MANILA, Philippines - The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) ended yesterday its screening of the nine aspirants for the next Sandiganbayan presiding justice.
Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Greogory Ong faced the JBC yesterday. Ong is acting chief of the Sandiganbayan until the JBC comes up with a shortlist and President Aquino makes the appointment within 90 days from the retirement of Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Francisco Villaruz Jr.
He was appointed by former Preident Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to the Supreme Court in May 2007, but his appointment was returned by the high court to Malacañang over questions regarding his citizenship. Last month, the high court upheld with finality that he is a natural-born Filipino. Three other bets took turns answering questions from the seven-man panel chaired by Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno. They were Sandiganbayan Associate Justices Teresita Diaz-Baldos and Alex Quiroz and Justice Undersecretary Leah Tanodra-Armamento.
Quiroz said it was his “dream†to have Sandiganbayan proceedings open to the public through CCTV cameras and the Internet. He said he wanted to cut down the Sandiganbayan’s use of paper by 30 percent to turn it into a “paperless†anti-graft court.
Last Thursday, the constitutional body tasked to vet nominees to judicial posts screened five aspirants – Court of Appeals Associate Justice Apolinario Bruselas Jr., Sandiganbayan Associate Justices Amparo Cabotaje-Tang and Efren de la Cruz, Abra Provincial Prosecutor Nestor Tolentino and Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) Undersecretary Rafael Antonio Santos.
But United Nationalist Alliance secretary-general Toby Tiangco said the integrity of the Sandiganbayan will be put on the line if Santos, who is politically associated with Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas, is appointed to the anti-graft court.
Tiangco said that before being picked by Roxas as his deputy at the DOTC, Santos served as undersecretary of the Department of National Defense from 2004 to 2006.
If Santos is appointed, Tiangco said there is a possibility that pending cases in the Sandiganbayan may be unduly influenced. He cited that former Makati mayor Elenita Binay, wife of Vice President Jejomar Binay, has a pending case before the Sandiganbayan.
Tiangco said Santos had earlier admitted that he has Roxas’ blessing in his bid for the Sandiganbayan post.
Prior to his government appointments, Tiangco said Santos was a senior partner of Carpio, Villaraza and Cruz Law Offices or The Firm during the term of former President Arroyo.
Santos, however, believes his being an outsider could be an advantage.
The JBC was supposed to interview another outsider, lawyer Jasper Lucero, but he was disqualified after he failed to submit the requirements.
Villaruz, who was appointed by President Aquino to his post in Oct. 2011, retired from the judiciary when he reached mandatory retirement age of 70 last June 18.