Hearings on bid to impeach Leonen may have to wait until next year
MANILA, Philippines — The House justice committee might not be able to tackle the impeachment complaint against Supreme Court Associate Justice Marvic Leonen before next year due to a lack of time, one of the panel’s vice chairpersons said Wednesday.
"We will already have our recess sometime December 18, and so we don’t really have material time at this time," Deputy Speaker Rufus Rodriguez told a news conference.
Under House impeachment rules, Speaker Lord Allan Velasco has 10 session days to have the impeachment complaint against Leonen included in the chamber’s order of business, after which the complaint would be referred to the House justice committee within three session days.
There are only three session days remaining before Congress adjourns session for a month in time for the holidays.
Aside from already lacking time to tackle the impeachment bid against Leonen, Rodriguez also acknowledged that the House still needs to tackle important legislation, including another stimulus proposal.
“We cannot rush this also because we are talking here about a member of the highest court of the land,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez assured fair and objective hearings on the impeachment complaint against Leonen, and said that the magistrate will be able to answer the complaint and present his own evidence.
Edwin Cordevilla, secretary general of the Fiipino League of Advocates for Good Government, filed Monday an impeachment complaint against Leonen, accusing him of culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust.
Cordevilla’s complaint was endorsed by Rep. Angelo Marcos Barba (Ilocos Norte), cousin of former Senator Bongbong Marcos who had asked Leonen to recuse from hearing his poll protest against Vice President Leni Robredo.
Cordevilla is represented by lawyer and Marcos loyalist Larry Gadon, who also filed the impeachment complaint against former Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno. Sereno was removed from office after her colleagues voted to grant a quo warranto petition questioning her appointment as chief justice.
Gadon trooped to the House with an impeachment complaint after failing to secure copies of Leonen’s wealth declaration documents for an attempt to void the justice’s appointment through another quo warranto plea.
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