Supreme Court's Chief Justice Sereno and newly appointed Associate Justice Leonen

[dogster_jr]

sa hinaba't haba ng prusisyon si AJ Antonio Carpio din ang maa-appoint na bagong CJ. then another vacancy ulit at maga-appoint naman ng iiwang pwesto ni Carpio. baka isa kina Diokno, Legarda, Pangalanan, Villanueva ang ma-appoint.

This will be the wisest decision the President would ever make.

He gets to appoint another Associate Justice to replace Justice Abad in two years time when he retires.

Now that's a genuine Reform to cleanse the Judiciary

[dogster_jr]

MANILA, Philippines—On Day 3 of the Judicial and Bar Council’s interview, the panel heard again proposals for unclogging the court dockets and increasing compensation of court officials and personnel from the nominees for the Chief Justice position.

Senior Justice Antonio Carpio

“I asked the Philja (Philippine Judicial Academy) to determine how much to resolve case through mediation compared to trial (but) I am sure it is much cheaper and the cost of mediation is paid for by the parties,”

"Is it necessary to appoint an outsider to reform the judiciary? I don't think it is necessary. You have impeached the chief justice. You have not impeached the rest of the Court."

"I was in law school during martial law,I questioned whether I should still be a lawyer. And thats why I persevered [to protect the Constitution]."


Dean Amado D. Valdez

"Ang sinabi ko, ang judge or justice must make a moral choice. When you give the TRO, it is not just a TRO. Aalis na yun eh (referring to former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo). I don’t want the language of the TRO to be corrupted. If it is a TRO, makakaalis na, then hindi na TRO 'yan." (A judge or justice must make a moral choice. When you give the TRO, it is not just a TRO. The one who sought it will leave. If it is a TRO, she can leave, then it is not just a TRO),"

Associate Justice Teresita Leonardo De Castro

"None of the justices touched any money from that World Bank loan. We had nothing to do with it,"

"Congestion in court dockets has been a problem since the 1970s when I was a young lawyer. I believe we need to do more. There are a lot of measures we can implement to ensure speedy resolution of cases."

Former Ateneo Law Dean Cesar Villanueva

"On economic policies, the Supreme Court must take a passive role,"

A nominee for chief justice, Villanueva said the Supreme Court should concentrate on important constitutional cases and leave other matters to the lower courts.

Friday will be the last day of interview of candidates for the Chief Justice post.

Facing the panel are Associate Justices Presbitero Velasco and Maria Lourdes Sereno, Securities and Exchange Commission chair Teresita Herbosa and former San Juan Congressman Ronaldo Zamora.

Source: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/237335/...enter-proposed

http://www.rappler.com/nation/special-coverage/scwatch

[victoryliner]

UP law grads dominate list of CJ nominees
By CARMELA G. LAPEÑA, GMA News July 26, 2012 4:24pm

No small amount of hand-wringing occurred among UP law alumni when the most recent bar exam results showed not a single graduate of their alma mater made it to the top ten.

The current, high-profile search for the next chief justice of the Supreme Court has restored some measure of pride to the nation's most prestigious law school. The majority of the nominees for chief justice are UP College of Law graduates, while archrival Ateneo Law School only has two in the running (Ateneo, however, garnered three of the top ten places in the most recent bar exams).

Thirteen of the 20 nominees are graduates of UP Law: Antonio Tirol Carpio, Soledad Manteroso Cagampang-De Castro, Teresita Leonardo De Castro, Teresita Javier Herbosa, Francis Huising Jardeleza, Maria Carolina Trinidad Legarda, Rafael Avelino Morales, Raul Cano Pangalangan, Rene Vergara Sarmiento, Maria Lourdes Punzalan Aranal Sereno, Manuel De Jesus Siayngco, Presbitero Jose Velasco, Jr., and Ronaldo Bayan Zamora.

If one of them is eventually chosen by President Aquino from a short list submitted by the Judicial and Bar Council, he or she will continue a UP tradition of public service at the highest level.


After the University of the Philippines College of Law was formally established in 1911, thirteen of its graduates went on to become chief justices, making UP the school with the most number of graduates to assume the judiciary's top post.

