Pinoys help choose next Chief Justice through Twitter

It's a tool for transparency so new to the judiciary one justice keeps referring to it as The Twitter. Social media has been made a part of the chief justice selection process. Got a question for any of the nominees? Send a tweet using the hash tag @SupremeCourtJBC. Some chief justice nominees have fielded audacious questions tweeted by spectators in the cyber-gallery, some of whom go by aliases. On live television, the normally reticent Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio, for example, was asked by a Mang Pandoy via Twitter, "What is your reaction to the recent Manila Times editorial saying that you and The Firm helped create a corrupt Judiciary?" Despite the live coverage and the exposure given by JBC members who use tweeps' questions, the JBC social media accounts are barely making traction. The JBC's Twitter account has less than 800 followers as of Thursday afternoon, while its Facebook account has a measly 35 friends.

 

Lawyer Jose Mejia, representative from the academe, asked several questions from Twitter to Acting Chief Justice Antonio T. Carpio, one of the nominees, including:

 

nelnelducut10:56am via web: Mr. Carpio paano mo ipapakita sa mga taong mahihirap na kasama ka nila sa kanilang laban laban sa korapsyon? @SupremeCourtJBC #NextCJ

 

mr_oceanblueboy11:05am via SmartNet: @SupremeCourtJBC paano ninyo mababago ang perception ng tao, na ang s.c. ay para lang sa may pera

 

 

Earlier, Justice Aurora Santiago Lagman, another JBC member, also asked some questions from Twitter during the interview of Dean Amado Valdez. Lagman said the questions came from The Twitter.  

“@Karen_DaviLa: Q to Valdez - @SupremeCourtJBC - would you disbar Sec. De Lima for not following an SC TRO? Under what grounds can a TRO not be followed?”

 

 

In a press briefing on Monday, Supreme Court spokesperson Atty. Maria Victoria Gleoresty Guerra said the Council wanted to reach the public better using the Internet.

 

On the JBC’s Facebook account “Judicialandbaarcouncil Supremecourt,” they posted:

 

“Questions from the public may be entertained by posting through the electronic accounts of the Judicial and Bar Council in Facebook, Twitter, GMail via jbc87supremecourt@gmail.com and the Supreme Court via jbc@sc.judiciary.gov.ph. The queries shall be submitted to any of the members of the JBC panel who may, propound the question to the applicant.”

 

The Twitter account has been also the venue for public discussion not just about the candidates but the JBC panel as well.

 

Some of the questions and comments posted on Twitter were:

 

momblogger12:16pm via TweetDeck: @MangPandoy Carpio sounds too good to be true in this @SupremeCourtJBC interview. Hence I asked you

 

 

PhauraReinz12:17pm via web: nice avenue for common people to know the ins and outs of the supreme court through @SupremeCourtJBC... now listening to Actg. CJ Carpio...

 

AcquitCJ11:21am via web: @SupremeCourtJBC During Martial Law, Carpio ws suspended for a frat related incident. That's why he questioned f he stl wanted 2 b a lawyer

 

yogon11:07am via Twitter for iPad: Masyado na atang defensive itong si Tupas sa impeachment ni Corona. Tama na please! Move on! @SupremeCourtJBC #CJSearch#NextCJ  

mr_oceanblueboy11:05am via SmartNet: @SupremeCourtJBC paano ninyo mababago ang perception ng tao, na ang s.c. ay para lang sa may pera” - VVP/HS, GMA News