MANILA, Aug. 14 (PNA) — The Court of Appeals (CA) deferred on Friday the scheduled hearing of the oral arguments on the contempt petition filed by suspended Makati City Mayor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay against Senator Antonio Trillanes IV.
In a resolution issued by the CA Special Fifth Division, the oral arguments will be conducted on Nov. 12, 2015, which is within the “election period” after the filing of certificates of candidacy set by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Oct. 12-14, 2015 for candidates in national positions in the 2016 polls.
It can be recalled that Trillanes has expressed his intention to run for vice president in the May 2016 elections while Binay will be running for reelection for Makati City mayor.
The setting of the new date for the oral arguments was made by the CA following the designation of Associate Justice Ramon Garcia to replace Associate Justice Maria Luisa Quijano Padilla, who resigned as a member of the CA Special Fifth Division.
Padilla resigned as a member of the CA division which will hear the contempt petition against Trillanes because she is a member of the ethics committee which is investigating the two CA justices who were accused by the senator of allegedly receiving PhP 25 million each, hence, a temporary restraining order (TRO) was issued stopping the suspension order issued by the Office of the Ombudsman against Binay.
The Ombudsman earlier imposed a six-month preventive suspension without pay against Binay and 22 others for the administrative and graft cases filed against them in connection with the alleged “overpriced” construction of the Makati City Hall Building II.
It was followed later by another six-month preventive suspension order against Binay for the alleged “overpriced” construction of the Makati City Science High School Building. (PNA)