Another CA justice inhibits from Mayor Binay’s case

ANOTHER Court of Appeals justice has inhibited from handling the latest petition filed by Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay that questioned the second preventive suspension imposed on him by the Office of the Ombudsman.

Associate Justice Priscilla Baltazar-Padilla inhibited from the case, court sources said.

However, the reason was not immediately known because it was deemed as an “internal matter.”

Padilla was supposed to act as chair of the appeals court ninth division in place of Associate Justice Celia Librea-Leagogo, who inhibited from the case last week because her husband’s co-partner in his law office is the first cousin of Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas, one of the respondent in Binay’s petition and tasked to implement the suspension order.

Associate Justice Ramon Paul Hernando will replace Padilla following another raffle of the case conducted by the appeals court.

The two other members of the CA special division who will resolve the case are Associate Justices Melchor Sadang and Amy Lazaro-Javier, who will now sit as acting chair.

But Javier took a leave of absence from Monday until August 3, which means the court would not be able to act on the case until next month.

The appeals court has held in abeyance acting on Binay’s bid to stop his suspension order. Instead, it ordered Roxas and the Office of the Ombudsman to comment on his petition.

Binay’s suspension order was in connection with his alleged participation in the rigged bidding for the construction of the Makati Science Building.