5 Chief Justice candidates snub public interview

ONLY one Chief Justice candidate attended the public interview this afternoon.

However, Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago invoked the equal protection clause of the 1987 Constitution and asked to be excused from the interview.

“Considering that my friendly rivals for this post have decided to waive the privilege of a job interview, I feel that if I insist on an interview this afternoon, it might place my colleagues and competitors at an unfair disadvantage,” she said.

The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) granted her request. JBC member Sen. Francisco Pangilinan said that the JBC does not have the power to compel nominees to appear for public interviews.

Of the five other nominees, three had already said that they would not attend the interview. Last year, Chief Justice nominee Associate Justice Leonardo Quisumbing, was among 12 justices who asked for the cancellation of public interviews. He was again nominated for the Chief Justice post this year.

Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban said that the five sitting justices had each written a letter “opting not to be present and that their applications or nominations be decided on the basis of their known track record, written decisions, and accomplishments, as submitted to the JBC.”

Pangilinan said that he was saddened by the the justices’ decision. “We have the highest respect for the justices, they may have their reasons for not appearing but that doesn’t mean to say that we agree with it.”The senator added that the JBC would decide on Monday whether to exclude those who had refused to appear from the final list of nominees, declare a failure in nomination, or proceed with the nomination.

Under JBC rules, nominees for judicial positions in the lower courts are disqualified if they do not attend their public interview.

Supreme Court Appointment Watch co-convenor Atty. Marlon Manuel said that it was “very disappointing that we have a clear failure of the nomination process.” He added that the cancellation of public interviews was a huge setback to the judicial reform program that the Supreme Court had tried to implement.

“Hindi option yung pagsipot o hindi sa interview, ito ay requirement sa JBC rules (Attending the interview is not an option, it is a requirement under JBC rules),” he said.

The JBC has been too lenient, even though it has a constitutional mandate to screen applicants for judicial positions, according to Manuel.

“If the JBC cannot do anything to resurrect itself and to assert its relevance, then there is no reason for the JBC to exist.”

Pangilinan said that even though the public interview had not pushed through for the second straight year, he would continue to advocate it. He added that he would also continue to campaign for transparency, accountability, and reforms in the judicial appointment process.