SC junks teacher’s petition on Senate session for lack of legal standing

MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court has dismissed a petition filed by a high school teacher seeking to validate the June 3 Senate session, where new leadership was installed, and a quorum was declared with only 12 senators present.

“The SC dismissed the petition filed by John Barry Tayan for lack of legal standing,” the SC, through the Office of the Spokesperson, said in a statement Wednesday.

READ: High school teacher asks SC to affirm quorum in Gatchalian-led session

In his 20-page petition, Tayan argued that the 12-member attendance constituted a legal majority. He cited the Supreme Court’s landmark 1949 ruling in Avelino v. Cuenco, arguing that senators outside the geographic or legal reach of the Senate to compel attendance should be excluded from the total roster when computing a quorum.

Despite Tayan’s claim that he filed the case out of “patriotism” and a duty to “avoid confusion in Senate leadership,” the SC said he “failed to show that he suffered, or was at imminent risk of suffering, any direct injury from the actions he challenged.” /mcm