Retired Chief Justice Puno endorses Jose Midas Marquez for SC post

Retired Chief Justice and head of the Consultative Committee Reynato Puno pushed for the appointment of Court Administrator Jose Midas Marquez to the Supreme Court.

In his letter to President Rodrigo Duterte dated July 30, 2018 and received July 31, 2018, Puno said he believed that Marquez “is qualified to the highest degree for a seat in the Supreme Court.”

Marquez is one of the shortlisted candidates to be vacated by Associate Justice Presbitero Velasco Jr. on August 8, 2018.

Aside from Marquez, the others in the shortlist of nominees for Velasco’s post are Court of Appeals Associate Justices Jose Reyes Jr., Amy Lazaro-Javier, Ramon Garcia, Associate Justices Apolinario Bruselas, Rosmari Carandang and Ramon Hernando; and former Ateneo law school dean Cesar Villanueva.

Puno said he has known Marquez for years.

Marquez, who is vying for a seat in the 15-member high court for the third time, has been serving the SC more than 25 years.

He joined the Supreme Court as a summer apprentice while in Ateneo Law School in 1991.

“He never left the Court since then, even after he passed the Bar and became a lawyer in 1994,” Puno said.

According to Puno, before Marquez joined his office in 2003 as one of his senior lawyers, he worked as clerk to several Supreme Court Justices including Abraham F. Sarmiento, Ameurfina Melencio Herrera, and Josue Bellosillo.

“In my assumption as Chief Justice in 2006, I appointed him as my Chief of Staff and Spokesperson of the Court. In 2010, in recognition of his exceptional service to the Court, he was unanimously appointed by the Court en banc as Court Administrator, the youngest the Court ever had,” Puno said.

“All these years, I have known Midas to be with a strong moral fiber. His integrity is beyond reproach. His intellectual ability is superior. His loyalty is unwavering,” Puno said.

Aside from Puno, Ma. Cristina Corona, wife of the late chief justice Renato Corona also sent a letter to President Duterte for Marquez.

She said aside from Marquez’ loyalty and dedication to the Supreme Court, Marquez has proven his competence in managing the requirements of the high court’s en banc, the judges, lawyers, litigants, court employees as well as the media covering the Judiciary.  /vvp