"It is not surprising that many UP College of Law graduates aspire for positions of public service, including membership of the court," says former UP Law Dean Marvic Leonen. "In the past one hundred and one years of its existence, it has always considered itself a public law school with a tradition of excellence and integrity, leadership and service and a passion to bring about social justice."

Nominees Legarda, Morales, and Pangalangan also currently teach at the UP College of Law, while Cagampang-De Castro, Carpio, Herbosa, Jardaleza, Legarda, and Sereno have taught there in the past.

Two of the original 22 chief justice nominees, Vicente Velasquez and former Immigration Commissioner and incumbent Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, were disqualified on Tuesday for failure to comply with the documentary requirements.

Past Chief Justices

Of the 24 past Chief Justices of the Philippines, only two were from the Ateneo Law School, five were from the University of Sto. Tomas, and one each came from Far Eastern University, Escuela de Derecho de Manila, and the University of Illinois.

An overwhelming number of former Chief Justices came from UP: Ramon C. Aquino, Cesar Bengzon, Fred Ruiz Castro, Hilario G. Davide, Marcelo B. Fernan, Enrique M. Fernando, Querube C. Makalintal, Felix V. Makasiar, Andres R. Narvasa, Ricardo M. Paras, Reynato S. Puno, Pedro L. Yap, and Jose Yulo.

Founded in 1899, Escuela de Derecho de Manila, now the Manila Law College, is the oldest law school in the country and the alma mater of Chief Justice Manuel V. Moran, who graduated in 1913.

Established in 1734, the University of Sto. Tomas Faculty of Civil Law is the oldest law faculty in the country, producing Chief Justices Manuel G. Araullo, Ramon Q. Avancena, Cayetano S. Arellano, Roberto B. Concepcion, and Victorino M. Mapa.

The Far Eastern University's Institute of Law opened 200 years later in 1934. Chief Justice Artemio V. Panganiban was among its 1960 graduates.

Renato Corona and Claudio Teehankee are from the Ateneo Law School, which was opened in 1936.

6,000 graduates

According to the UP College of Law website, the college has produced around 6,000 graduates over the years. From the 6,000 come the most number of Bar top-notchers since 1913.

While UP graduates were not among the top ten in the 2011 Bar exam results, 93 percent of its first-time takers passed.

Integrated Bar of the Philippines National President Roan Libarios, who is also a UP graduate, says, "UP is known for its leadership orientation and strong sense of social responsibility. UP has the best track record of leadership in public service. The search for Chief Justice reflects the tradition of UP law graduates living up to the challenge of leadership in public service."

For Dr. Jose Wendell P. Capili, the university’s Director of Alumni Relations, it is not surprising to hear that the majority of CJ nominees are UP law alumni.

"UP graduates (from law and elsewhere) are trained to problematize the contexts and nature of things. They thrive in an atmosphere of multiple subject-positions, diverse cultural, religious, political and financial backgrounds. UP has so much academic freedom, they don't just memorize facts. They tend to think outside the box," says Capili.

The search for a new Chief Justice began after the Senate, sitting as impeachment court, removed Renato Corona from the post last May 29.

The President has until August 27— or 90 days since Corona was removed from his post —to appoint the next chief justice from a list to be submitted to him by the Judicial and Bar Council. — Infographic by Anna Mae Lamentillo/ Paolo Ferrer/ Analyn Perez/DVM/HS, GMA News

source: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story...of-cj-nominees

[victoryliner]

Disqualified chief justice aspirant to appeal JBC decision
MARK MERUEÑAS, GMA News July 26, 2012 9:14pm

A lawyer who was dropped from the list of chief justice aspirants due to incomplete documentary requirements said he would appeal his disqualification and seek that his name be reinstated on the list.

During the third day of the live public interviews by the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC), Atty. Vicente Velasquez dropped by the Supreme Court in Manila to demand that he be given a copy of the JBC resolution disqualifying him from the race.

The JBC on Tuesday disqualified Velasquez along with Immigration Commissioner and incumbent Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez "for failure to comply with the documentary requirements, in their application for the position of Chief Justice."

