CA sets hearing on contempt charges vs. De Lima, Pena on May 11

Court of Appeals (judiciary.gov.ph)

MANILA — The Court of Appeals (CA) has set on Monday (May 11) the hearing on the contempt charges filed against Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Leila M. De Lima and Makati City Vice-Mayor Romulo “Kid” Pena.

In the information from the Office of the CA Sixth Division Clerk of Court Atty. Miriam Bautista, the hearing on the complaint for contempt filed by Makati City Mayor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay Jr. will be conducted on Monday at 2 p.m.

The justices who will sit during the hearing are CA Associate Justices Jose Reyes, Jr., Francisco Acosta and Eduardo Peralta.

Binay earlier filed the contempt charges against De Lima and Pena after they allegedly defied the temporary restraining order (TRO) issued by the CA Sixth division that stopped the implementation of the suspension order issued by the Office of the Ombudsman (Ombudsman) against Binay.

The “immediately executory” six-month preventive suspension without pay imposed by the Ombudsman on Binay and 22 others was for the administrative and graft cases filed against them in connection with the alleged “overpriced” construction of the Makati City Hall Building II.

Pena argued that he was just complying with the order and assumption to office granted to him by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) as acting mayor following the suspension order issued by the Ombudsman against Binay.

For her part, De Lima argued that the TRO issued by the CA was already “moot and academic” because Pena has already taken his oath of office as acting mayor even before the TRO was issued.