Akbayan Rep. Defies Indirect Contempt Charges
MANILA, Philippines — Akbayan party-list Rep. Perci Cendaña dismissed a recent petition seeking to cite him and political analyst Richard Heydarian for indirect contempt. The petition stemmed from their remarks on the Supreme Court’s decision to dismiss the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte.
Cendaña called the move by lawyers linked to the Duterte family an obvious attempt to weaponize the law against critics. “It’s ironic to be charged with indirect contempt by supporters of Vice President Sara Duterte and Pastor Quiboloy. The nerve to be the ones to file. They should look in the mirror first,” he said in Filipino.
Accusations and Political Context
The petitioners, lawyers Mark Kristopher Tolentino and Rolex Suplico, accused Cendaña of labeling the Supreme Court as Duterte’s “Supreme Coddler” during television interviews after the court threw out the fourth impeachment complaint against the Vice President for allegedly violating the one-year bar rule.
According to the petition, the phrase “Supreme Coddler,” when uttered by a sitting congressman, carries institutional weight and could undermine public trust in the judiciary.
Meanwhile, Heydarian faced criticism for his social media posts highlighting that Duterte appointed 13 of the 15 Supreme Court justices by 2022. The lawyers claimed these comments were not just opinion but aimed at maliciously framing the justices as loyal to the former president.
Support and Criticism Amid Legal Challenges
Another pro-Duterte lawyer, Ferdinand Topacio, filed a similar complaint against anti-poverty czar Larry Gadon for his critical remarks about the court’s impeachment ruling.
Meanwhile, Liberal Rep. Leila de Lima voiced support for Cendaña and Heydarian. She described the petitions as tactics that misuse legal processes to intimidate critics and divert attention from serious accountability issues. “These efforts are concerning, not only because they target individuals with strong democratic convictions, but because they risk chilling legitimate public discourse,” she said.
De Lima stressed that Cendaña’s and Heydarian’s comments fell within free speech boundaries. She expressed confidence that the Supreme Court would not let itself be manipulated for political gain. “This is not the time to allow the Court to be dragged into a political spectacle,” she added. “The truth is, what’s being challenged here is not the dignity of the Court, but the discomfort that comes with public accountability. Public commentary is not contempt. It is conscience.”
Cendaña’s Stance on Harassment
The two-term lawmaker believes the backlash is a consequence of holding Duterte accountable for the alleged misuse of P612 million in confidential funds — the same issue behind four impeachment complaints filed from December 2024 to February 2025. He said, “If I am the target of harassment by the supporters of an alleged pedophile and a mass murderer, then I am at peace — knowing that I am doing the right thing.”
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