Velasquez said he only learned about his disqualification through an emailed notice from the JBC on Wednesday.

The lawyer also claimed that he was informed on short notice to submit his Personal Data Sheet (PDS) just two hours before the deadline of submission.

"10 a.m. of July 5 ako tinawagan at naka-receive ng about sa PDS tapos 12 noon ang deadline," Velasquez said.

He also said he had a hard time securing some documentary requirements, adding "Hiningi nila Ombudsman clearance. Paano ko makukuha iyon?... Paisa-isa din iyong pagbibigay nila sa aking ng [notice] about requirements."

In early June, the JBC published a list of the documentary requirements for the chief justice post, including a bank waiver and statement of assets, liabilities and net worth.

Other required documents are:

- clearances from the National Bureau of Investigation, Ombudsman, Integrated Bar of the Philippines, police from place of residence, Office of the Bar Confidante and employer;
- transcript of school records;
- certificate of admission to the Bar (with Bar rating);
- Income Tax Return for the past two years;
- proofs of age and Filipino citizenship;
- certificate of good standing or latest official receipt from the IBP;
- certificate of compliance with, or exemption from, Mandatory Continuing Legal Education;
- results of medical examination; and
- sworn medical certificate with impressions on such results, both conducted/issued within two months prior to the filing of the application.

Apart from these, aspirants are also required to fill out an application form and a PDS, copies of which were made available for download on the Supreme Court website.

Velasquez also said he was able to submit a bank waiver that would allow the JBC to examine his bank accounts. - BM, GMA News

source: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story...l-jbc-decision

[victoryliner]

CJ nominee Villanueva: I’m not exactly an outsider
By PATRICIA DENISE CHIU, GMA NEWS July 26, 2012 6:55pm


Former Ateneo Law Dean and current head of Governance Commissions for GOCCs (GCG) Atty. Cesar L. Villanueva Thursday said that while he isn’t in the judiciary, he doesn’t consider himself exactly as an outsider.

“When an outsider gets appointed in the Supreme Court, he, in that moment, becomes an insider,” he added.

Villanueva was the 16th nominee to be interviewed by the Judicial and Bar Council. He said it would be easy for him to work with the judiciary, as a lot of them have been his students.

However, he also said that because the vacancy has been created through an impeachment, perhaps getting a technical outsider is what the court needs right now.

Throughout the nearly 2 hour interview, Villanueva shared his visions for the judiciary, particularly, that the high court should work closely with other government institutions to weed out corruption.

Like several nominees before him, Villanueva decried the low salaries of court workers and the small budget with which the judiciary has to work with.

“If the judiciary is really one of three co-equal branches of government, then it deserves more than one or two percent of the National Budget,” he said.

“If we want to have a quality justice system, justices should be well paid,” he said. He also suggested the Supreme Court should strengthen its education and training arm.

Villanueva said he recognized that corruption in the judiciary is bad, and called for it to be addressed.

“There has to be zero tolerance,” he said.

Villanueva said that the SC should be more than just a “trier” of facts and a constitutional court, though it should fulfill that function.

“[The SC] should usher in the good life of our people,” he said. “How can people ask for democracy if they are starving?” he added.

On another tack, Villanueva conveyed his opinion on law fraternities.

“Don't outlaw fraternities in law schools but give students fair competition for other organizations,” he said. He also mentioned that he himself is a member of a fraternity.

Should he be appointed Chief Justice, he plans “to unite the Supreme Court and to do a strategy road map.” He said that he will work with the Supreme Court as a whole and with the appellate courts in particular.

“We should also try to recruit the best and the brightest,” he added. — DVM, GMA News

source: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story...ly-an-outsider

[naturecrawler]

haba naman ng post...

[smbbeer]

Some of the nominees parang hindi alam kung ano isasagot. Pati pag construct ng sentences parang may sabit. And to think some of them are Associate Justices na. Parang biglang nagbago ang pagtingin ko sa mga judges, dati ang taas ng tingin ko sa kanila pero after the interview nag-iba na. Well good thing televised ang mga ganitong process at least we get to know them better and if they are really qualified for the post

[dogster_jr]

By Karen Boncocan, Tetch Torres
INQUIRER.net
2:18 pm | Friday, July 27th, 2012

MANILA, Philippines—Congress will no longer participate in the selection process for the next Chief Justice, Iloilo Representative Niel Tupas Jr. said Friday.

