COA chair vows to keep up anti-graft work in SC if appointed

Commission on Audit chairperson Grace Pulido Tan sees herself continuing her anti-graft and pro-poor advocacies in the Supreme Court if she gets appointed to the tribunal.

 

Tan, however, said she will follow the rules on a magistrate having to inhibit from a case as regards cases related to the pork barrel scam.

 

It was the COA special audit report that laid the foundation for the plunder cases now pending before the Ombudsman against Janet Lim Napoles, influential lawmakers and line agency officials.

 

"I have always loved the law. It is something I know I can do. Also, I have seen, ang laki ng puwede nating gawin para sa mahihirap," Tan told the Judicial and Bar Council during her interview.

 

The JBC on Friday continued its interviews of nominees to the Supreme Court.  The constitutional body is screening applicants to the post left by the recently retired Associate Justice Roberto Abad.

 

If appointed to the Supreme Court, the 58-year-old Tan stands to serve as an SC justice for more than 11 years.

 

On battling corruption in the judiciary, Tan stressed the importance of SC magistrates leading by example. 

 

"Ang pinakamalaking impluwensiya would be the conduct of the magistrates mismo. The tone is always set at the top," she said.

 

On influence-peddlers, Tan said she can be gracious but is independent-minded, and "madaling magalit sa mga pasaway, and mga epal." 

 

She vowed to rule only based on evidence and in accordance with the law.

 

Tan said she would abide by the rules on inhibition in connection with pork barrel scam-related cases now pending with the high tribunal.

 

The JBC panel had asked if she would inhibit from the case filed by Senator Jinggoy Estrada contesting the plunder compaints filed against him with the Office of the Ombudsman. 

 

She, however, did not give a categorical answer on whether she would inhibit from the cases.

‘I will follow’

 

"I will go by the rules. Makakaasa po kayo na kung ano ang batas tungkol sa inhibition, I will follow," Tan said.

 

Section 1, Rule 137 of the Rules of Court on inhibition states: "No judge or judicial officer shall sit in any case... in which he has been executor, administrator, guardian, trustee or counsel, or in which he has presided in any inferior court when his ruling or decision is the subject of review, without the written consent of all parties in interest, signed by them and entered upon the record."

 

"A judge may, in the exercise of his sound discretion, disqualify himself from sitting in a case, for just or valid reasons other than those mentioned above," according to the same section.

 

Aside from Estrada, his fellow senator Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. is also contesting the Ombudsman's finding of probable cause to charge him, Estrada, and other former and incumbent lawmakers in connection with the P10-billion pork barrel fund scam.

 

The COA last year released a special audit report on the pork barrel funds covering 2007 to 2009, which showed that 12 senators and 180 congressmen have channeled their Priority Development Assistance Funds or pork barrel funds to non-government organizations, which misused them.

 

Among those implicated in the COA special audit report were Estrada, Revilla and Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile.

‘Not litigants, not lawyers’

 

For his part, another aspirant, Court of Appeals Associate Justice Apolinario Bruselas said that his policy on influence-peddlers is that "no one—not litigants, not lawyers—may come to the court directly."

 

He added that he does not even answer phone calls and tries to "restrict" socialization.

 

CA Associate Justice Stephen Cruz, another candidate, also said limiting attendance in social functions can contribute to a judge or magistrates' impartiality. 

 

"A judge must not only be impartial, but also look impartial," Cruz said.

 

Bruselas vowed to pursue the automation of court processes to promote transparency and efficiency. 

 

Like Bruselas, CA Associate Justice Ramon Paul Hernando will also push for automation in the appellate court, particularly the electronic or e-raffling system.

 

The 47-year-old Hernando, who if appointed would serve in the SC for 23 years, said seniority should only be "one of the considerations" in selecting who should sit as an SC magistrate. —NB, GMA News