PNoy to pick next chief justice from 8 nominees; De Lima not on shortlist

By ROUCHELLE DINGLASAN, GMA News

Published August 13, 2012 1:29pm

(Updated 2:45 p.m.) - After the ouster of Chief Justice Renato Corona, President Benigno Aquino III will pick from eight nominees, including five associate justices, the next occupant of the highest position in the Judiciary.

Aquino will choose from the shortlist to be submitted by the Judicial and Bar Council—the body that screens and vets applicants on judicial posts—after it voted Monday for the aspirants to be included on the shortlist.

Out of the 20 chief justice aspirants, the eight-member JBC voted to include acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio (with seven votes) and Associate Justices Roberto Abad (six votes), Arturo Brion (six votes), Teresita De Castro (five votes), and Lourdes Sereno (six votes) on the shortlist.

Also included were Solicitor-General Francis Jardeleza (six votes), Ateneo De Manila University Law Dean Cesar Villanueva (five votes), and former Executive Secretary Ronaldo Zamora (six votes). In an interview with reporters after Monday’s deliberation, JBC ex officio member Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas, Jr. said that the JBC will transmit the list to the Office of the President on Monday afternoon. Tupas explained why the JBC decided on having eight names on the shortlist. "Why 8? We decided on eight names. Whoever gets five votes will be included on the list. It turned out that eight names got at least five votes," he said. De Lima disqualified Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, who is facing a disbarment case before the Integrated Bar of the Philippines and is widely seen as the Palace choice for the post, was not included on the shortlist.

Tupas noted that the council did not act on the motion to suspend the JBC’s disqualification rule made by JBC member for the Executive Branch, Usec. Michael Frederick Musngi.

“We decided before the voting that the two candidates that were previously disqualified will be considered, namely SolGen Jardeleza because no prima facie finding on his case. ‘Yung isa naman ay si [SEC] Chairman [Teresita] Herbosa. [She] was also considered kasi na-dismiss na ang case niya last August 1,” he explained.

The Securities and Exchange Commission chief was not able to make it to the cut having only four votes, Tupas revealed.

“With respect to the previous motion on the suspension of the rules, there was no consensus that’s why hindi na rin nag-push through ‘yung motion and disqualified si Secretary Leila De Lima,” JBC’s congress representative said. For her part, De Lima said in a chance interview with reporters: “I honestly do not know how to react. Why was I singled out?” PNoy has to decide by August 27

The President will pick the next chief justice based on the shortlist. He has until August 27, or 90 days after the Senate convicted Corona on May 29, to make his decision.

If Aquino will not decide on someone from the shortlist, he may ask the JBC for a new shortlist.

However, the vetting council will have to re-do the entire selection process in just a matter of days to comply with the August 27 deadline. –KG/HS, GMA News

Tags: judicialandbarcouncil, leiladelima, antoniocarpio, chiefjustice