A hoohee of would-be chief justices
- Details
- Published on Friday, 06 July 2012 00:00
- Written by EVANGELINE DE VERA
By A Web design Company
THE Judicial and Bar Council, a body which screens nominees to vacant judicial posts, has listed 24 candidates for the position of chief justice.
They are:
Associate Justice Antonio Carpio. He was designated by operation of law as acting chief justice, being the most senior magistrate in the SC. He was among the five justices who were automatically nominated for the chief justice post. He founded the CVC law offices, which has ties with President Aquino’s Liberal Party.
Justice Presbitero Velasco Jr. He is a former Court of Appeals justice who was court administrator before joining the SC. His son, Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Jay Velasco, was among the 188 congressmen who signed the impeachment complaint against ousted Chief Justice Renato Corona
Justice Teresita Leonardo-de Castro. Prior to her appointment to the SC, she was presiding justice of the Sandiganbayan, and presided over the special division that heard the impeachment trial of deposed former President Joseph Estrada.
Justice Arturo Brion. He rejoined the judiciary in March 2008 after a two-year stint as labor secretary.
Justice Roberto Abad. He received six nominations at the JBC, among them from his alma mater, University of Santo Tomas, and from former senator Rene Saguisag. He penned the decision which acquitted Hubert Webb from the Vizconde multiple murder case.
Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno. She is President Aquino’s first appointee to the high court, and was a government co-counsel in the arbitration case in Washington over the NAIA Terminal 3.
Leila de Lima. As justice secretary, De Lima testified in the impeachment trial of Corona, and plotted the moves that prevented Ms. Arroyo from leaving, despite a favorable action by the Supreme Court.
Francis Jardeleza. A product of the ACCRA law offices, Jardeleza served as deputy Ombudsman for Luzon before he was named solicitor general last year. He served as senior vice president and general counsel of San Miguel Corporation.
Andres Bautista. A former dean of the Far Eastern University Institute of Law, he was handpicked by President Aquino to chair the Presidential Commission on Good Government.
Rene Sarmiento. Currently one of the commissioners of the Commission on Elections, he also used to be commissioner for the 1986 Constitutional Commission that drafted the 1987 Constitution. At the Comelec, he voted to disqualify former Pampanga Rep. Mikey Arroyo as nominee in the party list Ang Galing Pinoy.
Teresita Herbosa. Prior to being appointed chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission, she was senior partner of the Angara Abello Concepcion Regalla and Cruz law offices.
Ronaldo Zamora. A congressman of San Juan, Zamora was executive secretary during the short-lived Estrada administration.
Rufus Rodriguez. Prior to his election as congressman of Cagayan de Oro, Rodriguez served as commissioner of Bureau of Immigration. He was among the House prosecutors that impeached Corona.
Amado Valdez. Dean of the University of the East College of Law and is considered in legal circles as a legal luminary.
Cesar Villanueva. Dean emeritus of the Ateneo law school. He received nominations from former Comelec chairman and retired SC justice Jose Melo. He is considered an authority in Philippine commercial law.
Raul Pangalangan. Former dean of the University of the Philippines’ College of Law, he was shortlisted by the JBC in July 2010 for the post of associate justice.
Jose “Pepe” Diokno founded the De La Salle University College of Law where he was dean emeritus. He is also the chairman of the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG).
Katrina Legarda. Known in legal circles as defender of abused women and children, she acted as lead counsel in the statutory rape case filed by a then 11-year-old girl against then Zamboanga del Norte Rep. Romeo Jalosjos
Manuel Siyangco Jr. A retired municipal trial court judge, he filed a petition to declare his marriage void on the ground of psychological incapacity of his wife.
Amelia Tria-Infante. She is a judge at the Manila regional trial court
Rafael A. Morales. He was recommended by former SC justice Florentino Feliciano.
Ferdinand Jose David Marcos Piajo Sr. He tried to run as an independent in the 2010 presidential elections but his certificate of candidacy was denied by the Comelec.
Vicente Velasquez – there is no available information about lawyer Velasquez. He was nominated to the JBC by a certain Jaime Sarthou. (An online search showed that a certain Jaime Sarthou was with the Corona Resign Movement.)
Soledad Cagampang-De Castro. Nominated to the JBC by a Juan Arturo Iluminado de Castro, no other information was available about her except that she is a lawyer.
