SC junks petition contesting Suarez’s minority leadership in House

The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday dismissed the petition challenging the minority leadership of Quezon Representative Danilo Suarez in the House of Representatives.

At a press briefing, SC spokesperson Theodore Te said the justices unanimously voted to junk the petition filed by the group of Ifugao Rep. Teddy Baguilat Jr. on the ground that the petitioners "were not entitled to the reliefs" sought in the petition.

"However, the Court emphasizes that the dismissal of this petition is without prejudice to any other controversy involving the internal rules of the House of Representatives presented in a proper case seeking judicial review," Te said.

Suarez was elected minority leader in a caucus of those who did not back Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez during the election at the opening of the first regular session of the 17th Congress in July last year.

But the petitioners refused to accept the result, noting the Ifugao lawmaker should be the true minority leader being the second placer in the speakership race.

They also said Suarez belonged to the majority because he voted for Alvarez in the speakership race.

Suarez, in his response, said SC had no jurisdiction over the dispute, "as it involves the political questions of the right of Congress to promulgate, interpret, and implement its own internal rules."

He added the petitioners seemed to be asking for reorganization of House committees by pushing for Baguilat as minority leader.

"In other words, what they want is a wide-ranging Court-enforced congressional reorganization; quite obviously, the Supreme Court may not do that without upending the doctrine of separation of powers and undermining the stability of our system of checks and balances in government," Suarez said. — RSJ, GMA News