By Rey Panaligan
Another petition was filed with the Supreme Court (SC) Friday to nullify the assumption of Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez as minority leader in the House of Representatives.
Marikina Rep. Miro Quimbo (via Facebook / MANILA BULLETIN)
This time, the petition was filed by Marikina City Rep. Romero Quimbo and his group of legislators who wanted the SC to compel the House of Representatives to recognize him as the minority leader.
The petition of Quimbo’s group is contrary to the first case filed by Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas’ group which pleaded the SC to install ABS Party-List Rep. Eugene de Vera to the post.
It was not known immediately if the SC has acted on the first petition of Farinas’ group. It is expected that the two petitions would be consolidated by the SC for resolution.
In its petition, Quimbo’s group cited a 2017 decision of the SC which, it said, ruled that those who voted for losing candidates for the Speaker of the House and those who abstain constitute the minority group in the Hou]se of Representatives.
The group also cited Section 8, Rule II of the Rules of the House which states that “House members who vote for a winning candidate for House Speaker constitute the Majority in the House.”
Farinas’ group also cited the same provision in the Rules of the House in its petition.
It told the SC that most of the Suarez’s bloc were deemed to have abandoned the minority group in the House by voting for Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as Speaker of the House of Representatives during the leadership change last July 23.
Thus, it said, Arroyo and Majority Leader Rolando Andaya committed “a grave abuse of discretion” for continuously recognizing Suarez as the incumbent minority leader in the House.