Lawyers ask Supreme Court to cite Larry Gadon, others in contempt
Lawyer Ferdinand Topacio filed his petition for indirect contempt against Presidential Adviser on Poverty Alleviation Larry Gadon, while Atty. Mark Tolentino and Rolex Suplico filed a similar petition against political analyst Richard Heydarian and Akbayan Representative Percival Cendaña.
Topacio said he filed the petition over Gadon calling the SC a "tuta (lapdog)" of the Dutertes.
"I was scandalized to be candid. Sapagkat, bagamat mayroon tayong freedom of expression, and sometimes I also criticize some decisions of the Court, there should be boundaries. Kapag ganoon na pong masyadong vitriolic na… masyadong maangas na. Libelous na po 'yun eh. Hindi po natin maaaring palampasin," Topacio said in an ambush interview.
(I was scandalized to be candid. Because, although we have freedom of expression, and sometimes I also criticize some decisions of the Court, there should be boundaries. When it becomes that vitriolic… too arrogant. That's already libelous. We cannot let that pass.)
In an interview prior to the fourth State of the Nation Address of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. last Monday, Gadon slammed the High Court for its decision declaring the Articles of Impeachment against Duterte as unconstitutional and null and void.
The SC said the Articles of Impeachment are barred by the one-year rule under Article XI Section 3(5) of the Constitution.
Further, the high court also found that the Articles of Impeachment violate due process of law, saying that the draft and its evidence were not made available to Duterte, denying her the opportunity to be heard by the members of the House of Representatives.
"'Yun na nga 'yung Senate hearing, 'yun na nga 'yung magbibigay ng due process. Because that is precisely the trial. So anong pinagsasabi ng SC? Talaga kasing maka-Duterte sila… Wag na tayong magpaligoy-ligoy pa. Ang SC, tuta ng mga Duterte," Gadon said.
(Exactly, that's the Senate hearing, that's what provides due process. Because that is precisely the trial. So what is the SC saying? They're really pro-Duterte… Let's not beat around the bush. The SC is a lapdog of the Dutertes.)
'Framed as beholden'
Meanwhile, in their petition, Tolentino and Suplico noted Heydarian's Facebook post saying Duterte appointed majority of the justices of the SC. They said this "deliberately and maliciously framed the justices as beholden to President Rodrigo Duterte."
On the other hand, Cendaña said the SC reduced itself to "being the Supreme Coddler of Sara Duterte."
The Akbayan representative stood by his statement, saying moves to cite him in contempt is a Duterte "modus operandi" to silence legitimate criticisms.
"In that moment, given the political context, I stand by that very apt description. It is a description of the moment. Sa dulo kasi, huwag nating gamitin itong mga ingay na ito for the Supreme Court to do the right thing, and that is to stand by the Constitution (In the end, this noise should not get in the way of the Supreme Court from doing the right thing, and that is to stand by the Constitution)," Cendaña told reporters.
"If this is the consequence of making the Vice President accountable over misuse of public funds and abuse of power, then it's all worth it," Cendaña added.
For his part, Gadon said he understood why Topacio filed a contempt case against him for supposedly "telling the truth" about the ruling. He also challenged Topacio to a one-on-one singing competition as a fund raising initiative, similar to the boxing match between Davao City Sebastian "Baste" Duterte and Philippine National Police (PNP) chief General Nicolas Torre III.
This was rejected by Topacio.
Meanwhile, Heydarian said he has "full confidence in our highest court and respected justices not to bother with such frivolity."
"While it's true that the majority of our Supreme Court justices were appointed by the former president, it's unfair to make any automatic inferences about their decision-making," he said in a statement, citing his column in a news organization. — with a report from Llanesca T. Panti/ VDV, GMA Integrated News
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
GMA Network
13 minutes ago
- GMA Network
Palace says Congress' power of purse should not be abused
''Hindi po dapat abusuhin iyong sinasabing power of the purse at maraming magkaroon... kung mayroon mang insertions at hindi mapapakinabangan na tunay," Castro said. Congress's power of the purse should not be abused, Malacañang said on Friday, adding that President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. didn't want congressional insertions that will not benefit the public included in the proposed general appropriations law. Palace Press Officer Usec. Atty. Claire Castro made the remark when asked to react to President Francis "Chiz" Escudero, who stated that the executive branch's National Expenditure Program was subject to changes during the budget process in Congress. ''Hindi po dapat abusuhin iyong sinasabing power of the purse at maraming magkaroon... kung mayroon mang insertions at hindi mapapakinabangan na tunay," Castro said. "Iyan lamang po ang gusto ng Pangulo, kaya gusto niya maging malinis at budget at hangga't maaari iyong bicam conference with regard to the conference dito sa budget, 2026 budget ay bukas sa publiko,'' she added. (The power of the purse should be abused. The President doesn't want insertions that will not benefit the people. The President wants a transparent budget, and as much as possible, the bicameral committee conference on the budget should be open to the public.) Castro said the President and the Cabinet secretaries were involved in the exhaustive preparation of the NEP. "At kung numan po ang nabuo dito, ibig sabihin po, iyan po ang dapat na paglalaanan ng pondo,'' Castro said. (Whatever was mentioned here should be allotted funds.) The NEP or the President's budget is submitted to the Senate and the House of Representatives at the start of the appropriations process. It is the basis of Congress's budget hearings to craft the General Appropriations Act, or the national budget for the following year. Marcos, in his State of the Nation Address (SONA 2025) on Monday, said he would return a general appropriations bill that was not in line with the NEP. Escudero said the NEP was not set in stone. 'Ang panukalang budget ay nanggagaling hindi lamang sa executive pero pati sa Kongreso. Hindi naman porket binalangkas ng executive lahat 'yun ay tama na. Hindi naman porket binalangkas ng executive lahat 'yun ay hindi na pwedeng baguhin at tila nakaukit na sa bato,' Escudero said. (The proposed budget comes not only from the executive but also from Congress. Just because it was the executive that outlined everything, all of those are already right and cannot be changed.) 