Marvic Leonen

**Marvic Leonen** is a Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines.

## Notes

**Education**
LL.M, Columbia University, New York (2004)
LL.B, University of the Philippines (1987)
(Signed Roll of Attorneys, May 28, 1988)
LL.B, University of the Philippines
B.A., University of the Philippines

Marvic M.V.F. Leonen is currently an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines. He is the Former Dean and Professor of Law at the University of the Philippines College of Law since 1989. He graduated with an AB Economics degree, magna cum laude, from the School of Economics in 1983.  He obtained his Bachelor of Laws degree from the College of Law in 1987 ranking fourth. Later that year, he cofounded the Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center, Inc, a legal and policy research and advocacy insitution which focused on providing legal services for upland rural poor and indigenous people’s communities. He served as the Center’s executive director for fifteen years. He also earned a Master of Laws degree from the Columbia Law School of the Columbia University in New York.

He first joined the faculty in 1989 as a professional lecturer in Philippine Indigenous Law. He became assistant professor during Dean Pacifico Agabin’s term and academic administrator under Dean Merlin M. Magalona’s term. In 2000, he was invited to act as the UP System’s University  General Counsel. In 2005, he became the first Vice President for Legal Affairs of the UP System, and 2008, he became the Dean of the College of Law at the University of the Philippines.

In July 2010, He was named by Philippine President Benigno Aquino III  as the Philippine government's chief negotiator with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. He successfully led the parties into a framework agreement on the Bangsamoro which was signed on October 15, 2012. He was appointed to the Court on November 21, 2012.

## Issues

**Gross Distortion**

Lucas Bersamin gross distortion complaint "Rectification of the Gross Distortion contained in Justice Leonen's dissent that have not only put me in bad light worse also impugned the integrity of the seven members of the Court who joined my ponencia by claiming that they signed the ponencia without knowing the version they were joining."

* https://www.rappler.com/nation/103599-war-supreme-court-justices-bersamin-leonen
* http://www.newsflash.org/2004/02/hl/hl113392.htm

**P5 million Renovation in Baguio City**

Official Statement of Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen on the November 26, 2020 Manila Times Article. Supreme Court Associate Justice Marvic Mario Victor Leonen requested the release of nearly P5 million for the renovation of a cottage in Baguio City that has been assigned to him. More from Jomar Canlas.

“Misleading information, whether or not motivated by malice, harms the shaping of public opinion. It skews democracy in favor of malevolent elements. Freedom of the press is a guaranteed constitutional right, but that comes with the responsibility reposed in those who wield its power. Part of journalism’s ethics is also a duty to be decent.”

* https://twitter.com/SCPh\_PIO/status/1331830251547095042
* https://www.manilatimes.net/2020/11/19/news/national/leonen-threatens-justices/798427/
* Re: News Report of Mr. Jomar Canlas in the Manila Times Issue of 8 March 2016 A. M. No. 16-03-10-SC. October 19, 2019

**Show Cause Order**

SUPREME Court Associate
Justice Marvic Leonen on Tuesday backtracked and withdrew the Show Cause
 Order he issued against the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) and *The Manila Times*.

* https://www.manilatimes.net/2020/11/24/news/latest-stories/leonen-drops-show-cause-order-for-contempt-vs-osg-manila-times/800935/
* https://www.philstar.com/nation/2020/11/18/2057625/sc-wont-inhibit-leonen-marcos-poll-protest
* https://news.abs-cbn.com/nation/05/28/13/divorced-sc-justice-reveals-what-he-will-swap-job

**Impeachment hearings vs. Leonen could start next year (2021): solon**

In the complaint, Cordevilla accused Leonen of culpable violation of
the Constitution for allegedly failing to dispose of at least 37 cases
within 24 months.

* https://malaya.com.ph/index.php/news\_news/impeach-raps-filed-vs-leonen-complaint-endorsed-by-bongbong-marcos-cousin/
* https://journal.com.ph/news/nation/impeachment-raps-filed-vs-leonen/
* https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1124282

## Concurring

* G.R. No. 217158. March 12, 2019 GIOS-SAMAR
* G.R. No. 175540. April 7, 2014

## Separate Concurring Opinion

* G.R. No. 170867/G.R. No. 185941. December 4, 2018

## Trivia

* Marvic Leonen dissents a lot
* Supreme Court PIO tweets his birthday https://twitter.com/SCPh\_PIO/status/946602888742105088
* https://twitter.com/marvicleonen