Muntinlupa judge inhibits from De Lima’s drug case  

MANILA, Philippines — To put to rest questions on his credibility, integrity and fairness, a Muntinlupa judge yesterday inhibited from hearing the last drug case filed against former senator Leila de Lima.

Judge Abraham Joseph Alcantara of the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 204 granted the motion for inhibition filed by a panel of prosecutors.

Alcantara also ordered the transfer of De Lima’s case records to the Office of the Clerk of Court of the Muntinlupa RTC to be re-raffled to
another court.

Alcantara is the second judge to inhibit from De Lima’s drug case after RTC Branch 256 Judge Romeo Buenaventura.

Alcantara had acquitted De Lima in her second drug complaint, which was filed during the administration of former president Rodrigo Duterte.

In his order, Alcantara stressed that “divergence of opinion as to applicable laws and jurisprudence between the counsel and the judge is not a proper ground for disqualification.”

However, the judge said he has no other alternative but to inhibit from De Lima’s case for lack of trust in his actions whether it is well grounded or not.

De Lima’s last drug case landed in Alcantara’s court after Buenaventura granted the motions for his inhibition filed by her former aides Ronnie Dayan and Joenel Sanchez as well as former Bureau of Corrections director Franklin Bucayu.

De Lima’s co-accused had asked Buenaventura to stop handling the case after learning the latter is the brother of lawyer Emmanuel Buenaventura, former counsel of the late Oriental Mindoro congressman Reynaldo Umali.

Umali, who chaired the House justice committee, had presided over hearings on De Lima’s supposed drug links.