SUPREME COURT JUSTICES / SAVED IN NOVEMBER 8, 2016 Justice Marvic Mario Victor F. Leonen. Photo from Supreme Court of the Philippines website
MANILA, Philippines — Supreme Court Associate Justice Marvic Leonen said on Monday he is confident that members of the House of Representatives will “do the right thing” on the impeachment complaint filed against him.
“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. Certainly, this may not be the time to attend to false issues raised by some for clearly personal or vindictive reasons,” Leonen said in a statement.
“Regardless, we wish everyone the best for this season of kindness and compassion. May we all continue to help others who are still truly in need,” he added.
Leonen said that he has yet to receive a copy of the impeachment complaint.
The complaint was filed before the House of Representatives by a certain Edwin Cordevilla, Secretary General of the Filipino League of Advocates for Good Government, who was assisted by lawyer Larry Gadon.
Under the Constitution, Congress has the exclusive power to initiate impeachment complaints.
Cordevilla filed the complaint over Leonen’s supposed “culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust.”
In his complaint, he alleged that Leonen issued “scathing dissents” in almost all the cases where the majority of the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Duterte administration.
He also said Leonen has been “negligent and incompetent” for supposedly failing to dispose 37 cases in the Supreme Court in violation of the constitutional mandate that cases should be decided within 24 months from the time it is submitted for resolution.
Leonen is slated to become the second most senior magistrate in the high court with the announcement of Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta of his early retirement in March next year, next to Senior Associate Justice Estela Perlas-Bernabe.
Gadon and the Office of the Solicitor General earlier petitioned the SC to be granted access to Leonen’s statements of assets, liabilities, and net worth (SALN), but the high court denied their request.