Palace defends Tinga appointment to SC

Malacañang defended yesterday President Arroyo’s appointment of former Taguig-Pateros congressman Dante Tinga as associate justice of the Supreme Court.

"What is important is this choice of our new (SC) associate justice went through the proper process," Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye told reporters.

He said Tinga was named to the Supreme court based on the list of five nominees submitted to Mrs. Arroyo by the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC).

"So that was the reason why he was selected by our President," he said.

"The JBC, chaired by Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr., made the selection and out of the five nominees, former congressman Tinga got the unanimous vote of (all) seven JBC members."

Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) president Jose Anselmo Cadiz said there was no doubt about the qualifications of Tinga to be a justice of the Supreme Court.

"Academically, he’s very, very qualified because he was dean of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines and the University of the East (colleges of law)," he said.

Cadiz said Mrs. Arroyo was following the JBC’s recommendation when she picked Tinga for the lone seat vacated by retired Justice Vicente Mendoza.

"It’s her duty, her prerogative to appoint (Tinga)," he said. "Looking at history, former American president Franklin Delano Roosevelt also appointed like-minded people to the SC who share the same vision."

Cadiz said the call of Court of Appeals justices for Mrs. Arroyo to name someone from their ranks was understandable but the Chief Executive’s choice would have to respected.

"There are some Supreme Court justices from the CA, so you cannot say that she’s discriminating against career judiciary members," he said.

Meanwhile, Tinga rejected allegations that Mrs. Arroyo named him to the Supreme Court because of his political affiliation, being a member of the pro-administration Lakas Christian-Muslim Democrats.

"I don’t think so." he said. "I would like to believe that I was chosen on the basis of my academic credentials, my experience as a law dean," he said.

"I have been in the law practice for 42 years. I was number one on the list submitted by the JBC and I was the unanimous choice of the JBC for the position,"

Tinga bested four other nominees: SC Court Administrator Presbitero Velasco, UP College of Law Dean Raul Pangalangan, Court of Appeals Justice Ruben Reyes and Sandiganbayan Justice Gregory Ong.

Tinga’s appointment was officially transmitted to the Supreme Court to beat the July 4 deadline set by the Constitution for the President to fill a vacancy in the high court. – Marichu Villanueva, Aurea Calica