CJ De Castro reorganizes electoral tribunals

Chief Justice Teresita Leonardo-de Castro (PNA File Photo)

MANILA — Chief Justice Teresita Leonardo-de Castro has ordered a reorganization for Supreme Court Justices representatives on the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) and House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET).

The SET and HRET are mandated by the 1987 Constitution to rule on electoral protests of senatorial candidates and congressional candidates.

In a one-page Special Order 2589, de Castro assigns the incumbent senior members of the High Court to represent them in the said electoral tribunals.

Justice Antonio Carpio will be the chairperson for the SET, with Justices Lucas Bersamin and Estela Perlas-Bernabe as members.

Justice Diosdado Peralta will be the chairperson for the HRET, while Justices Mariano del Castillo and Marvic Leonen are members.

“In the interest of the service, the regular members of the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) and the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET) are hereby designated as follows, effective August 28, 2018,” read the special order signed by de Castro.

There is now a pending election protest at the SET, lodged by Presidential Adviser for Political Affairs Francis Tolentino, former Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chairman, against detained Senator Leila de Lima.

Tolentino placed 13th, while de Lima placed 12th place during the May 2016 elections.

The SET was previously composed of Carpio, de Castro, and Bersamin.

The HRET was represented by Presbitero Velasco, Peralta, and del Castillo.

Meanwhile, de Castro also issued Special Order 2590, designating Carpio as head of the SC en banc raffle committee, with Bersamin and Peralta as members.

For the Division Raffle of the SC, Peralta will be the chairman, while del Castillo and Leonen sit as members.