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, House Speaker Sonny Belmonte, Senator Francis Escudero and Tupas agreed Friday morning to pull out of the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) following a Supreme Court decision allowing only a single representation for JBC, he said.

“A senator cannot represent the House of Representatives and a congressman cannot represent the Senate,” Tupas told INQUIRER.net.

Tupas said that Congress would resume membership of the JBC once he and Escudero are both allowed to participate in the selection process for the next chief justice.

He said Congress would wait for the high court’s decision on their motion for reconsideration.

“For the meantime, we think it is prudent for the JBC to postpone the voting (for the next chief justice),” Tupas said.

Source: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/237809/...jbc-says-tupas

. . .

This is a blatant disregard of the Supreme Court's ruling on the JBC composition.

The Congress and the Senate would rather delay the appointment of the next Chief Justice just because they can't have it their way!

[blue_tracer]

simula nang may sumaway sa TRO dati.. 'yan na nagsusunuran na.

[kleenexlambot]

By Karen Boncocan, Tetch Torres
INQUIRER.net
2:18 pm | Friday, July 27th, 2012

MANILA, Philippines—Congress will no longer participate in the selection process for the next Chief Justice, Iloilo Representative Niel Tupas Jr. said Friday.

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, House Speaker Sonny Belmonte, Senator Francis Escudero and Tupas agreed Friday morning to pull out of the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) following a Supreme Court decision allowing only a single representation for JBC, he said.

“A senator cannot represent the House of Representatives and a congressman cannot represent the Senate,” Tupas told INQUIRER.net.

Tupas said that Congress would resume membership of the JBC once he and Escudero are both allowed to participate in the selection process for the next chief justice.

He said Congress would wait for the high court’s decision on their motion for reconsideration.

“For the meantime, we think it is prudent for the JBC to postpone the voting (for the next chief justice),” Tupas said.

Source: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/237809/...jbc-says-tupas

. . .

Gosh, wala na bang ibang magawa ang congress? Nakaka umay na panoorin ang mukha nyang si tupas ah

[dogster_jr]

Gosh, wala na bang ibang magawa ang congress? Nakaka umay na panoorin ang mukha nyang si tupas ah

Not just Tupas but the Senate and Congress, what a bunch of selfish, arrogant, irresponsible Legislators who can't obey a simple order from the Supreme Court!

They realised the JBC has a self imposed deadline to submit the shortlist to the President on Monday, 30th July.

They want to derail the process just because ...

[dogster_jr]

Some of the nominees parang hindi alam kung ano isasagot. Pati pag construct ng sentences parang may sabit. And to think some of them are Associate Justices na. Parang biglang nagbago ang pagtingin ko sa mga judges, dati ang taas ng tingin ko sa kanila pero after the interview nag-iba na. Well good thing televised ang mga ganitong process at least we get to know them better and if they are really qualified for the post

Very good observation.

Some of the incumbent Associate Justices are better read than heard

Some are better heard than read like Carpio and Abad.

It's the first time the pubic got to know the Justices and the CJ Nominees through a televised public interview.

I don't want it to be a practice though.

Today is the last day of the JBC interview, who do you think are the front-runners?

[blue_tracer]

'di ba sabi ni former sen. rene saguisag, the great justices in the old days were never heard, seldom seen. only read. fine.

kumusta naman yung isang atat na atat maging CJ? ang daldal niya.

[dogster_jr]

'di ba sabi ni former sen. rene saguisag, the great justices in the old days were never heard, seldom seen. only read. fine.

kumusta naman yung isang atat na atat maging CJ? ang daldal niya.

I have an idea on who you are referring to

The more important question is, do you think this candidate is still a front-runner after hearing the other contenders?

The next CJ can't love the limelight. Unless you are vying for the SC Spokesperson post

I do not have any further manifestation, your honor.

