Cagayan Gov. Mamba ordered to explain surrender to House without informing SC

The Supreme Court has required Cagayan Governor Manuel Mamba and his counsels to explain why they should not be held in contempt for alleged improper conduct. 

The SC said that Mamba filed a petition with a prayer for the issuance of a temporary restraining order against the contempt and detention orders issued by a House joint committee against him for his repeated failure to attend an inquiry.

It said that after the issuance of the TRO, the governor surrendered to the committee ''without promptly informing the Court of such supervening development.''

The Court said that Mamba had also filed a motion to withdraw his petition, which effectively rendered the TRO nugatory. 

During its regular session on Tuesday, the SC decided to require Mamba and his lawyers to show cause why they should not be held liable for acts that constitute “abuse of or any unlawful interference with the processes or proceedings of a court” and “improper conduct tending, directly or indirectly, to impede, obstruct, or degrade the administration of justice” within 10 days of receipt of the notice.

“[T]he Court, before acting on the manifestation and motion to withdraw the petition, resolved to require petitioner Manuel M. Mamba and his counsels… to show cause why they should not be disciplinary dealt with or held in contempt,” it said.

The governor, meanwhile, said he could not comment as he has not received a copy of the show-cause order.

Mamba was cited in contempt on August 17 after he repeatedly failed to attend the inquiry of the House joint committee on public accounts as well as suffrage and electoral reforms on alleged illegal expenditures of the local government during the 2022 campaign period.

The governor appeared before the House panels on August 24, even though the SC had already blocked the implementation of contempt and detention orders.

He apologized for his absences, saying he was swamped with work due to the typhoon that recently hit the province.

Mamba was released from House custody the same day, but the committees’ contempt order will automatically be lifted only upon receipt of a copy of the withdrawal of the TRO petition, according to House sergeant-at-arms Napoleon Taas. — VBL/RSJ, GMA Integrated News