SC to tackle crucial cases this month

The Supreme Court building. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

The Supreme Court is off to a busy start of the new year as it is set to tackle this month crucial cases and address critical administrative matters.

Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, chair of the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC), will lead on Jan. 7 and 8 the conduct of public interviews of 16 candidates being considered for the Supreme Court slot to be vacated by outgoing Associate Justice Martin Villarama Jr.

Villarama is set to retire on Jan. 16, ahead of reaching the mandatory retirement age on April 14, when he turns 70. Villarama had cited his deteriorating health for seeking early retirement.

On Thursday and Friday, the seven-member JBC is scheduled to interview candidates for the post, among them top officials and magistrates Justice Secretary Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa, Solicitor General Florin Hilbay, Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang and Court of Appeals Presiding Justice Andres Reyes Jr.

Other nominees from the judiciary are Court of Appeals Associate Justices Apolinario Bruselas Jr., Rosmari Carandang, Mariflor Castillo and Stephen Cruz, Sandiganbayan Associate Justices Maria Cristina Cornejo and Alex Quiroz, and Quezon City Regional Trial Court Judge Reynaldo Daway.

Veteran lawyers also nominated for the post are Joe-Santos Bisquera, former Commission on Audit Chair Maria Grace Pulido Tan, Chief State Counsel Ricardo Paras III, Cibac party-list Rep. Cinchona Cruz-Gonzales, and Deputy Ombudsman Gerard Mosquera.

On Jan. 12, the high court en banc is expected to continue deliberations on the constitutional question against the Philippines-United States Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (Edca), a case that has been pending for more than a year.

Edca, an executive agreement signed in April 2014 just before US President Barack Obama arrived in Manila for a state visit, allows increased rotational presence of American troops in the country.

On Jan. 19, the high court is set to hold oral arguments on the disqualification cases filed against Sen. Grace Poe.

Up for discussion is the plea of disqualified presidential candidate Rizalito David for the court to reconsider the Senate Electoral Tribunal’s decision upholding Poe’s natural-born citizenship, hence affirming her qualification for the 2013 senatorial race.