UP Law faculty members urge House to junk ‘baseless’ impeach complaint vs. Leonen

Faculty members of the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Law on Monday called on the House of Representatives to dismiss the "baseless" impeachment complaint against Supreme Court Associate Justice Marvic Leonen.

A former UP Law dean, Leonen faces an impeachment complaint over his alleged delay in resolving cases and his alleged failure to file his Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth for years when he taught at the college.

In a statement, his former colleagues at the law school expressed support for Leonen, whom they said has been targeted "because he dares to uphold the laws and procedures that try to safeguard our electoral processes against the whims and the abuses of those seeking greater political power."

Leonen is the justice-in-charge of former senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr.'s 2016 election protest against Vice President Leni Robredo. Marcos has recently failed to have Leonen inhibit from the case.

Marcos' spokesperson has called the notion that he was involved in the impeachment move "wild speculation."

"[Leonen] is under fire because he remains a steady, sanguine, and intelligent voice against the increasingly unreasonable demands of despots-in-waiting and their cohorts," the UP Law faculty supporters said.

"We may not agree with everything he has written while on the Court, but we stand by his character, his integrity, and his principles," read the statement signed by more than a hundred individuals, including former dean Pacifico Agabin.

Leonen, his supporters said, "has emerged as a leading and respected voice for a more independent judiciary, a more responsive arbiter of rights, and a more relevant force for more meaningful freedoms" in the SC.

The UP Law faculty members pointed out that the "latest assault" is happening as the COVID-19 pandemic demands the "undivided attention" of the executive and legislative branches of government.

"We call on the members of the House of Representatives to do right by the people—dismiss the baseless impeachment complaint against Justice Leonen—and focus on the more important work at hand," they said.

Impeachment complaint

Edwin Cordevilla of a group called the Filipino League of Advocates For Good Government filed an impeachment complaint last week, accusing Leonen of "gross inefficiency" by allegedly failing to dispose of at least 37 cases within 24 months.

Cordevilla also claimed that Leonen violated the 1987 Constitution for delaying the resolution of cases pending before the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET).

The complainant further accused Leonen of betraying the public trust by failing to file his SALN for 15 out of his 22 years in UP.

The alleged non-filing of SALNs was also an allegation against then-chief justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, who faced an impeachment complaint before her own colleagues at the SC ousted her in 2018.

In response, Leonen expressed confidence that lawmakers will "do the right thing" as many Filipinos remain in need.

"Certainly, this may not be the time to attend to false issues raised by some for clearly personal or vindictive reasons," he said. — RSJ, GMA News