Justice Brion asked to inhibit from Gina Reyes case

MANILA, Philippines – A Supreme Court (SC) Justice is being asked to inhibit from the case involving Marinduque Rep Regina “Gina” Reyes. 

The private respondent, Joseph Socorro Tan, a registered voter of Torrijos, Marinduque, filed a motion before the SC seeking the inhibition of Associate Justice Arturo Brion over his alleged ties with Reyes’ brother, former Marinduque Rep Edmund Reyes Jr. 

On June 25, the Supreme Court dismissed Gina Reyes’ petition to reconsider a Commission on Elections (Comelec) decision disqualifying Reyes due to citizenship and residency issues. Brion wrote a dissenting opinion, joined by Justices Antonio Carpio, Marvic Leonen, and Martin Villarama. 

In his motion, Tan said Brion and the Reyes siblings all went to Ateneo Law School, while Brion and Edmund Reyes also belong to the same fraternity – the Fraternal Order of Utopia. 

Brion and Edmund Reyes were also said to be former colleagues at the law firm Siguion Reyna, Montecillo and Ongsiako from 1995 to 2001, according to the petition.

Section 1 of Rule 137 of the Rules of Court states: “A judge may, in the exercise of his sound discretion, disqualify himself from sitting in a case, for just or valid reasons other than those mentioned above.”

Reyes, meanwhile, earlier accused another SC Justice of “wielding his influence.” Reyes ran against Lord Allan Jay Velasco, son of SC Associate Justice Presbitero Velasco Jr. – Angela Casauay/Rappler.com