Puno recognizes Corona appointment

MANILA, Philippines - Retiring Chief Justice Reynato Puno has recognized President Arroyo’s choice for his successor – Senior Associate Justice Renato Corona.

“Congratulations to the 23rd chief justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines, Chief Justice Renato Corona,” Puno said yesterday in his valedictory speech in a ceremony marking his retirement on May 17.

He apologized in jest that his “wrong birthday is causing you (Corona) some problems.”

But Corona’s former boss, former President Fidel Ramos, advised him to reconsider his acceptance of Mrs. Arroyo’s appointment out of delicadeza.

Puno, who retires on Monday after 38 years in the judiciary, addressed his successor before thanking his family for their support.

In an interview with The STAR, Puno said he hopes that Corona would carry on the “legacy of ever-improving judiciary, one that is more responsive to the needs of our people, and ever on the side of the Constitution and of human dignity.”

Puno voiced his support for the President’s anointed next chief justice despite criticism from various sectors, including president-apparent Sen. Benigno Aquino III who has vowed not to recognize Corona’s appointment.

Puno even asked Corona yesterday to personally confer on him the Jose Abad Santos Award for retiring justices.

Puno, chair of Judicial and Bar Council, had voted for Corona to be his successor during JBC’s deliberations on the shortlist of candidates for the position.

Corona, for his part, has remained silent on the issue. But he is expected to say his piece after taking his oath of office at the Palace on Monday, according to SC officials.

At yesterday’s rites, Corona praised his predecessor for being “one of the greatest chief justices of all time who is an intellectual aristocrat.” 

Colleagues also praised Puno for being a “constitutionalist who left jurisprudential legacy” as well as “proactive, innovative forms of moral and institutional leadership of the Court.”

In an interview with The STAR, Puno said he considers his biggest accomplishment the “completion of circle of human rights” with his introduction of reforms in the judicial system.

It was under Puno that the SC started to allow the use of the writs of amparo and habeas data to protect and advance civil and political rights.

He also introduced the enhanced justice on wheels program, small claims courts and mandatory legal aid rule to allow the public greater access to the judicial system.

And more recently, the SC under Puno issued new rules on the enforcement of environmental laws known as writ of kalikasan.

He stressed that he wanted to push for those judicial reforms instead of just relying on decisions on big cases since he only had one vote even if he was chief justice.

“When I was sworn into office as chief justice, I knew I had to act swiftly if I wanted to institute meaningful and relevant programs in the judiciary, bearing in mind that I would only have three years and a few months to do so,” he said.

“I had many goals, but had to focus on a few: such as fortifying constitutionalism in our courts; bringing the courts closer to the people; and reducing the gap between rhetoric and reality in protecting the three generations of human rights,” he added.

The chief justice admitted that rising cases of unexplained killings and enforced disappearances of activists and journalists in 2007 prompted him to seek ways to further promote the protection of human rights in the judicial system.

He left the judiciary three days before his actual date of retirement on Monday, because he is set to leave tomorrow for the US to receive the prestigious Elise and Walter A. Haass International Award from the University of California-Berkeley. He is the first Filipino to receive this award given to a foreign alumnus or alumna with “distinguished record of service to his or her country.”

Puno is also the first Filipino recipient of the distinguished Global Alumnus Award given by the Dedman School of Law, Southern Methodist University, Texas, on March 31, 2005.

He has honorary doctorate degrees from nine local universities, and from Hannam University, South Korea.

Known for his well-written and incisive opinion, Puno leaves the first division and the full court with zero backlog.

Last year, he initiated the Moral Force Movement to help combat corruption in government, which he said “deformed all its institutions, undermining our stability and security and preventing our socio-economic development.”

He also called on Filipinos to choose transformational leaders like the late President Corazon Aquino, whose leadership he likened to that of the late Pope John Paul II in Poland, Mahatma Gandhi in India, Martin Luther King Jr. in the US, and Nelson Mandela in South Africa.

Puno received his appointment from President Arroyo on Dec. 7, 2006. He was sworn in on June 28, 1993 as the 131st member of the High Court, then the youngest justice at 53.

Prior to his promotion to the SC, Puno served as acting Quezon City judge in 1972, Assistant Solicitor General in 1974, Deputy Minister of Justice in 1984 and Associate Justice of the Intermediate Appellate court in 1980, and the Court of Appeals in 1986.

He was appointed to the appellate court at the age of 40, the youngest appointee after the law fixed the minimum age of appointment at 40.

Puno obtained his Bachelor of Science in Jurisprudence and Bachelor of Laws degrees from the University of the Philippines in 1962.

He served as editor-in-chief of the Philippine Collegian, the school paper of UP, and chairman of the editorial board of the Law Register, the official student newspaper of the UP College of Law in 1961.

He pursued his graduate studies in the US, all on full scholarship. He obtained his Master of Comparative Laws at the Southern Methodist University, Texas, with high distinction as class valedictorian in 1967; his Master of Laws at the UC-Berkeley in 1968; and finished all the academic requirements for the degree of Doctor of Juridical Science at the University of Illinois, Champaign in 1969.

FVR’s appeal

Meanwhile, Ramos admonished Corona to decline Mrs. Arroyo’s appointment “for the highest interest of the people.”

“There are no legal barriers, but there is such a thing as ethics in occupying any position. There is such a thing as accepting or not accepting,” Ramos said.

Ramos said he has high regard for Corona, who served as his chief legal counsel and deputy executive secretary during his presidency and also as chief of staff and spokesman after his term.

“But there’s complication in terms of delicadeza, because it might create a problem for the next administration,” he explained.

The former leader stressed the importance of cooperating with the new administration to “make our ship not only seaworthy but also fast-moving.”  

Malacañang, for its part, heaped praised on Puno for his “nearly three decades of exemplary service to the government, the judicial and legal system, and the rule of law in our land.”

“The Arroyo administration has always accorded the highest respect for the judiciary, abiding by its rulings, whether for or against the government,” presidential spokesman Ricardo Saludo said in a statement.

“This respect for the rule of law and our system of checks and balances among co-equal branches of government are cornerstones of our constitutional democracy, which every administration must respect,” he said.

“Once again, we thank Chief Justice Puno for advancing judicial independence and reform in his decades in robes, and we look to incoming Chief Justice (Renato) Corona to sustain the judiciary’s gains in the years ahead.” With Paolo Romero