Carpio-Morales to swear in Noy

MANILA, Philippines - President-elect Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III said yesterday he would take his oath before Supreme Court Associate Justice Conchita Carpio-Morales since he had questioned the appointment of Chief Justice Renato Corona.

Aquino said in a press conference that he was finalizing the details of his inauguration rites.

“We are leaning toward Quezon City at the present time. We want to examine the costing and expenses and the Memorial Circle does not have all the facilities necessary for it,” he said.

In response to questions on who would administer his oath of office, Aquino replied, “With whom? I think it will be with Associate Justice Carpio-Morales.”

Aquino had said that Morales was the lone dissenter in the SC decision allowing President Arroyo to name a chief justice ahead of the May 17 vacancy and which would fall within the two-month ban on appointments by an outgoing president.

He said he would look into other midnight appointments and that they would be reviewed as part of the process.

“I will talk to them and say this is the direction I would like to take. If they are (not) my alter ego, there is no reason for us to be together if we won’t agree on our common vision,” Aquino said.

“Even at this point my proposed executive secretary, our legal teams, are studying all these appointments and conducting the inventory to determine who we should appoint, and review the fixed terms,” he said.

Aquino said he would screen the midnight appointees but personal knowledge would be important.

“I don’t know if you yourself will have 5,000 people that you know who implicitly have complete integrity or have no skeletons in their closet. But we will try to get the best people to fill all these positions, with either great potential or those who already have proven capabilities in their respective fields,” he said.