5 days ago
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
