Liberal Party takes House minority leadership row to Supreme Court

MANILA, Philippines — The Liberal Party (LP) group of Marikina Rep. Romero Quimbo yesterday brought its claim to the minority leadership in the House of Representatives to the Supreme Court (SC), questioning the recognition of Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez as minority leader and his group as legitimate minority.

“We vowed that we would take this matter all the way up to the Supreme Court and that is precisely what we have done… Judging from the previous case of Baguilat v. Alvarez which also dealt with the issue of House minority leadership, it is likely this case will take months to resolve, possibly close to the end of our current terms (on June 30, 2019),” Quimbo said.

He was referring to the 2017 case filed by the group of Ifugao Rep. Teodoro Baguilat Jr., which challenged the recognition of Suarez by then speaker Pantaleon Alvarez as minority leader. The high court ruled on the case last July, after nearly a year.

“Nonetheless, we are committed to pursuing this if only to ensure that our institutions remain bound by law and logic,” he said.

Quimbo was part of the Alvarez leadership as deputy speaker. He now leads what he calls “People’s Minority,” a composite group of LP, leftist lawmakers and the opposition’s Magnificent 7 led by Edcel Lagman.

They are the second group to question the decision of the present House leadership to recognize Suarez as minority leader. Last Aug. 30, Alvarez, former majority leader Rodolfo Fariñas and their few remaining loyalists filed a similar case.

Quimbo and his colleagues ran to the SC three weeks after the tribunal assigned the Alvarez-Fariñas petition to its newest member, Justice Jose Reyes. The court is expected to consolidate the two complaints.

Suarez has expressed confidence that the tribunal would continue recognizing him as minority leader.

“My position is not vacant. We are not accepting any applicant,” he said.

His senior deputy, Rep. Lito Atienza of Buhay, said anyone claiming to be the minority leader “is an impostor.”