Carpio nominated for chief justice anew

MANILA, Philippines — Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio has been nominated for the chief justice post again, after being bypassed for the position three times in the past.

Carpio is one of five automatically nominated for the post, which will be vacated by Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin when he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 70 on Oct. 18.

This automatic nomination is provided under the rules of the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC), which is tasked to screen nominees to judicial posts and is subject to acceptance or refusal by the senior magistrates.

Apart from Carpio, also nominated for the top judicial post are Associate Justices Diosdado Peralta, Estela Perlas-Bernabe, Marvic Leonen and Benjamin Caguioa.

Carpio, who is also retiring from the judiciary on Oct. 26 or just one week after Bersamin’s retirement, has yet to decide whether or not to again vie for the chief justice post.

“Just wait for it,” he replied to The STAR yesterday when asked if he has decided on the matter.

If appointed, Carpio will only have about a week to serve as chief justice.

Carpio had been bypassed for the chief justice post thrice. He was the most senior magistrate of the high court during a vacancy in the top judicial post and was nominated for chief justice three times, but was not appointed by three presidents.

He was bypassed in the appointments of the late chief justice Renato Corona in 2010, chief justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno in 2012 and Bersamin last year.

After the ouster of Sereno last year, Carpio was nominated for chief justice but declined after dissenting from the SC ruling on her quo warranto case. The post then went to now retired chief justice Teresita Leonardo-de Castro, who had less than a month in office before retiring from the judiciary.

The Palace had said that President Duterte is honoring the seniority rule in his appointments in the judiciary.

Duterte, however, publicity slammed Carpio several times over the latter’s persistent opposition to the administration’s policy on the territorial conflict with China in the West Philippine Sea.

The JBC opened the applications and recommendations to the chief justice post last July 5 and set the deadline for Aug. 20.