Interview of all chief justice candidates finished—JBC
MANILA, Philippines—The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) has finished interviewing all 20 candidates for the top judicial post.
Interviewed on Day 4 were Securities and Exchange Commission Teresita Herbosa, former San Juan Congressman and former Executive Secretary Ronaldo Zamora and Supreme Court Associate Justices Maria Lourdes Sereno and Presbitero Velasco Jr.
Candidates, in their interview, said the problems of the judiciary include a lack of budget and clogged dockets.
Herbosa
“Give everyone access to courts. There should be no delay,” Herbosa said.
Among the measures she proposed include the creation of special courts for special cases; hazard pay for judges especially those assigned in far-flung areas; there has to be graduated court fees to give the people more access to courts.
Zamora
Article continues after this advertisementZamora said his first objective if appointed chief justice is to get more funds for the judiciary.
“You can start getting a better budget and then start looking at the internal problems of the courts,” he said.
He also pushed for computerization of courts with a central monitoring system at the Supreme Court.
Sereno
Sereno wants a system that will give red flags when there are possible conflicts on resolution of courts.
Sereno boasted of a docket output of 78 cases monthly, 27 of which are full length decisions.
Velasco
Velasco said one cause of delay in the dispensation of justice is the insufficient number of public attorneys.
“We must create more public attorneys. In some parts of the Philippines there is nobody to represent the litigants,” Velasco said.
The JBC will start its deliberation and voting on August 2 to further narrow down the list of names that will be given to President Benigno Aquino III.
Supreme Court Associate Justice Diosdado Peralta, who presided over the public interview, thanked those who participated in the process of selecting the country’s
next chief justice.
