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Torres is denied House legal counsel service
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Posted on Apr 12 2006
Rep. Stanley T. Torres has accused the Legislative Bureau of serving only the interests of the ruling party after the bureau director denied his request for legal assistance in his lawsuit against the governor.
Torres, a member of the House minority bloc, had asked House Speaker Oscar M. Babauta to assign a private counsel or a House legal counsel to help his office in his pending petition against the budget cuts implemented by the administration.
Babauta said he could not hire a private counsel due to budgetary constraints, prompting Torres to request instead the services of House legal counsel Antonette Villagomez.
However, bureau director Joaquin P. Omar said that this could not be done.
According to Omar, House counsels could only be mandated to represent the House in lawsuits involving the House as a whole, as directed by the presiding officer and pursuant to resolution.
Torres maintained that individual members were entitled to representation by House legal counsels.
“How is it that the Legislative Bureau can dictate the duties and responsibilities of the three House counsels, when each of the elected members of Congress deserves equal treatment and proper usage of the legal services of the House counsels in all matters pertaining to the scope of their legislative duties and responsibilities?” Torres asked.
“This practice is an abuse of the services that should be provided by the Legislative Bureau and I ask you to formally declare that I be afforded the use of private counsel and or House counsel in my pending petition against the governor. This does not need a resolution. If you cannot do this, then your refusal to uphold the integrity and equality of the House will be a declaration that the Legislative Bureau serves only the [11] majority members of this House,” he added.
Torres has sued the governor over the administration’s move to cut the Legislature’s budget beyond the 7.1-percent adjustment made to the government’s revenue projection for fiscal year 2006.
