4 names in Judicial and Bar Council shortlist

MANILA, Philippines - The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) released yesterday a shortlist of nominees for the seat in the Supreme Court left vacant by Associate Justice Adolfo Azcuna who retired last month.

The eight-member JBC picked four of the 18 candidates – Court of Appeals Associate Justices Lucas Bersamin, Martin Villarama Jr. and Hakim Abdulwahid and Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Francisco Villaruz – after a few weeks of deliberation.

According to the council’s secretariat, Bersamin got the nod of all eight members of JBC, Villarama got seven while Abdulwahid and Villaruz got five nods each during the secret balloting yesterday morning.

Bersamin is reportedly Malacañang’s choice to replace Azcuna.

He has admitted that he is close to President Arroyo’s cousin, Erlinda de Leon and her husband Carlos.

However, Bersamin vowed not to let his closeness with the De Leons impinge on his judicial independence.

His bid was also supported by Associate Justice Diosdado Peralta, who was appointed to the High Court as replacement of retired justice Ruben Reyes last January.

Abdulwahid, on the other hand, is the most senior member of the judiciary who subscribes to Islamic beliefs.

Villarama was the top choice of the JBC in the selection for Reyes’ replacement, while Villaruz was a member of the Sandiganbayan special division that convicted deposed President Joseph Estrada of plunder in September 2007.

The list will be submitted to President Arroyo, who will then choose one of the four nominees.

Under the Constitution, the President has 90 days from Feb. 16, the date of Azcuna’s retirement, to appoint a new justice to the SC.

The JBC secretariat said it would complete the documentation and attachments before submitting the list to Malacañang.

The JBC is a constitutional body tasked to receive and screen nominations for all judicial posts, as well as nominations for Ombudsman and Deputy Ombudsman.

SCChief Justice Reynato Puno is the chair of the JBC. The council includes retired SC justice Regino Hermosisima, Dean Amado Dimayuga Jr., Atty. Conrado Castro, and retired CA justice Aurora Lagman as members, and Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez, Sen. Francis Escudero, and Rep. Matias Defensor Jr. as ex-officio members.