Forty-four lawmakers junked the complaint filed in December 2020 by Filipino League of Advocates for Good Governance Secretary-General Edwin Cordevilla. It was endorsed by Ilocos Norte Rep. Angelo Marcos Barba, cousin of losing vice presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos. Jr.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 27) — The impeachment complaint against Supreme Court Associate Justice Marvic Leonen at the House of Representatives failed to advance at the justice committee for lack of evidence.
Leonen penned the court ruling on Marcos’ electoral protest against Vice President Leni Robredo. It confirmed Marcos’ loss to Robredo in the 2016 vice presidential race.
“The verification failed to satisfy the requirement that the allegations of the complainant must be based on personal knowledge or must be based on authentic records,” committee chairman Rep. Vicente Veloso III (Leyte) said during a hearing.
Deputy Speaker Rufus Rodriguez pointed out during the same hearing the supporting documents were either photocopies or newspaper articles.
“The complaint is undeniably purely hearsay. And the rules of evidence would say that hearsay evidence would not stand in any proceeding,” he said.
Among the complainant’s accusations against Leonen was his alleged failure to file his Statement of Assets and Liabilities or SALN during his tenure at the University of the Philippines. The same route was taken to oust Chief Justice Renato Corona in 2012 and CJ Maria Lourdes Sereno in 2018.
The complainant also alleged Leonen has delayed the resolution of cases as chairman of the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal and failed to decide on at least 37 cases within 24 months as mandated by the 1987 Constitution.
Leonen welcomed the dismissal of the case.
“A dismissal on the basis of the mere face of the complaint affirms the baselessness of the grounds raised. It is an act that properly speaks for itself,” he said in a statement.
The magistrate added the decision was not a victory to be celebrated by anyone, but a reminder “for some not to waste our time and resource for narrow parochial selfish gains.”
He said now is “not the time to destroy institutions to satisfy greed and power” as the world is facing the twin threats of a pandemic and the dire effects of climate change.
