The Supreme Court has dismissed the petition filed by a lawyer who wanted the High Court to compel President Duterte to disclose his state of health by making public his medical records.
A very reliable source said the SC voted 13-2 against the petition filed by lawyer Dino S. de Leon who claimed he was forced to elevate the issue to the court after his Freedom of Information request for the President’s state of health had been denied.
However, the source did not divulge the reason or reasons for the dismissal of De Leon’s petition.
The source said the resolution, which has not been released by the SC, was written by Associate Justice Henri Jean Paul B. Inting. The two dissenters were Associate Justices Marvic Mario Victor F. Leonen and Alfredo Benjamin S. Caguioa.
Those who concurred in the resolution, the source said, were Chief Justice Diosdado M. Peralta, Senior Associate Justice Estela M. Perlas Bernabe and Associate Justices Andres B. Reyes Jr. (who is compulsory retiring on May 11), Alexander G. Gesmundo, Jose C. Reyes Jr., Ramon Paul L. Hernando, Rosmari D. Carandang, Amy C. Lazaro Javier, Rodil V. Zalameda, Mario V. Lopez, Edgardo L. delos Angeles, and Samuel H. Gaerlan.
De Leon’s petition was filed last month. He said in his petition:
“Considering the unjustified denial of the FOI Request, Petitioner further inquired via email when the requested health records will be available. Petitioner failed to get a response to his query as of the time of filing of this petition despite repeated follow-up.”
He thus pleaded the SC to compel the release of the President’s health records via a petition for mandamus.
De Leon cited various “concerns” that prompted him to seek the SC’s intervention on his request.
One of these “concerns,” he said what that the President “was not able to answer questions intelligibly” during a press conference last March 12.
He also cited several instances when the President begged off from some engagements, often at the last minute, citing health reasons. (Rey Panaligan)
