Leonen says he trusts lawmakers to 'do right thing' on impeachment rap
MANILA, Philippines — Faced with an impeachment complaint at the House of Representatives, Supreme Court Associate Justice Marvic Leonen said he believes lawmakers will “do the right thing” as the country continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Edwin Cordevilla, secretary general of the Filipino League of Advocates for Good Government (FLAGG) — not the Free Legal Assistance Group — on Monday filed an impeachment complaint against Leonen, accusing the SC justice of violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust.
Leonen said he has heard about the complaint but has yet to receive a copy of it.
"Given the urgent and pressing needs of our people during this time of crises, we are confident that our leaders will do the right thing," Leonen said in a statement coursed through the Supreme Court Public Information Office.
"Certainly, this may not be time to attend to false issues raised by some for clearly personal or vindictive reasons," Leonen added.
Gadon and Leonen
Cordevilla was assisted and represented by lawyer Larry Gadon, who earlier asked for and failed to secure copies of Leonen’s Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth for filing of a quo warranto petition to remove the justice from the Supreme Court.
RELATED: SC upholds rejection of OSG request for Leonen's SALN
Gadon in 2018 also filed an impeachment complaint against then-Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, who was eventually ousted through a quo warranto petition filed by Solicitor General Jose Calida.
The complaint against Leonen was endorsed by Rep. Angelo Marcos Barba (Ilocos Norte), cousin of former Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., who has a pending vice presidential poll protest case at the Presidential Electoral Tribunal.
Leonen is reportedly the member in charge of the case.
In a CNN tweet report, Barba said complainant Cordevilla is his constituent. “I read his complaint, and I believe in it that’s why I’m here as his congressman,” he said.
Marcos and Calida had also previously sought Leonen’s inhibition from the poll protest, accusing the justice of exhibiting bias towards Vice President Leni Robredo but the SC junked their motions.
RELATED: SC rejects Marcos move to keep Leonen out of poll protest, tells Calida to explain self
Grounds for complaint
In the impeachment complaint, Leonen is accused of violating the Constitution for supposedly failing to dispose of 37 cases pending before his chambers within two years. The justice is also accused of “arbitrarily delaying the resolution” of case pending before the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal, which Leonen chairs.
Gadon also accused Leonen of being partial and “almost always [taking] sides against the current administration,” as supposedly shown by the justices’ votes in the cases the SC resolved.
In particular, the complaint cited Leonen’s dissenting opinions on the grant of bail for former Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile and on the extension of Martial Law in Mindanao.
Gadon also said Leonen committed a betrayal of public trust for supposedly failing to file his SALNs—the same ground used to boot out Sereno from the SC.
National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers president Edre Olalia urged caution on the impeachment rap. “With the checkered record of the goader, it is suspect and comes not from the purest intentions,” he said in a statement.
He also stressed that “decent dissents, nay erudite independence” is needed in the Judiciary.
- Latest
- Trending
