"Chief Justice Puno and the court are veritable torchbearers of hope at this time of gloom and despair in view of the Executive’s failure to stop the massacre and disappearance of innocents," Ocampo said in a statement.

The Bayan Muna representative added that Puno’s new statement and the strongly worded court decision dismissing the rebellion case against him, Betran, and four other party-list solons are "warnings on the Arroyo government over its clear tendency to abuse power."

In a separate statement, Beltran of Anakpawis said Puno’s declaration that the SC will use its power to protect civil liberties is laudable.

He said that the Chief Justice has already begun doing so when the High Tribunal junked the rebellion case against him and the so-called Batasan 5.

Beltran just hopes that given Chief Justice Puno’s vow, the SC will also immediately make this decision final and executory and allow his (Beltran’s) release from detention at the soonest possible time, even as the Office of the Solicitor General files an appeal.

The detained party-list lawmaker said that the continuing political persecution of the lawmakers, officials and members of the progressive party-lists, and militant people’s organizations were serious attacks against human rights and civil liberties.

He said that thankfully, the SC has recently been vocal on the matter through Puno’s declarations and public statements.

Likewise, Beltran sought the Supreme Court’s intervention on the issue of extra-judicial killings and President Arroyo’s refusal to hold some military officers accountable for them.

He added that the High Court would also soon be facing a challenge as civil libertarians and human rights groups escalate protests against the Human Security Act (HSA) or the anti-terrorism law as it will be effective beginning July.