MANILA, Philippines — President Benigno Aquino III missed the deadline to fill the lone vacancy in the Sandiganbayan because one of the nominees was previously endorsed by Senator Juan Ponce Enrile, Malacañang revealed on Friday.
In a press briefing, Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said the discovery of Enrile's endorsement prompted Malacañang to ask the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) to review the list of nominees that it submitted last February.
Enrile is facing plunder and graft charges before the Sandiganbayan for his supposed involvement in the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) scam.
In a letter to Aquino dated June 5, 2012, Enrile endorsed Quezon City Regional Trial Court Judge Bernelito Fernandez for an earlier vacancy in the Sandiganbayan.
"Siguro sa parte naman ng Pangulo, nag-doble ingat lang din considering na iyong posisyon na ito, isa siya doon sa mga posibleng humawak doon sa mga PDAF cases," Valte said.
"Kumbaga kung ito pala merong ganito, what about the others? So gusto lang siguraduhin na the same would be applied to the others. Kasi ilan iyong akusado doon sa mga kaso natin?So gustong makita kung meron pang mga ganyan na lalabas," she added.
The JBC is the seven-member constitutional body tasked to vet nominees to the judiciary.
Aside from Fernandez, included on its list were four other court judges – Maryann Corpus-Manalac of Makati, Ronaldo Martin of Antipolo, Andres Soriano of Makati and Ma. Theresa Dolores Gomez-Estoesta of Manila; two Department of Justice officials – DOJ Undersecretary Leah Tanodra-Armamento and Chief State Counsel Ricardo Paras III; and an assistant solicitor general, Marissa Macaraig Guillen.
The vacancy is in the fifth division of the anti-graft court, where the plunder and graft cases against Enrile and several others charged in connection with the pork barrel fund scam were filed.