Malacañang: It’s up to JBC to consider Carpio

It is up to the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) if it will nominate acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio to the top Supreme Court position, Malacañang said on Monday.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the Palace had “no reaction” to the possibility that the JBC may bend its rule on nominations to accommodate Carpio.

“No reaction on JBC. That’s their decision,” Roque said.

Carpio had declined to be nominated as Chief Justice, but the JBC may still consider the most senior justice for the post vacated by Maria Lourdes Sereno if it waives a rule that requires nominees to submit acceptance of nominations.

A fierce critic of President Rodrigo Duterte’s policies in the West Philippine Sea, Carpio had said he did not want to benefit from Sereno’s ouster from the Supreme Court. —Christine O. Avendaño