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The court docket notes that the Senate has the authority to quote a useful resource individual in contempt, but it surely additionally says the blue ribbon committee ought to act on Curlee Discaya’s long-unresolved movement for reconsideration
MANILA, Philippines – A Pasay Metropolis court docket upheld the detention of controversial contractor Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya II within the Senate, but additionally instructed the blue ribbon committee to behave on Discaya’s movement for reconsideration that has been “unresolved for an unconscionably lengthy interval.”
In a 22-page ruling on Monday, February 23, Pasay Metropolis Regional Trial Courtroom Department 297 denied Discaya’s petition to nullify the Senate blue ribbon committee’s contempt order towards him, which led to his detention.
The court docket dominated that Discaya didn’t show that his detention was illegal or that the Senate dedicated grave abuse of discretion.
“The blue ribbon committee possesses inherent authority, as an incident of the Senate’s energy to conduct inquiries in support of laws, to quote a useful resource individual in contempt for contumacious conduct — together with the giving of false or evasive testimony,” the choice learn.
Discaya has been detained by the Senate since September 18, 2025, following discrepancies in his statements in regards to the motive behind the absence of his spouse, Sarah, from a Senate listening to.
Sarah’s letter explaining her absence cited a scheduled worker assembly, however the court docket famous this was inconsistent together with her husband’s earlier declare that she skipped the listening to because of a medical situation.
Discaya’s movement for reconsideration was filed earlier than the Senate additionally on September 18.
In his petition filed with the Pasay Metropolis court docket, Discaya described his detention as a violation of Part 1, Article II of the Structure, which ensures that no individual shall be disadvantaged of liberty with out due strategy of the regulation.
Nevertheless, the court docket famous that Senate blue ribbon committee chair Panfilo Lacson gave Discaya due course of by directing him to elucidate why he shouldn’t be cited in contempt.
“Within the current case, all three constitutional safeguards are happy,” the choice penned by Presiding Decide August Tan learn.
Contempt ‘should not be weaponized’
Regardless of upholding the contempt quotation, the court docket did describe Discaya’s detention as a “critical deprivation of liberty.”
The choice stated legislative contempt “should not be weaponized as an instrument of indefinite punitive detention,” and that the Senate blue ribbon committee ought to promptly act on Discaya’s movement for reconsideration.
The Supreme Courtroom in 2018 dominated that the Senate has no energy to impose the indefinite detention of an individual cited in contempt throughout its inquiries, saying that the detention interval ought to finish upon the termination of a legislative inquiry. (READ: SC limits Senate detention interval for individuals cited in contempt)
The Senate blue ribbon panel has but to wrap up its marathon hearings on anomalous flood management tasks, however Lacson did observe that they’ve already crafted a draft committee report with partial findings. The newest draft really useful preliminary investigations into three senators: Jinggoy Estrada, Joel Villanueva, and Chiz Escudero.
Lacson earlier stated the committee might finish its flood management probe after one or two extra hearings.
In the meantime, Sarah is at present detained on the Lapu-Lapu Metropolis Jail in Cebu to face a malversation case over a P96.5-million “ghost” challenge in Davao Occidental. – Rappler.com
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