Abakada leadership a settled issue

Philippine Daily Inquirer / 11:04 PM August 15, 2013

This has reference to the leadership issue and legal standing of the Abakada-Guro Party List (Abakada for brevity), which was recently proclaimed by the Commission on Elections as one of the winning party-list groups in the May 2013 elections.

On Sept. 5, 2010, the Comelec en banc affirmed the May 4, 2010 resolution of its Second Division which ruled that the lawful and rightful leaders of Abakada belong to the group of Rep. Jonathan dela Cruz, Judge Ed Vincent Albano and lawyer Benedict Kato, and not the group of lawyer Samson Alcantara, Romeo Robiso, Pedro Dabu Jr., Lope Feble, Noel Tiampong and Jose Floro Crisologo. This Comelec ruling was later affirmed and confirmed by the Supreme Court en banc in a ruling promulgated on April 16, 2013.

The Supreme Court decision affirming the legality of Representative Dela Cruz’s leadership was signed by no less than 14 Supreme Court justices. There was no motion for reconsideration filed by the group of Alcantara, hence the decision became final and executory. In other words, there is no more pending legal issue insofar as the leadership of Abakada Party List is concerned.

—FLORANTE B. LEGASPI JR.,

general counsel,

Abakada Party List

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