Judicial and Bar Council sets interviews for Azcuna replacement

MANILA, Philippines - The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) has set the public interviews of aspirants for the seat at the Supreme Court (SC) vacated by Associate Justice Adolfo Azcuna, who retired from the judiciary yesterday.

The JBC announced that the interviews of seven candidates have been set on Feb. 25 and 26. The schedule of interviews was based on the alphabetical order of surnames of the applicants.

First to face the panel at 9 a.m. next Wednesday is University of Santo Tomas law school dean Robert Abad, followed by Court of Appeals (CA) Associate Justice Hakim Abdulwahid.

In the afternoon, Court of Tax Appeals Presiding Justice Ernesto Acosta and CA justice Lucas Bersamin would have their turn before the JBC.

On Thursday morning, the JBC would interview CA justice Japar Dimaampao and human rights lawyer Pablito Sanidad. CA Justice Amelita Tolentino will complete the interviewees in the afternoon.

After the interview, the JBC will submit a shortlist of candidates most qualified for the vacant post – usually composed of five names – to President Arroyo, who will then decide on who will take the SC position.

Abad was reportedly an assistant solicitor-general during the time of former solicitor general Estelito Mendoza and also lawyer of business tycoon Lucio Tan. Sanidad, on the other hand, was nominated by the human rights group Free Legal Assistance Group.

Tolentino shot to fame when she convicted Hubert Webb, son of former senator Freddie Webb, for the massacre of the Vizconde family.

Abdulwahid and Dimaampao are two of the highest-ranking Muslims in the judiciary.

The JBC said it would no longer interview 11 other applicants who had previously applied for the post vacated by former SC associate justice Ruben Reyes last Jan. 3, which went to Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Diosdado Peralta.

Two of them, Solicitor General Agnes Devanadera and businessman Rodolfo Robles, were delisted from the nominees for the Reyes post due to a pending case before the Ombudsman and “age,” respectively.

They were, however, again nominated for the Azcuna post.

The nine other nominees are: CA Justices Portia Hormachuelos, Martin Villarama, Andres Reyes, Remedios Salazar-Fernando, and Juan Enriquez; Sandiganbayan Justices Edilberto Sandoval and Francisco Villaruz; Ateneo law dean Cesar Villanueva; and former Bureau of Internal Revenue commissioner Jose Buñag.

The JBC is chaired by Chief Justice Reynato Puno.