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Report: Document shows Midas Marquez ordered court holiday
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(Updated 1:56 p.m.) The court holiday that happened on Wednesday, Dec. 14, may have been ordered by Court Administrator and Supreme Court spokesman Midas Marquez, a document obtained by GMA News showed Wednesday.
The document, also posted by social news site Move.PH on its Facebook page Thursday, was issued and signed by Judge Edgar Garvilles of the Regional Trial Court Branch 47 in Bacolod City on December 13. Garvilles quoted the cellphone message of Marquez declaring a court holiday on December 14. 
The same document further said that the court holiday is “in solidarity with Chief Justice Corona who will be addressing the nation regarding the impeachment complaint filed against him.”
It said judges and court personnel were “expected to suspend court sessions and office work on the holiday tomorrow.” Iloilo Regional Trial Court Executive Judge Danilo Galvez confirmed with GMA News on Wednesday that they received instruction from the SC Administrator to show support for Corona.
But earlier in the day, Marquez told radio dzBB that he did not order a court holiday.
Instead, he said, he merely sent text messages "suggesting" that justices may want to show support for Corona.
"Martes pa lang ng hapon tinanong na ako at sinabi ko sa lahat na media wala akong pinapatawag na court holiday. Hindi tayo nagdedeklara ng court holiday, sa judges yan kung anong suporta ang gusto nila ipadama," he said in the radio interview.
In the same interview, Marquez also apologized to the public for the delay in court cases resulting from the Dec. 14 activity.
On Wednesday, about 500 judges and court employees walked out of their offices and trooped to the Supreme Court premises in Manila to show their support for Corona. Corona was impeached by the House of Representatives on Monday night for betrayal of public trust, graft and corruption, and culpable violation of the Constitution. The following day, the Articles of Impeachment were transmitted to the Senate. On Wednesday, the Senate convened itself into an impeachment court and its 23 incumbent members took their oaths as senator-judges. The trial proper is expected to commence on Jan. 16 next year. — RSJ/HS, GMA News
