Latest news with #16CityhoodLaws
GMA Network
6 days ago
- Politics
- GMA Network
SC says League of Cities ruling not unanimous; Risa cites another case
The Supreme Court (SC) clarified on Friday that its ruling in the League of Cities case mentioned by Senator Risa Hontiveros in an earlier statement "was not unanimous." "Please refer to the Decision and Resolutions published in the Supreme Court E-Library and the Philippine Reports," said SC spokesperson Camille Ting in a statement. "We are uncertain as to the source of the claim that the decision was unanimous," she added. In a quick response, Hontiveros named another case, which she said the En Banc unanimously reversed. "The fact remains that at least one unanimous case was reversed en banc, and it is not unheard of," she said. "This is a reminder that no one is immune from error. The most important thing is to correct it," Hontiveros added. Ting's clarification came after the senator, in a statement on Wednesday , said there were two instances when the high court overturned its rulings. This, as senators debated on whether to abide by the high court's decision that declared unconstitutional the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte. With 19 votes for, four against, and one abstention, the Senate eventually archived the impeachment complaint. One of two cases Hontiveros cited was that of the League of Cities of the Philippines vs. the Commission on Elections (Comelec), where the SC En Banc granted a motion for reconsideration and declared 16 Cityhood Laws as constitutional in 2010. "Upon checking again, the many reversals in the League of Cities' decisions were not decided unanimously," she said. The senator also mentioned the case of the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications Inc. and others vs. Greenpeace Southeast Asia of the Philippines, which was decided on July 26, 2016. 'Original decision, unanimous, December 8, 2015. Reversed unanimously on MR too, July 26, 2016,' Hontiveros had said in her earlier statement. —LDF, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
7 days ago
- Politics
- GMA Network
Hontiveros names instances when SC overturned its rulings
Senator Risa Hontiveros on Wednesday named two instances when the Supreme Court (SC) overturned its rulings as senators debated on whether to abide by the high court's decision that declared unconstitutional the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte. 'The SC has reversed a unanimous decision in a lot of instances before,' Hontiveros said. One of these was the case of the League of Cities of the Philippines vs. the Commission on Elections (Comelec), where the SC En Banc granted a motion for reconsideration and declared 16 Cityhood Laws as constitutional in 2010. In 2008, the SC initially declared unconstitutional the creation of 16 new cities and ordered the Comelec against the holding of a plebiscite pursuant to cityhood laws in these municipalities. The SC in December 2009 reversed the 2008 decision and ruled that the towns can be declared as cities. However, in 2010, it made a second reversal and reinstated its 2008 decision. In its ruling in February 2011, the SC denied with finality that the 16 towns can be declared as cities. Hontiveros also mentioned the case of the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications Inc. and others vs. Greenpeace Southeast Asia of the Philippines. 'Original decision, unanimous, December 8, 2015. Reversed unanimously on MR too, July 26, 2016,' Hontiveros said. 'Hindi lang po tulad nung sinabi ni minority leader na there's always a first time. It has happened before. So 'yung ganitong klaseng milagro na hinahanap, posibleng mangyari din po dito sa kasong pinag uusapan natin,' she added. (It's not just like what the minority leader said, that there's always a first time. It has happened before. So this kind of miracle being sought is also possible in the case we are discussing.) This came after Senator Rodante Marcoleta questioned whether even Supreme Court justice would overturn the ruling, considering that it was unanimous. The SC had ruled unanimously that the Articles of Impeachment against Duterte are barred by the one-year rule under Article XI, Section 3(5) of the Constitution. Meanwhile, with 19 votes, the Senate voted to transfer to the archives the Articles of Impeachment against Duterte.—LDF, GMA Integrated News
