his client, filing motions upon motions to have FPJ’s electoral protest dismissed. Of course, FPJ died and the protest was dismissed.

Now, tell him that his client had cheated in 2004, and he would always say that the Presidential Electoral Tribunal has already spoken. Here‘s that handwashing decision, read it, and tell me where in that decision it is said that Gloria Arroyo won fair and square.

Overrated, indeed.

Now, he is up to his news grabbing comments.

In COMELEC Resolution No. 07-0724 (which is not available at this site at the moment), the Comelec has prohibited the release of party list nominees; the said list of nominees will only be released immediately after the voting is over. Claiming that some party list groups are just administration fronts, several quarters have petitioned the Supreme Court to compel the Comelec to release the list.

Now here is Makalintal, again showing how overrated he is (from ABS-CBN News):

“Walang karapatan ang sinuman na pilitin ang anumang ahensya ng pamahalaan na mag-publish ng kung anumang bagay na nasa kanilang control and supervision, subalit kapag hiningi mo sa kanila ang listahan at hindi ibinigay, doon magkakaroon ng kaso (Nobody has the right to force any government agency to publish [documents] under their control and supervision, but if you ask [COMELEC] the list [of party-list nominees] and it did not accede, a case can be filed],” Macalintal said.

He added: “Asking COMELEC to publish [the names] is different from requesting COMELEC for a list.”

xxx

“Ikaw ay may karapatang kunin ang pangalan na ‘yan at kung makuha mo ay maaari mong gamitin ‘yan sa anumang paraang legal na magagawa mo, i-publish mo ngayon sa mga diyaryo (You have the right to get those names and after getting the names you can use them in any legal way, publish the names in newspapers),” he said.

How can you request the Comelec to have such list published when it has passed a resolution banning such release/publication?