Robredo to Marcos: If Leonen inhibits, should other SC justices do the same for alleged bias?

MANILA, Philippines— Following the reasons of former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos on calling for the inhibition of Supreme Court Associate Justice Marvic Leonen from handling his election protest, the camp of Vice President Leni Robredo asked: can they also call for the inhibition of the rest of Supreme Court justices?

Marcos, last Monday sought for the inhibition of Leonen, citing among others, his perceived bias against him and his family as seen in his dissenting opinion in the burial of his father.

He added that Leonen has worked under former President Benigno Aquino III. It was also Aquino who appointed him to the Supreme Court.

Marcos’ position was supported by the Office of the Solicitor General who filed a similar motion for Leonen’s inhibition.

In their counter-manifestation submitted to the Supreme Court that also sits as Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET), Robredo through her lawyers led by Atty. Romulo Macalintal said if they want Leonen to inhibit from the case because of what he has written in his dissent on the Marcos burial case, should Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta also inhibit being the author of the controversial decision?

Peralta, they added, also hails from Ilocos Norte, the hometown of the Marcoses. The counter-manifestation added that the Chief Justice also took note in the ruling that President Duterte’s promise to allow the burial of Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani if he wins in the 2016 polls.

Duterte, who appointed 11 of the current Supreme Court Justices, has close ties with the Marcoses but does not see eye-to-eye with the Vice President.

“Are the members of the High Tribunal who have been appointed by President Duterte now biased in favor of protestant Marcos,” read the counter-manifestation.

“Can we also impute the same bias against Chief Justice Peralta who was the ponente in the resolution which allowed the burial of the remains of Ferdinand Marcos? or Associate Justice Perlas-Bernabe who concurred in the said resolution,” the Robredo camp asked.

The Marcos camp said Leonen has been sitting on the case since he took it over last October.

But the Robredo camp, in its counter-manifestation, said “the delay in the resolution of this election protest can only be ascribed to the steadfast refusal of protestant Marcos to accept the plain and simple truth—he lost, not once but twice.”

“The truth no matter how difficult or bitter it might be must be accepted,” the counter-manifestation further stated. [ac]