JBC picks 5 nominees for top Sandiganbayan post

(Updated 2:36 p.m.) The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) on Monday endorsed five candidates for the next presiding justice of the Sandiganbayan anti-graft court to President Benigno Aquino III.

The five were Court of Appeals Associate Justice Apolinario Bruselas Jr. (who got six votes); Sandiganbayan justices Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang (five), Efren dela Cruz (five), Gregory Ong (four); and Interior Undersecretary Rafael Antonio Santos (six).

The JBC began its search for the next Sandiganbayan presiding justice following the mandatory retirement of Presiding Justice Francisco Villaruz Jr. last June 8 after he turned 70.

The council was supposed to vote on July 1 for the shortlist of at least three nominees, but it pushed back the voting to July 29 "in deference to the new Congress," which convened this July 22, according to JBC member Jose Mejia.

Nominees

During his public interview, Bruselas Jr. said he plans to use technology through an "information tracking system" to ensure the speedy resolution of cases and transparency. He said the government should focus on "repressing corruption" instead of creating more courts.

Meanwhile, Cabotaje-Tang claimed she can convince Sandiganbayan justices to "cooperate in a time-sensitive process" to speed up the resolution of cases pending before the court. At 58, she is the youngest member of the Sandiganbayan.

Dela Cruz, known as the "peacemaker" at the anti-graft court, said he has helped bridge "gaps" among fellow justices who were having "tampuhan." He vowed to speed up case resolution by preventing delays during trials, and assured the JBC that he cannot be influenced by anybody when deciding on case because "I have no connections at all."

Ong, meanwhile, became the subject of a citizenship controversy, with Special Prosecutor Dennis Villa-Ignacio questioning Ong's Filipino citizenship before the Supreme Court due to his supposed Chinese roots.

For Santos, being from the executive branch and not from the judiciary should not be considered a disadvantage for him. He claimed he would not have any difficulties adjusting to the nature of work at the judiciary.

Other candidates

Those who didn't make it to the shortlist were Sandiganbayan Justice Teresita Diaz-Baldos, Sandiganbayan Justice Alex Quiroz, Justice Undersecretary Leah Armamento and Abra Provincial Prosecutor Nestor Tolentino.

Baldos of the Sandiganbayan Second Division said she thinks the government should be more careful in releasing to the public copies of Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN), saying these can be used to harass public officials.

Quiroz said it was his "dream" to have Sandiganbayan proceedings open to the public through CCTV cameras and the internet. He also wanted to cut down the Sandiganbayan's use of paper by 30 percent in a bid to turn it into a "paperless" anti-graft court.

Armamento, meanwhile, said she has "no problems" with SALNs being made available to the public. She also admitted applying in the past for other plum posts in the government including for chief justice, Court of Appeals associate justice and Ombudsman.

On the other hand, Tolentino admitted not being too familiar with the working at the Sandiganbayan, but boasted that he could unclog court dockets at the Sandiganbayan the way he did at their local prosecutor's office in Abra.

The conclusion of the interviews came with the "disqualification" of a 10th candidate—Jasper Lucero, a private lawyer—for failing to submit necessary documents needed before the interview.

Nominee under fire?

United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) Secretary General Toby Tiangco earlier expressed doubt about Santos' "agenda" for joining the Sandiganbayan race.

Tiangco said: “Even if he has the blessing of Mar Roxas, Usec. Santos is not exempted from the ‘Tuwid na Daan.’"
 
According to Tiangco, Santos served as undersecretary of Department of National Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz from 2004 to 2006, before being personally handpicked by Roxas as his deputy at the DILG and Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC).
 
Tiangco expressed fears how a Santos-led Sandiganbayan would affect cases like that of former Makati Mayor Elenita Binay, wife of Vice President Jejomar Binay.
 
Tiangco was spokesman of United Nationalist Alliance during the campaign season, when the party went up against President Benigno Aquino III's Team PNoy. Aquino and Roxas are both from the Liberal Party.

Roxas, however, has defended Santos and praised him for performing well both when he was still at the DOTC, which Roxas used to head, and now at the DILG. — KBK, GMA News