Bad weather delays Chief Justice nominations
The bad weather is delaying the nominations for the successor of ousted Chief Justice Renato Corona.
The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) postponed on Wednesday the holding of a vote for its top three choices for Chief Justice due to the incessant rains and heavy flooding in Metro Manila.
Lawyer Jose Mejia, who represents the academe in the JBC, said the eight-member panel would likely meet on Monday.
The JBC had originally been scheduled to vote last Monday but reset it to Wednesday to give Senator Francis Escudero more time to go over the transcripts and records of the interviews made by the JBC on the 20 nominees.
Escudero had not participated in the JBC public interviews after the Supreme Court ruled that there should only be one member of Congress sitting in the JBC, which screens, vets and recommends nominees for positions in the judiciary and the Ombudsman’s office.
But Escudero is back on the JBC after the high court ruled last week to temporarily allow two members of Congress in the panel pending final resolution on the question of the proper representation of Congress in the JBC.
The JBC was expected to submit its shortlist of nominees for Chief Justice to President Benigno Aquino, who under the Constitution has until August 27 to appoint Corona’s successor.
Just like the JBC, the Supreme Court also postponed Wednesday its special en banc session because of the bad weather.
The suspension came after acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio suspended work for the second straight day Wednesday at the Supreme Court and all lower courts in Metro Manila, including the Court of Appeals, Sandiganbayan and the Court of Tax Appeals “due to the continuing inclement weather and several flooded areas.”
“For courts outside the National Capital Region, it will be up to the discretion of the executive judges whether or not to suspend work,” SC spokesperson and lawyer Gleo Guerra said in a text message.
But Guerra said the high court would hold its special en banc session at 9:30 a.m. Thursday.
