The Palace denied on Thursday that President Duterte did not choose Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio as the next Supreme Court Chief Justice because of his strong position on the international arbitral ruling that favored Manila’s claims in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said Carpio’s stand on the maritime dispute with China, which contradicts Duterte’s, had nothing to do with the selection of Associate Justice Lucas Bersamin as the new Chief Justice.
“I said before [that] the President does not look at the background [of a nominee], of whether [the nominee] cursed him or lambasted him,” Panelo told reporters.
He cited as example the appointment of former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque who, he said, campaigned against Duterte during the 2016 presidential race.
Panelo said the President might have made several considerations in choosing the new Chief Justice, including Carpio’s previous decision not to be a nominee to replace Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.