Profiling the Chief Justice candidates

BARRING last-minute hitches, the first-ever public interview of the candidates for the next Chief Justice of the Supreme Court will push through as scheduled this afternoon, providing Filipinos for the first time a glimpse of what retiring Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban emphasized as the essential attributes of a magistrate — intelligence, integrity, independence and industry.

UPDATE: Justices are not attending today’s interview, according to this breaking report.

The Supreme Court Appointment Watch (SCAW), a consortium of civil society organizations that has been clamoring for the conduct of public interviews in the selection of Chief Justice, hailed the decision of the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) as a triumph for transparency and accountability.

SCAW maintained that the interviews are the only way by which the people could exercise their right to information on the judiciary selection and appointment process. “These can help bring out the truth on the candidates’ integrity and independence,” said lawyer Marlon Manuel, convenor of the Alternative Law Groups (ALG), a member-organization of SCAW.

Yesterday, the consortium also presented to the media its research findings on the Chief Justice hopefuls, which include the five most senior SC justices — Reynato Puno, Leonardo Quisumbing, Consuelo Ynares-Santiago, Angelina Sandoval-Gutierrez, and Antonio Carpio — and Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago.

SCAW’s research focused on three areas: the government positions previously held by the candidates, their decisions and positions on key national issues, as well as on threats to civil, political and human rights under the Macapagal-Arroyo administration.

Government positions held

Puno is the most senior among the associate justices, having been appointed to the Supreme Court by former President Fidel Ramos on June 28, 1993. He will retire on May 17, 2010. Before his SC appointment, Puno held government positions in both the executive and judiciary branches, serving under the Marcos administration from 1971 to 1984.

Quisumbing is the second most senior justice. A Ramos appointee like Puno, he was appointed to the Supreme Court on July 15, 1998 and will retire on November 6, 2009. Quisumbing held nine government positions in the executive branch before becoming associate justice. He served under three administrations — Ferdinand Marcos (1965 to 1986), Corazon Aquino (1986 to 1992) and Ramos (1993 to 1998).

The third most senior justice, Ynares-Santiago was appointed to the SC by former President Joseph Estrada on April 6, 1999 and will retire on October 6, 2009. Save for her work with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the woman justice served the government primarily with the judiciary branch before becoming associate justice.

Sandoval-Gutierrez, the fourth most senior justice, is also an Estrada appointee. She was named associate justice on December 22, 2000 and will retire on February 28, 2008. Previously, she held two government positions in the executive branch and six in the judicial branch. Among the candidates, she served under the Marcos administration the longest, from 1965 to 1983.

Carpio is the least senior among the justices vying for the Chief Justice position, having been appointed by Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo only on October 26, 2001. He will retire on October 26, 2019. Carpio served the government mainly with the executive branch, working longest under the Ramos administration.

Defensor-Santiago, an incumbent senator, is the only candidate that has served in all three branches of the government. She worked in the judiciary for five years, the executive branch under the Aquino administration for three years, the legislative branch as senator for eight years.

(Next: The candidates’ decisions and positions on key national issues)