MANILA (UPDATE) - The House of Representatives on Wednesday adopted a resolution junking the impeachment complaint against Supreme Court Associate Justice Marvic Leonen, months after it was dismissed by the chamber's justice panel.
Voting 165-1-1, the lower chamber approved House Resolution No. 2068.
The final number falls short of the number required by the Constitution and the rules of the House to elevate the complaint to the Senate for trial.
Section 11 of the House Rules on Impeachment states that a vote of at least one-third of the chamber's members is important to approve the resolution.
"If the resolution is approved by the required vote, it shall then be endorsed to the Senate. On the other hand, should the resolution fail to secure approval by the required vote, it shall result in the dismissal of the complaint for impeachment.”
At 299 House lawmakers, that means about 100 of them should vote to impeach Leonen.
On May 27, members of the House justice committee found that Edwin Cordevilla, secretary-general of the Filipino League of Advocates for Good Government, lacked personal knowledge and authentic documents for his complaint.
These are both key requirements for the impeachment proceedings.
The impeachment complaint against Leonen was filed last Dec. 7 citing his supposed failure to act timely on cases and to file his statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN).
It was also endorsed on the same day by Ilocos Norte 2nd District Rep. Angelo Marcos Barba, a cousin of former senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos.
Marcos' election protest against Vice President Leni Robredo’s victory against him in the 2016 elections was then still pending before Leonen, who sits as a member of the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET).
The Supreme Court, sitting as PET, has already dismissed Marcos' electoral protest against Robredo.
The impeachment complaint was referred by the Speaker, through plenary, to the Committee on Justice on May 18 this year.
- Report from RG Cruz, ABS-CBN News
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