The Supreme Court yesterday designated Manila Regional Trial Court Judge Grace P. Chavez Ty as presiding judge of the Muntinlupa City RTC Branch 256 to take over the illegal drugs case of detained Sen. Leila de Lima.
In an administrative order, Chief Justice Diosdado M. Peralta said the designation of Ty “is full time, effective immediately, and to continue until the appointment and assumption of judicial functions of the regular judge thereat, or until further orders from this Court, but in no case beyond six months from the date of approval, subject however to renewal if circumstances warrant.”
The order also “revokes the designation of Judge Ty as acting presiding judge of Branch 44, RTC, Manila….”
Court Administrator Jose Midas P. Marquez, whose office supervises for the SC all lower courts in the country, released the order to journalists covering the SC.
Earlier, De Lima had asked the SC to assign a new judge in one of the three criminal cases pending against her before the Muntinlupa RTC in her move to speed up the proceedings.
In a letter to Marquez, De Lima said a new judge should be assigned to Branch 256 of the Muntinlupa RTC because the judge who took over had inhibited twice. (Rey Panaligan)
