Leila De Lima courting disbarment—UNA

The camp of Vice President Jejomar Binay on Thursday warned Justice Secretary Leila de Lima that she could face disbarment should she pursue the investigation against the Vice President.

 

“De Lima is certainly courting a lawsuit for her abusive and unlawful acts. Perhaps another disbarment case will knock some sense into her head,” lawyer JV Bautista, United Nationalist Alliance secretary general, said in a press statement.

 

Bautista's remark was in reaction to reports that the Department of Justice has started gathering information on the supposed irregularities involving the Binays.

De Lima earlier Thursday met with the three whistleblowers against Binay, namely former Makati Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado, lawyer Renato Bondal, and Barangay Olympia, Makati chairman Nicolas.

 

De Lima said that during the meeting, the whistleblowers vowed to submit more evidence to support their allegations against Binay.

 

Bautista said the DOJ had no jurisdiction to conduct an investigation over any impeachable official.

 

“That power belongs exclusively to the Ombudsman. De Lima should read her Administrative Code and the Ombudsman Law to understand this very basic rule on exclusive jurisdiction,” he said.

 

Bautista said that neither President Benigno Aquino III nor the Ombudsman gave orders to the DOJ to investigate into the allegations against the Vice President.

 

“Why is she initiating the investigation motu proprio? There is no order or instruction from the President, nor is there any request from the Ombudsman. There is also no formal complaint before her office to give her any justification to initiate a criminal investigation,” Bautista said.

 

“De Lima is an over-eager political wanna-be bureaucrat with no jurisdiction to investigate the Vice President. She belongs to the executive branch of government. The Vice President, therefore, is her superior and she is not possessed with power or authority to order an investigation against her superior, in the same manner that she cannot order the investigation against the President,” he added.

 

Cavite Governor Jonvic Remulla, Binay’s spokesperson for political affairs, said the Vice President remained committed to his work despite the development.

 

“It is a sad day when even the DOJ is part of the political circus,” Remulla said.

 

“The VP will remain focused on the job given to him by the President concerning housing for the poor and the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW),” he added.
 

Binay earlier said that he will not allow the allegations against him and his family to distract him from doing his duties.

 

The Vice President also serves as Presidential Adviser on OFW Concerns and chairman of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC). —NB, GMA News