Group wants live interviews for SC associate justice aspirants

A coalition of multisectoral organizations working for greater transparency in Philippine governance has asked the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) to allow live media coverage of its interviews of candidates for associate justice of the Supreme Court.

Vincent Lazatin of Transparency and Accountability Network made a  formal request to the JBC last week, with the interviews of the candidates for seat vacated by now Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno set for Tuesday and Thursday this week, JBC member and lawyer Jose Mejia said Sunday.

In a phone interview, Mejia said he had not seen Lazatin’s letter but the latter had sent him a text message telling him of his plan to draft one requesting that live media coverage be restored, like the live coverage of the interviews for Chief Justice.

He said the JBC would take up the request at today’s en banc meeting.

Last week, the JBC announced there would be no live media coverage of its interviews of associate justice candidates this week.

But the media would still be allowed to cover the interviews to be held at the Supreme Court.

It was reported that Sereno had suggested that the JBC skip the live media coverage.

Eight candidates, including government chief peace negotiator Marvic Leonen, are set to be interviewed this week.

Fifteen candidates were nominated for the position but three of them—Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Teresita Herbosa and lawyers Jose Manuel Diokno and Cesar Villanueva—will no longer face the JBC because they had already been interviewed by the eight-member council in July, when they were  first nominated for Chief Justice.

Aside from Leonen, the other candidates up for interview are former Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla, Ramon Bato Jr., Joe Santos Bisquera, Rosemari Carandang, Maria Cristina Cornejo, Adoracion Cruz-Avisado, Magdangal de Leon, Isaias Dicdican, Andres Reyes Jr., Jose Reyes Jr. and Noel Tijam.

Under the rules, President Aquino has 90 days or until Nov. 22 to appoint a new associate justice from the date of vacancy.

Mr. Aquino appointed Sereno on Aug. 24 to replace then Chief Justice Renato Corona who was removed from office in May when a Senate impeachment court convicted him of failing to declare his real income in his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth.

Coincidentally, Corona is set to appear at the Department of Justice on Thursday after he was allowed to submit for the last time his response to the Bureau of Customs case against him for allegedly owing the government P120 million in taxes.