BY EVANGELINE DE VERA

SEN. Ma. Ana Consuelo "Jamby" Madrigal yesterday asked the Supreme Court to declare as "unconstitutional" the composition of Commission on Appointments.

Named respondents were Senate President Manny Villar, ex-officio chairman of the CA, House Speaker Prospero Nograles, and CA secretary Gemma Aspiras.

She asked the Supreme Court to stop the commission from functioning until her question is resolved.

She said the composition of the CA is null and void as it violates the proportional party representation requirement under the Constitution.

Madrigal also asked the SC to restrain Villar, Nograles and Aspiras from proceeding with their actions as officers and members of the CA, and to direct them to reorganize and reconstitute the Commission in accordance with the law.

The CA was convened for the 14th Congress by the nomination and election of its members from both houses of Congress, among them, Madrigal representing the political party PDP-Laban.

Based on the membership of the Senate and their party affiliations, the proportional party representation of the members of the CA in the Senate is: Lakas-CMD, six; Liberal Party, four; two each from the Nationalist Peoples Coalition, Partido ng Masang Pilipino, PDP-Laban, and United Opposition; and one each from the Nacionalista Party, Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino, Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino, and People's Reform Party; and an independent.

Madrigal said if Senators Pia Cayetano and Richard Gordon are considered independent senators and Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano is considered as a member of NP, then the proportional party representation of the members of the CA should have been: Lakas, three; LP, four; two each from NPC, PMP, PDP, UNO, and NP; one each from Kampi, LDP, PRP; and independent, three.

Last March, Madrigal called the attention of Villar, Nograles and Aspiras to the "unconstitutional" composition of the CA, and asked that the proceedings be held in abeyance pending the correction of the composition of the CA by Congress.