Petitions for joint congressional session may be consolidated—SC spox
Supreme Court Spokesman Theodore Te.
INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/LYN RILLON
The two petitions questioning the two resolutions issued by the House of Representatives and the Senate supporting the martial law issued by President Rodrigo Duterte will most likely be consolidated, high court’s Information Chief Atty. Theodore Te said Thursday.
On Tuesday, former senator Rene Saguisag, former party-list lawmaker Loretta Ann Rosales, detained Senator Leila De Lima, former PhilHealth Director Alexander Padilla and law professor Rene Gorospe filed a petition with the Supreme Court asking it to order the House of Representatives and the Senate to convene in a joint session to discuss whether to approve or not the proclamation of martial law.
READ: SC intervention on martial law sought
A similar petition was filed Wednesday by Bishop Emeritus Deogracias Iniguez, Bishop Broderick Pabillo, Bishop Antonio Tobias former senator Wigberto Tañada, Adelaida Ygrubay, prioress of St. Scholastica’s Priory Missionnary Benedictine Sisters, Shamah Bulangis of Siliman University and Cassandra Deluria of the University of the Philippines-Diliman.
READ: Ex-senator, religious ask SC: Compel Congress to hold joint session
The mandamus petitions named Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III and Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez as respondents.
Te said the two petitions will not be consolidated with the first petition filed by the minority bloc in Congress that challenged the factual basis for declaring martial law.
“They [the two petitions] differ from the petition challenging the factual basis/es for martial law in Mindanao and will thus not be consolidated with the martial law petition and will not be covered by the court’s instructions given last Tuesday for (a) preliminary conference and (b) oral arguments,” Te said in a statement emailed to reporters.
For the petition filed by the minority bloc, the high court already set an oral argument on June 13, 14 and 15. IDL/rga