[dogster_jr]

6:46 pm | Friday, July 27th, 2012

MANILA, Philippines—The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) will not push through with its deliberation and voting on Monday, Supreme Court Spokesperson Gleo Guerra said Friday.

After the public interview of candidates, the JBC members in a meeting decided to defer the deliberation and voting from July 30 to August 2.

But Guerra was quick to say that the move has nothing to do with the pullout of Congress from the JBC deliberations in selecting the next Chief Justice.

“The JBC needs more time to study and evaluate the candidates,” Guerra told reporters.

Source: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/237907/...ief-candidates

[kleenexlambot]

TS, sana gumawa ka ng poll...

[dogster_jr]

TS, sana gumawa ka ng poll...

This will be converted into a poll question once the JBC released the shortlist (top 3 candidate) submitted to the President

[kleenexlambot]

oh well, ok at this point i go for Associate Justice Teresita de Castro. She sounds very truthful. Alam mo yon, yung hindi mabulaklak ang bibig.

[dogster_jr]

Posted: 8:17 pm | Friday, July 27th, 2012

MANILA, Philippines—The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) has finished interviewing all 20 candidates for the top judicial post.

Interviewed on Day 4 were Securities and Exchange Commission Teresita Herbosa, former San Juan Congressman and former Executive Secretary Ronaldo Zamora and Supreme Court Associate Justices Maria Lourdes Sereno and Presbitero Velasco Jr.

Candidates, in their interview, said the problems of the judiciary include a lack of budget and clogged dockets.

The JBC will start its deliberation and voting on August 2 to further narrow down the list of names that will be given to President Benigno Aquino III.

Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Teresita Herbosa

“I feel I have all the qualifications and these unusual times call for unusual solution and I believe that when it comes down to the bottom line, whether an insider or outsider, it does not really matter, it’s more whether the person is equipped with the skills to be able to unite or lead the group to overcome the present crisis and go for a common goal,”

Herbosa is a great-granddaughter of Rizal’s sister Lucia.

Despite being a Catholic, Herbosa said she was in favor of divorce law. She also said the bases of annulment of marriage should also be similar to those in Church annulment cases.

Former Congressman and Executive Secretary Ronaldo Zamora

“You can start getting a better budget and then start looking at the internal problems of the courts,”

The 67-year-old Zamora said that if he were appointed to the High Court, he would get it more money, look at methods and technology. For instance, he added, judges should be provided with tablets, iPads, and iPhones to connect them to the 21st century.

Associate Justice Lourdes P.A. Sereno

"For an outsider to understand how to manage the agenda of the en banc, nakaka-shock, masyadong specialized (it's shocking, it's too specialized).

"Appointing an outsider is like sending a civilian instead of a general to lead a war.

"I hope the public will realize that there are excellent people within the judiciary. Reform and strength can come from within,"


Competence

Dispensed 136 cases from May 2011-May 2012
Penned 67 decisions from May 2011-May 2012
Wrote 79 separate opinions from August 2010-June 2010

Associate Justice Presbitero Velasco Jr.

Velasco said he is the only justice who served as Court Administrator, that is why he knows the problems of the court

He is the 2nd most senior Associate Justice of the Supreme Court

He was responsible for pegging hacienda luisita compensation to 1989

Competence

Case disposal rate in:

2007: 639 cases, 54% of caseload
2008: 606 cases, 73% of caseload
2009: 558 cases, 65% of caseload
2010: 516 cases, 64% of caseload
2011: 549 cases, 72% of caseload

The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) has received complaints against Justice Presbitero Velasco Jr thrice already - in 2002, 2003 and 2006. In all 3 instances, Velasco was accused of ethical misconduct.

Source: http://www.rappler.com/nation/specia...bitero-velasco

Source: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/237933/...s-finished-jbc

[aaroncm]

Very good observation.

Some of the incumbent Associate Justices are better read than heard

Some are better heard than read like Carpio and Abad.

It's the first time the pubic got to know the Justices and the CJ Nominees through a televised public interview.

I don't want it to be a practice though.

Today is the last day of the JBC interview, who do you think are the front-runners?

kung ako gagawa ng short-list.

Carpio, Abad, Diokno and Pangalanan.