Azcuna emerges as top bet for vacant SC seat

A former chief presidential legal counsel during the Aquino administration has emerged as the strongest contender among 27 Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) nominees to fill one of two vacancies in the Supreme Court (SC).

Lawyer Adolf Azcuna appears to have the edge since two former presidents – Corazon Aquino and her successor Fidel Ramos – will be among his political backers, highly reliable sources told The STAR yesterday.

On record, Azcuna was nominated by Makati Business Club (MBC) president Ricardo Romulo, older brother of former Foreign Affairs Secretary Roberto Romulo.

Two SC posts are now vacant following the retirement of Justices Jose Melo and Sabino de Leon.

Azcuna, law partner of Presidential Commission on Good Government Chairwoman Haydee Yorac also served briefly as press secretary and PCGG chief under Aquino. He was also a Constitutional Convention delegate in 1972.

As of now, there have been no endorsements from either Aquino or Ramos since the JBC has yet to publish the SC vacancies in national newspapers.

Apart from Azcuna, others nominees include outgoing Ombudsman Aniano Desierto, former Commission on Elections chairman Alfredo Benipayo, Labor Undersecretary Arturo Brion and STAR columnist Jose Sison.

Like Azcuna, Desierto was also nominated by MBC chief Romulo. Others who nominated him were Labor Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas and E.M. Osmeña of the Presidential Council of Economic Advisers.

Desierto will be turning 67 on Aug. 25, but will step down as Ombudsman on Aug. 4 to complete a seven-year term. He was appointed Ombudsman by Ramos in 1995.

Desierto is currently the government’s chief prosecutor in the plunder case filed against former President Joseph Estrada.

Even if the vacancies have yet to be published, former Senator Rene Saguisag has already submitted to the judiciary screening committee a letter opposing the Ombudsman’s SC nomination.

Other human rights lawyers are expected to follow suit since Desierto was the fiscal who had prosecuted former Senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino. Desierto also served as a member of the Judge Advocate General’s Office identified with the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos.

Benipayo, 63, was nominated by the Catholic Lawyers Guild of the Philippines, the UST Law Alumni Foundation and by three Court of Appeals (CA) Justices.

Rumors have been circulating that President Arroyo has promised Benipayo a SC seat after the Commission on Appointments bypassed him seven times.

Brion, a Bar topnotcher in 1974, was endorsed by Senate President Franklin Drilon.

The nominated CA justices are Romeo Callejo, Cancio Garcia, Eugenio Labitoria, Delilah Magtolis, Ruben Reyes, Conrado Vasquez and Eubolo Versola. Acting Sandiganbayan first division chairman Gregory Ong was also included in the list.