JBC to start CJ interviews on July 24

MANILA, Philippines - Members of the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) vowed yesterday to be discerning in screening the 24 candidates for chief justice, especially when oral interviews start on July 24.

Lawyer Jose Mejia, a regular member of the JBC representing academe, said they will meet tomorrow to finalize the schedule of the mandatory public interview of the aspirants to be published in newspapers.

The interviews, in which each candidate will face JBC members to answer questions on their qualifications, would run for four days, he added.

Mejia said their questions will be based on comments from the public – either in favor or against any candidate – that the JBC will receive starting July 10.

“Because of the live coverage, we will be more prepared and we will be more discriminate in the manner we ask questions,” he said.

The names of the 24 candidates will be published in major newspapers on July 9.

In the same announcement, the JBC will invite the public to submit their comments for or against any of those in the list within 10 days or until July 19.

It will be the first time the public interviews of chief justice aspirants will be covered live on TV and radio.

After the interviews, the JBC members will deliberate and vote on a shortlist to be submitted to President Aquino by end of the month.

The JBC closed the period of nomination and application for chief justice last Monday.

Topping the list are acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio and five other Supreme Court justices: Presbitero Velasco Jr., Teresita Leonardo-de Castro, Arturo Brion, Roberto Abad and Ma. Lourdes Sereno.

Two Cabinet members, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima and Solicitor General Francis Jardeleza, were included after they accepted their nomination.

Four prominent members of academe also accepted their nomination: former University of the Philippines law dean Raul Pangalangan, De La Salle University law founding dean Jose Manuel Diokno, University of the East law dean Amado Valdez and former Ateneo law dean Cesar Villanueva.

A member of Congress made it to the JBC long list, Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez.

Three members of independent government bodies – Presidential Commission on Good Governance chairman Andres Bautista, Commission on Elections Commissioner Rene Sarmiento and Securities and Exchange Commission chairman Teresita Herbosa – also accepted their nominations.

Completing the long list are: Manila Regional Trial Court Judge Ma. Amelia Tria-Infante, retired Judge Manuel Siayngco Jr., former executive secretary Ronaldo Zamora and lawyers Katrina Legarda,

Soledad Cagampang-de Castro, Rafael Morales, Vicente Velasquez and Ferdinand Jose Pijao.

The Constitution requires the chief justice to be at least 40 years of age, a judge in a court of record for at least 15 years or engaged in the practice of law in the Philippines for the same period, and a person of proven competence, integrity, probity and independence.

The position of chief justice was opened following the removal of Renato Corona last May 29.

‘Be vigilant’

Meanwhile, Archbishop Oscar Cruz urged the public yesterday to be vigilant on whoever will be named the next chief justice.

Speaking at the weekly Balitaan sa Aloha Hotel in Manila, the former president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines said “whoever will be appointed should be under the vigilance of the general public.”

However, Cruz said all the candidates deserve the benefit of the doubt.

“What’s good about the Supreme Court is that it is a collegial body. But the chief justice is a very influential figure. Let’s watch out whoever they will appoint,” he said.

Cruz also feared that with the appointment of a new chief justice, the judiciary might fall under the thumb of the executive branch.

“I think it is not a secret that the legislative is already under the executive,” he said.

“Now what could emerge later on is that even the judiciary will be under the executive department because of the change of the chief justice. Especially so (with) the choice of chief justice. This is something serious. The special provision of coequality of the three branches of government... is in paper, but not in reality.” – With Sandy Araneta