JBC sets interview of nominees for top Sandigan post

MANILA, Philippines - The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) has set interviews for 10 aspirants for the top position in the Sandiganbayan, which will be vacated by Presiding Justice Francisco Villaruz Jr. on Friday.

Lawyer Jose Mejia, a regular member of the JBC representing the academe, said the public interviews would be held on June 20 and 21 as agreed during their regular meeting yesterday.

Nominated for the top post of the anti-graft court are six insiders in the judiciary: Court of Appeals Associate Justice Apolinario Bruselas Jr. and Sandiganbayan Associate Justices Amapro Cabotaje-Tang, Efren de la Cruz, Teresita Diaz-Baldos, Gregory Ong and Alex Quiroz.

Ong was the controversial justice who was already appointed by former President Arroyo to the Supreme Court in May 2007, but his appointment was returned by the SC to Malacañang over questions on his citizenship due to his Chinese roots. But the high court eventually affirmed with finality last month that Ong is a natural-born Filipino citizen.

The four others are outsiders: Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Rafael Antonio Santos, Justice Undersecretary Leah Tanodra-Armamento, Abra Provincial Prosecutor Nestor Tolentino and lawyer Jasper Lucero.

Villaruz, who was appointed by President Aquino to his post in October 2011, is set to retire from the judiciary when he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 70 on June 18.

The most senior justice after Villaruz will serve as acting chief of the Sandiganbayan until the JBC comes up with a shortlist and Aquino makes the appointment within 90 days from the vacancy.

Meanwhile, the JBC met yesterday with just six of the eight members in attendance. Sen. Francis Escudero and Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas Jr. were not present.

The SC ruled with finality last April that Congress should only have one representative in the constitutional body tasked to vet nominees to posts in the judiciary and office of the Ombudsman.

The SC has left to Congress to choose between Escudero and Tupas as its representative.

The JBC is chaired by Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno. Other members of the body are Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, lawyer Milagros Fernan-Cayosa from the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, retired SC Justice Regino Hermosisima from the retired justices’ sector and retired CA Justice Aurora Lagman from the private sector.