'Ang marapat na dapat baguhin, dapat baguhin dahil 'yung mga kalihim mismo ng Pangulo ay humihiling sa Kongreso ng dagdag o pagbabago sa kani-kanilang budget," he added. "So siguro kung may ganyang uri ng kautusan ang Pangulo dapat pagsabihan din niya ang kanyang mga kalihim na kapag may sinumite ng budget ang DBM para sa kanilang departamento, 'wag na silang humirit pa dahil bago sila makahirit ang pagkukunan ay ibang departamento rin,' Escudero said. (What should be changed, must be changed because the President's cabinet secretaries themselves are asking Congress for an increase or change in their respective budgets. So maybe the President should also tell his secretaries that when the DBM submits a budget for their department, they should stop asking for an increase because the source for that increase will be obtained from the budget of another agency.) Escudero has denied claims that there are billions of pesos worth of insertions in the 2025 national budget. He said the reports were part of a 'demolition job' in connection with his earlier bid to retain his Senate presidency post. Marcos, in his SONA, said that the government would operate under a reenacted budget in 2026 as he warned that he would veto a proposed budget bill that would not be in harmony with his administration's programs and priorities. –NB, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
13 minutes ago
- GMA Network
Banning online gambling must be studied thoroughly, says Palace
Malacañang on Friday said banning online gambling should be studied thoroughly, including its possible impacts to the country. During a press conference, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said this matter should be studied carefully as this may affect even the licensed ones. She was reacting to the question about President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. skipping online gambling during his fourth State of the Nation Address. ''So, dapat ito aralin mabuti ano ba ang dapat gawin dahil kapag nga tinanggal natin talaga agad-agad ang online gambling at maapektuhan naman iyong ibang mga lisensiyado, makakaapekto ba ito sa tulong sa bayan, sa tulong sa mga estudyante, sa tulong sa mga Pilipino? So, hindi po puwedeng magpadalus-dalos ang Pangulo dito. Dapat aralin po dahil sa totoo lamang po ang mga revenue po na ibinibigay ng lisensiyado na online gambling ay nakakapagbigay talaga ng tulong sa mamamayan,'' Castro said. (This should be studied carefully because if we remove this, those licensed ones will be affected and we have to determine if this will affect the assistance to the nation, to students, and to all Filipinos. So, the President cannot just decide on this. This should be studied as the revenues from licensed online gambling operations are helping the citizens.) ''So, dapat pong aralin at hindi po dapat na ora-orada at mag-uutos agad na tanggalin agad iyan, dapat inaaral po iyan. Iyang ganiyan po kasi, ang gusto ng Pangulo ay inaaral bago magpadalus-dalos sa aksiyon,'' she added. (This should be studied and it's not right to just prohibit this, this should be studied.) The Senate is set to hold an investigation regarding online gambling in the country, as announced by Senator Erwin Tulfo, chairman of the Senate games and amusement committee. Several other lawmakers have also called either for the total ban or strict regulation of online gambling, citing its negative impact on Filipinos who got addicted to it. PAGCOR Chairman Alejandro Tengco earlier noted that the gaming industry regulator recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ad Standards Council (ASC) to strengthen the monitoring of gambling-related advertisements across all platforms. It also recently ordered the takedown of all gambling ads in public spaces and primetime TV by August 15 this year. — BAP, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
4 hours ago
- GMA Network
DepEd approves P24,000 annual subsidy for private school teachers
The Department of Education (DepEd) has approved a P6,000 increase in the annual salary subsidy for private school teachers covered by the government's education assistance program. Starting School Year 2025–2026, eligible private school teachers will receive P24,000 annually under the Teachers' Salary Subsidy (TSS) component of the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (GASTPE) program, up from the current P18,000. The raise was approved via an ad referendum by the State Assistance Council, the body that oversees GASTPE policy. Education Secretary Sonny Angara formally announced the increase during a ceremonial signing event on Thursday, where he emphasized the government's recognition of private educators as critical partners in the broader education sector. 'Sa mga tumutok sa ika-apat na State of the Nation Address ni Pangulong Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos, Jr., malinaw na nakita natin—nasa rurok ng kanyang mga prayoridad ang edukasyon,' said Angara. (For those who followed President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr.'s fourth State of the Nation Address, it was clear—education is at the top of his priorities.) 'And we have always stood by the principle that education is a collective mission.' Angara noted that while there is still a significant disparity between the working conditions and compensation of teachers in public and private schools, the increase signals a strong step toward narrowing that gap. The GASTPE program was established under Republic Act No. 8545 or the Expanded Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education Act. While best known for its Education Service Contracting (ESC) scheme that subsidizes tuition fees of junior high school students in private schools, the program also provides salary support to teachers assigned to teach these grantees. To qualify for the TSS, teachers must be licensed, employed full-time in a participating private school, and must handle ESC classes for at least three hours per week. DepEd said these criteria ensure the subsidy goes to teachers directly contributing to the delivery of basic education under the government's assistance mechanisms. Angara also reiterated DepEd's commitment to working with local government units, private schools, and development partners in pursuing reforms to make basic education more accessible and inclusive. The subsidy hike aligns with several education reform priorities mentioned in Marcos' recent State of the Nation Address, including boosting teacher welfare, investing in digital tools for classrooms, and reducing the administrative workload on teachers. DepEd said the increase in the subsidy has been included in its proposed 2026 budget. —VAL, GMA Integrated News
