MALACAÑANG yesterday froze the appointment
of Sandiganbayan Justice Gregory Ong as the newest member of
the Supreme Court until questions over his citizenship are
resolved.
Ong’s parents reportedly are Chinese,
barring him from joining the high tribunal or any collegiate
court, the members of which are required by the Constitution
to be natural-born Filipinos.
Ong said he was ready to submit documents
to the Judicial and Bar Council to prove that he is a
natural-born Filipino.
"How can I be a Sandiganbayan justice if I
am not natural born? I have been there for nine years and I
became the chair of the first division. That is impossible,"
he said.
Ong said he was surprised that his
nationality at birth was questioned only after Malacañang had
announced his appointment.
Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said Ong was
chosen by President Arroyo from the list of nominees submitted
by JBC, adding the JBC "owes it to itself to clarify the
qualifications of the nominees that they submitted to the
President."
Bunye declined to answer questions on who
raised the citizenship issue.
Reports earlier said many SC justices were
opposed to Ong’s appointment, including one justice who raised
the issue of "constitutional infirmity" directly with
President Arroyo.
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita
announced Wednesday the appointment of Ong vice Romeo Callejo
Sr. who retired last April 28.
Ong, a former Pasig judge before he went to
the Sandiganbayan, handled cases involving alleged ill-gotten
Marcos wealth.
Ong was chosen over seven other nominees:
Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Teresita de Castro, Court of
Appeals Associate Justice Martin Villarama Jr., CA Presiding
Justice Ruben Reyes, Court of Tax Appeals Presiding Justice
Ernesto Acosta, Labor Secretary Arturo Brion, CA Associate
Justice Edgardo Cruz and Sandiganbayan Associate Justice
Francisco Villaruz Jr.
Both De Castro and Villarama received the endorsement of
all eight members of the JBC. Ong got the endorsement of five.
– Jocelyn Montemayor and Evangeline de Vera
