Another new appointee to the Supreme Court comes from the Court of Appeals.
Wasn’t there anybody else qualified for the seat of the high tribunal vacated by retired Justice Eduardo Nachura?
Surely, there were other candidates who came from private practice or brilliant lawyers in government.
I am not saying the new appointee to the highest court, Bienvenido Reyes, is corrupt.
I’m saying he comes from a court that is tainted with corruption.
In September 2008, Reyes was reprimanded for “simple misconduct” after a special committee formed by the Supreme Court to investigate allegations of bribery and other irregularities in the case between the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) and Meralco.
Reyes and then fellow justice Jose Sabio Jr. quarrelled over the right to take part in the hearings of the GSIS-Meralco case.
Appointees to the Supreme Court should be like Caesar’s wife: They should be above suspicion.
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Here’s another example of why the Court of Appeals cannot be trusted:
A few days ago, Court of Appeals Justice Ricardo Rosario suddenly inhibited himself from a case involving the estate of the late Consuelo “Chito” Madrigal, which is reportedly worth billions of pesos.
According to insiders, Rosario resented the haste with which Justice Hakim Abdulwahid wrote a decision, which was considered done in “record time” — one month from the time it was handled.
Similar cases, whose litigants are not well-placed in society, take years before a decision is handed down.
The other member, Justice Danton Bueser, a former congressman, signed the decision penned by Abdulwahid just before he left for abroad.
In his decision, Justice Abdulwahid, who is nearing retirement age, was reported to have reversed the decision of recently retired Makati Judge Oscar Pimentel that Collantes’ will covered only P26 million worth of property for the few heirs mentioned in the document.
The billions of Collantes’ property not included in her will, Pimentel ruled, should be distributed to all her heirs, including those not mentioned in her will.
A few weeks ago, Judge Rita Bascos-Sarabia, who took the place of Pimentel and who was acting on a direct order from the Supreme Court, issued an order affirming that Pimentel’s order was final and executory.
Pimentel’s decision was a victory for all the other heirs of Collantes who were not mentioned in her will.
Abdulwahid’s decision would try to undo that victory and turn the tide in favor of only a few heirs.
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Pasay City Mayor Tony Calixto wants his police chief, Senior Supt. Nap Cuaton, replaced.
The mayor’s sudden dislike for Cuaton has surprised many residents.
The Pasay police station under Cuaton is considered the best police station by the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) from August last year up to this time.
Pasay City’s problems of drugs and illegal gambling have been greatly minimized under Cuaton.
Since Cuaton took over in August last year, the Pasay police solved most murder cases, including the “cold” (long unsolved) ones.
Cuaton was recommended by Davao City Vice Mayor Rody Duterte whose advice Calixto sought to bring down Pasay’s high crime rate.