Who’s The Next Chief Justice?

There are about 22 nominees for the position of Supreme Court Chief Justice. The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) is currently on marathon interviews for the short list. This was triggered by the conviction and removal of former Chief Justice Renato Corona.

The short list will be submitted to the President. The Chief Executive would have no other choice but to pick the next Chief Magistrate from the short list.

Roberto Afan Abad, 68

Juan Andres Donato Bautista, 48

Arturo Dizon Brion, 65

Soledad Manteroso Cagampang-De Castro, 67

Antonio Tirol Carpio, 62

Teresita Leonardo De Castro, 63

Leila Norma Eulalia Josefa Magistrado De Lima, 53

Jose Manuel Icasiano Diokno, 50

Teresita Javier Herbosa, 61

Francis Huising Jardeleza, 62

Maria Carolina Trinidad Legarda, 57

Rafael Avelino Morales, 61

Raul Cano Pangalangan, 53

Rene Vergara Sarmiento, 58

Maria Lourdes Punzalan Aranal Sereno, 52

Manuel De Jesus Siayngco, 62

Amado Domingo Valdez, 66

Presbitero Jose Velasco, Jr., 63

Cesar Lapuz Villanueva, 52

Ronaldo Bayan Zamora, 67

For ordinary people, there are clouds of doubt on the credibility of the process. Some would think it is just politically motivated. Others would even ask if those candidates have clean record of financial transactions themselves from services like Austin bookkeeping or Quickbooks San Antonio.

This is another historical event in the Philippines that every Filipino should watch out for. The process could be tedious and sometimes boring, but JBC must never make any mistake of choosing the rightful person to the one of the powerful position in the government.