Court administrato top choice for SC seat

Court Administrator Presbitero Velasco Jr. is the top choice of the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) among five nominees to fill a vacant seat in the Supreme Court.

The other nominees are Solicitor General Alfredo Benipayo, Court of Appeals Presiding Justice Cancio Garcia, Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Minita Chico-Nazario, and University of the Philippines professor Ruben Balane.

The JBC submitted the list of nominees to Malacañang last Jan. 29.

However, Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye refused to say if President Arroyo had already acted on the JBC’s reported nominees.

Velasco and the four other nominees were chosen from among 17 applicants to the position vacated by retired Associate Justice Josue Bellosillo.

They included justices of the Court of Appeals and Sandiganbayan, government officials, a private practitioner, a newspaper columnist, and a dean of a law school.

Chaired by Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr., the JBC has the principal function of recommending nominees to the judiciary.

Justices of the Supreme Court and judges of lower courts are appointed by the President from a list prepared by the JBC.

Their appointments need no confirmation from Congress.

Any opposition to the applications should be made before the voting takes place.

Nominees are selected by the JBC through independent voting after interviews and public hearings.

The JBC’s ex officio members are acting Justice Secretary Mercedita Gutierrez, and Sen. Francis Pangilinan and Rep. Marcelino Libanan as representatives of Congress.

Other JBC members are: retired Supreme Court Justice Regino Hermosisima, lawyer Teresita Cruz-Samson, Dean Amado Dimayuga and Conrado Castro.

They represent the retired justices, private sector, academe, and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines. — Aurea Calica, Marichu Villanueva