I challenge President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to reverse the controversial order of Acting Justice Secretary Alberto Agra dismissing the murder charges against two members of the Ampatuan clan to dispel public suspicions that she herself was setting up a whitewash of the case.

Under existing procedures, the president can review and reverse decisions made by the Justice Secretary in cases involving heinous crimes. I therefore challenge President Arroyo to reverse and set aside the controversial decision of Secretary Agra that has triggered so much public outrage in order to dispel public suspicions that she was the one who directed Agra to clear Zaldy and Akmad Ampatuan.

As you must have read on the news, Malacañang had said on Thursday the president remained supportive of Agra despite his decision to drop murder charges against Zaldy Ampatuan, the suspended governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, and his cousin Akmad Ampatuan, the former acting vice governor of Maguindanao Province, in connection with the Maguindanao massacre last November.  Presidential spokesman Gary Olivar acknowledged that the controversial decision had some political cost on the President, but maintained that, “the primary consideration is still what the law allows and requires you to do.” He claimed that Arroyo had not been informed about the decision before Agra made it public last weekend.

Olivar was lying. Given its highly controversial nature, it was impossible for Agra to have dismissed the case without clearing it with the President, or at least informing her beforehand of its dismissal.

Given the public outrage that was triggered by the order, the president’s refusal to reverse Agra’s resolution would only give credence to the prevailing public belief that Secretary Agra only did what he was ordered to do by the president.

Under the Constitution, Agra is a mere alter ego of the president and she exercises direct supervision and control over the justice secretary.

That supervision and control over her Cabinet members include the authority to review and reverse the decisions made by her subordinate. I urge the President to exercise that authority if only to dispel the belief that her administration will soon whitewash the case in favor of the Ampatuans.

And the Department of Justice prosecutors should disown as well Agra’s order dropping the murder raps against Zaldy and Akmad for being unjust and grossly erroneous.