SC fines ex-lawmaker for lack of respect

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—The Supreme Court has fined former Davao del Sur Rep. Marc Douglas Cagas IV P20,000 for disrespecting it when he questioned its decision that paved the way for the holding of a plebiscite to create a new province, Davao Occidental, last year.

In a seven-page decision released Friday, the entire court found Cagas guilty of two counts of indirect contempt for questioning the credibility of Justice Antonio Carpio, who wrote the ruling on the plebiscite case, and using his “seeming friendly ties” with Court Administrator Midas Marquez to influence the justices.

On Oct. 25, 2013, the high court dismissed for lack of merit Cagas’ petition to stop the Commission on Elections from holding the plebiscite simultaneously with the Oct. 28 barangay (village) elections.

Cagas claimed the plebiscite was illegal because it would be held beyond the 60-day period for the holding of the exercise as provided for in the law that created the new province.

Cagas then wrote a letter to Marquez—whom he addressed as “pards,” short for “compadre”—questioning the ruling, saying: “[T]he decision did not surprise me. What struck me was the level of deceitfulness of whoever wrote the decision. It can poison the minds of law students.”

Cagas also enclosed DVDs which he asked Marquez to forward to the justices “so they may know the truth.”

Ordered by the court to explain, Cagas said he was “truly sorry and take full responsibility” for his remarks, adding that he got carried away by his “passion and desire” to improve the lot of his province mates. He said his letter to Marquez was personal communication.

The justices, however, voting 14-0, found Cagas’ explanation “unsatisfactory” and “less than candid.” They said Cagas “clearly wanted to exploit his seeming friendly ties with Marquez and have ‘pards’ utilize his official connections.”—Jerome Aning

RELATED STORY

Holding of plebiscite on Davao’s new province gets SC green light