Court administrator denies declaring court holiday, but does not stop it

MANILA, Philippines — Court Administrator Jose Midas Marquez denied Wednesday his office had a hand in what appeared on Wednesday to be a well-coordinated nearly nationwide “court  holiday” to protest the impeachment of Chief Justice Renato Corona.

“I never declared a court holiday. Judges and court personnel are invited to listen to the CJ (chief justice),” Marquez said, referring to the scheduled gathering of court employees in front of the high tribunal’s compound in Manila at 2 p.m. on Wednesday.

“I leave everything to the sound discretion of the judges,” Marquez said in a text message.

Corona, who was impeached by 188 members of the House of Representatives on Monday, was set to address the event.

As court administrator and concurrent Supreme Court spokesperson, Marquez has administrative supervision over 2,000 judges in the country.

On Tuesday night, a copy of a supposed memorandum from Bacolod City Regional Trial Court Executive Judge Edgar Garvilles said that judges and court workers were “expected to suspend court sessions and office work on the holiday (on Wednesday).”

In his purported order, which spread on social networking sites, Garvilles said he issued the memorandum after receiving a “cellphone message” from the Office of the Court Administrator.

“A court holiday is declared for tomorrow, December 14, 2011, in solidarity with Chief Justice Corona who will be addressing the nation regarding the impeachment complaint filed against him,” read the message that supposedly emanated from Marquez’s office.