Aquino classmate on shortlist for next SC justice

Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa. PHOTO FROM CAGATLAW.COM

Justice Secretary Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa, a classmate of President Benigno Aquino III in grade school and college, and two associate justices of the Court of Appeals lead the shortlist of nominees to fill the post vacated by Supreme Court Associate Justice Martin Villarama.

Villarama opted for early retirement citing health reasons. His retirement took effect on Jan. 16.

Caguioa, Court of Appeals Presiding Justice Andres Reyes and Associate Justice Jose Reyes all got perfect 7 votes from members of the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) who deliberated on Monday on possible replacements for Villarama.

Former Commission on Audit (COA) chair Grace Pulido-Tan got 5 votes and Court of Appeals Associate Justice Apolinario Bruselas had 4.

Caguioa, one of the founding partners of the Gatmaytan Yap Patacsil Gutierrez & Protacio Law Office, was appointed by Aquino as Justice Secretary after Leila de Lima resigned in October to run for the Senate. He joined government in 2010 as Chief Presidential Legal Counsel upon the invitation of Aquino. During the mid-80’s, he practiced with his father, the late Court of Appeals Associate Justice Eduardo Caguioa.

Andres Reyes, himself a son of a former appeals court presiding justice, started his career as a prosecutor, then became the chief legal officer of the Tanodbayan (now Ombudsman). From the Tanodbayan, he became a Metropolitan Trial Court (MeTC) and Regional Trial Court (RTC) judge before he was appointed to the Court of Appeals in 1999.

Meanwhile, Jose Reyes, a graduate of San Beda College started his career in the judiciary as the technical assistant of Supreme Court Chief Justice Felix V. Makasiar in 1978. He was appointed presiding judge of MeTC Branch 69 of Pasig City in 1987 and RTC Branch 76 of San Mateo, Rizal in 1991. He acted as executive judge from June 1995 to July 2003 and was designated special court judge to try and decide heinous crimes from October 1996 to July 2003. He was appointed to the appeals court in 2003. He is a lay minister of the Holy Eucharist, a State Advocate of the Knights of Columbus and a Chapter Head of the Couples for Christ.

Reyes was accused of Senator Antonio Trillanes of receiving P25-million in exchange for stopping the implementation of the first suspension order against Makati City Mayor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay.

“It was a serious and unfounded allegation. It hurt me but I kept silent. My conscience is clear. The CA ruling was based on existing jurisprudence,” Reyes said when he was interviewed by members of the JBC. He said he felt vindicated when their decision on the Binay case was affirmed by the Supreme Court.