The Supreme Court (SC) has ordered President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the Senate, the House of Representatives and several agencies, local government units and private contractors to respond to a taxpayers’ writ of kalikasan to address the country’s flood control problem.
‘Acting on the petition for the issuance of a writ of kalikasan, the Court resolved, without giving due course to the petition, to require the respondents to comment thereon within 10 days from notice of this resolution,’ the SC said in a resolution dated Sept. 30, but made public on Thursday.
Ordered to respond are the following:
Office of the President represented by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Office of the Senate of the Philippines represented by Senate President Vicente Sotto III
House of Representatives
Department of Budget and Management
Department of Public Works and Highways
Department of Environment and Natural Resources
Department of Interior and Local Government
Metro Manila Development Authority
River Basin Control Office
All local government units
All contractors awarded and doing flood control projects for the government
The petition was filed by lawyer Edna Selloriquez and several others seeking to compel Marcos to exercise his control over various government agencies for a massive clean-up of the environment.
They also urged the Court to direct the President to disclose or design the master plan for flood control in the country. A writ of kalikasan is a legal remedy that protects one’s Constitutional right to a healthy environment, as outlined under the 1987 Constitution.