A highly reliable source revealed that during a straw vote on who they would gladly welcome into their ranks, 10 of the SC’s 14 justices voted for Azcuna over Court of Appeals Presiding Justice Cancio Garcia, CA Justice Delilah Vidallon-Magtolis and Court Administrator Presbiterio Velasco.
The source said Garcia garnered nine votes, Magtolis eight and Velasco seven in the straw voting that usually influences the nominations that would be submitted to President Arroyo by the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC).
The JBC, chaired by Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr., will supposedly meet today to deliberate on their nominees to the vacancy left by Justice Santiago Kapunan who retired last Aug. 12.
Under the law, the President must fill within 90 days any vacancy in the SC by choosing from a list of three to five nominees who have been screened by the JBC. The President has until Nov. 12 to fill Kapunan’s vacancy.
Azcuna had hoped to be named to the SC in August when Aquino supposedly asked the President to appoint him to fill one of the vacancies left by the retirement of Justices Jose Melo and Sabino de Leon.
But the slots were given to former CA Justices Romeo Callejo and Conchita Carpio-Morales.