Palace: Carpio stance on West PH Sea won’t affect Chief Justice nomination

Associate Justice Antonio Carpio’s stand on the longstanding maritime dispute between the Philippines and China will not affect his bid for the vacant Chief Justice position, Malacañang said Monday.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said President Rodrigo Duterte has appointed a number of “critics” to several top government posts, citing former presidential mouthpiece Harry Roque and some leftist Cabinet members.

“The President, if you will look at the history of the President, when he appointed Harry Roque as spokesperson, I remember during the campaign he was against the President. He was supporting another candidate. And yet the President appointed him, he became a member of the Cabinet,” Panelo said.

“Also those members of the Cabinet coming from the Left, attacking the President and yet they were appointed. So I don’t think you can derive a conclusion that just because someone is a critic of the administration you cannot be appointed,” he added.

Carpio, being the most senior Supreme Court justice, is considered to be the frontrunner for the top magistrate post. Others in the shortlist for the Chief Justice position were fellow Associate Justices Diosdado Peralta, Lucas Bersamin, Estela Perlas-Bernabe, and Andres Reyes Jr.

The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) recently announced it has already submitted to the Palace the shortlist for the top magistrate post that was vacated via the mandatory retirement of Chief Justice Teresita de Castro last October 10.

READ: JBC exec: All 5 candidates on Chief Justice shortlist

China has been claiming almost the entire South China Sea, including portions of the West Philippine Sea, but the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague invalidated it in July 2016, favoring the Philippines’ rights in the area.

Carpio was part of the Philippines’ legal team that argued and won the case against China before the United Nations-backed tribunal.

China, however, has refused to recognize the ruling while Duterte has chosen to set aside the ruling and engaged Beijing in bilateral talks.  /kga