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Representative Baguilat vs. Speaker Alvarez [CONCURRING AND DISSENTING OPINION, LEONEN, J.]

REPRESENTATIVE TEDDY BRAWNER BAGUILAT, JR., REPRESENTATIVE EDCEL C. LAGMAN, REPRESENTATIVE RAUL A. DAZA, REPRESENTATIVE EDGAR R. ERICE, REPRESENTATIVE EMMANUEL A. BILLONES, REPRESENTATIVE TOMASITO S. VILLARIN, AND REPRESENTATIVE GARY C. ALEJANO, PETITIONERS, V. SPEAKER PANTALEON D. ALVAREZ, MAJORITY LEADER RODOLFO C. FARIÑAS, AND REPRESENTATIVE DANILO E. SUAREZ, RESPONDENTS.

G.R. No. 227757 | 2017-07-25

CONCURRING AND DISSENTING OPINION
 
LEONEN, J.:
 
I concur in the result.
 
While there was a violation of the rules of the House of Representatives, a writ of mandamus does not lie to compel the Speaker and the House to recognize a specific member to be the Minority Leader.
 
I
 
Courts generally do not intervene in matters internal to Congress, such as the manner of choosing its own officers or leaders. Indeed, Article VI, Section 16(1) of the Constitution gives Congress the power to adopt its own rules:
 
Section 16. (1). The Senate shall elect its President and the House of Representatives its Speaker, by a...