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MANILA, Philippines—The Supreme Court denied the petition to disqualify Supreme Court Associate Justices Presbitero Velasco Jr., Diosdado Peralta and Lucas Bersamin from membership of the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET).
Marinduque Representative Regina Ongsiako Reyes, through her lawyer Harry Roque Jr. , sought the disqualification of the three and be substituted with other high court justices. Reyes has a pending disqualification case before the HRET.
In her petition, they cited alleged conflict of interest on the part of Justice Velasco since his son, former congressman Lord Allan Velasco, stands to benefit should the HRET disqualify her.
Velasco, being the most senior of the three justices, chairs the HRET and has already inhibited himself from the proceedings of the tribunal as well as in the proceedings of the Supreme Court involving his son’s case.
However, Reyes said Velasco’s continued stay at the HRET in relation to his son’s case has become untenable.
“The Supreme Court runs the risk of incurring historical infamy if it ignores this unprecedented scenario and contents itself with a complacent and run-of-the-mill inhibition by the Justice-Father from the case, even if said Justice/Father/HRET-Head still retains administrative control and moral suasion, and enjoys collegial camaraderie in the HRET,” Reyes said.
Reyes lamented the speedy action of the HRET on the petition-in-intervention by a certain Victor Sioco despite failure to pay the required docket fees, which should have been a ground for its summary dismissal.
The high court, in its recent ruling, said the petition sought the wrong remedy and that, in any event, there was no grave abuse of discretion alleged nor shown.
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