Journalist Teodoro Locsin Jr in list of bets for Chief Justice

Veteran writer and journalist Teodoro “Teddy boy” Locsin Jr. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Veteran writer and journalist Teodoro “Teddy Boy” Locsin Jr. has been included in the list of candidates to replace Renato Corona as Chief Justice.

Locsin’s nomination has been submitted to the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) by lawyer Brigido Dulay and Jonathan De La Cruz, President of ABAKADA party list and convenor of Clean Hands Movement.

Locsin, a former lawmaker from Makati, served as Presidential Legal Counsel and Minister of Information during the time of late President Corazon Aquino. He was also a speechwriter of former presidents Joseph Estrada and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

He graduated with a law degree from the Ateneo De Manila University and Masters of Laws from Harvard University.

“Mr. Locsin is an extraordinary lawyer and an extraordinary man. His combination of intellect, integrity, probity, independence and vast experience will make him an outstanding Supreme Court Chief Justice,” Dulay and the Clean Hands Movement said in their nomination.

To date, there are already 12 nominees for the Chief Justice position while one candidate has applied for the job. A total of 18 candidates are vying for the top judicial post including the five most senior justices of the Supreme Court.