This is what I’m going to say in today’s public forum on the controversial Disbursement Acceleration program, held today at the University of the Philippines National College of Public Administration and Governance (UP NCPAG) UP Assembly Hall. – By Raïssa Robles –

I’m not a lawyer. I’m not yellow, nor red, nor peach. I’m a long-time observer and reporter on how our three branches of government work. I base my conclusions on my own findings. And I’m a citizen of this Republic.

My pieces on the Supreme Court ruling on the Disbursement Acceleration Program or DAP have been interpreted by some as a desecration of the 1987 Constitution. A gross misrepresentation of the separation of powers, which is the very essence of our democracy, and a denigration of the congressional power of the purse.

Law students and lawyers, in particular, have been quite virulent in their attacks of me.

Shocked but at the same time curious, I decided to find out why.