Son of late Senator Diokno endorsed for CJ post

The son of the late Sen. Jose "Pepe" Diokno, who is also the founding dean of the De La Salle University College of Law, has been endorsed to replace Chief Justice Renato Corona.   The endorsement of Jose Manuel Diokno to the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) — tasked to draw up a shortlist of nominees from where the President will choose Corona's replacement — was confirmed to GMA News Online by JBC regular member Jose Mejia.

 

In 2009, Diokno founded the DLSU College of Law and became its founding dean. He obtained a philosophy degree from the University of the Philippines.

 

He obtained his law degree from the Northern Illinois University and graduated Juris Doctor of Laws (magna cum laude) in 1986.

 

Diokno passed the Bar exams both in the State of Illinois and in the Philippines.

 

Diokno also serves as chairman of the Free Legal Assistance Group, the country's oldest and largest group of human rights lawyers.

 

Diokno was the "team leader" and a private prosecutor during the impeachment trial of former President Joseph Estrada from 2000 to 2001. He also became the general counsel of the Senate blue ribbon committee in 2001 and the special counsel of the Development Bank of the Philippines in 2004.

 

Other candidates

 

Among the latest addition to the list were former Tarlac Representative and Defense Secretary Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro Jr. who was recommended for nomination by lawyer Jose Mallari. 

 

In 2010, Teodoro ran against and lost to his second cousin President Benigno Aquino III. In 2003, Teodoro also pushed for the impeachment of then-Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr., but failed.

 

Another recommendee, Securities and Exchange Commission Commissioner Teresita Herbosa was endorsed by Adelita Vergel de Dios, while CA Justice Antonio Villamor was recommended by a certain Leonardo da Vinci.

 

Also on Monday, the JBC received recommendations for the nomination of former Executive Secretary and former San Juan Rep. Ronaldo Zamora, as well as lawyers Jose Renante Terre, Vicente Velasquez, Rey Oliver Alejandrino, and Alexander Padilla.

 

11 have accepted

 

So far, nine of the 14 Supreme Court magistrates have either been endorsed or automatically nominated. Traditionally, the five most senior justices are automatically nominated. They are Acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio, and Associate Justices Presbitero Velasco Jr., Teresita Leonardo-de Castro, Arturo Brion, and Diosdado Peralta.

 

The remaining four justices who have been recommended for the chief justice post were Justices Roberto Abad, Ma. Lourdes Sereno, Jose Perez, and Estela Perlas-Bernabe.

 

So far, 11 have accepted their endorsements including Justices Brion and Abad, women's righst lawyer Katrina Legarda, former Ateneo Law dean Cesar Villanueva, lawyer-professor Rafael Morales, and former UP Law dean Raul Pangalangan, lawyer Rodolfo Robles, Commission on Elections Commissioner Rene Sarmiento, and retired Bulacan Judge Manuel Siyangco Jr.

 

On Monday, the JBC announced an extension of the application period and reset the deadline from June 18 to July 2. The JBC also said it was allowing a live broadcast of the public interviews of the nominees in the long list. — Mark Merueñas/RSJ, GMA News