DOJ chief denies pressuring JBC on Miriam

Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez denied yesterday pressuring the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) to include Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago on the short-list of candidates for chief justice.

"The chief justice and retired justices of the Supreme Court are the ones to make the decision," Gonzalez said over radio station dzMM.

"I am only one member of the JBC. Senator Santiago legitimately applied for the position, therefore her application should go through due process."  

Gonzalez was reacting to previous reports that he urged the JBC to exempt Santiago from its required panel interview and psychiatric test and automatically include her on its list of possible replacements for Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban, who will retire on Dec. 7.

Gonzalez said he is not in the position to influence the collective decision of the JBC in choosing the next chief justice.

Earlier, Gonzalez said Santiago was qualified for the position of chief justice given her stature and law background. 

The Constitution authorizes the JBC to accept nominations and recommend replacements for vacancies in the judiciary.

Under the JBC rules, the five most senior associate justices of the 15-member tribunal are automatically nominated for the position. They are: Reynato Puno, Leonardo Quisumbing, Consuelo Ynares-Santiago, Angelina Sandoval-Gutierrez and Antonio Carpio. — James Mananghaya