JBC submits 4 nominees for Sandigan post

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – The Judicial and Bar Council has submitted to President Duterte a list of four nominees to replace Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Teresita Diaz-Baldoz.

This will be Duterte’s first appointment to the anti-graft court. The President, however, has not yet received the list as of yesterday afternoon.

After its session on Friday, the JBC announced that those who made it to the shortlist were: Regional Trial Court Judges Philip Aguinaldo of Muntinlupa City; Mary Ann Corpus-Mañalac of Makati City; Benjamin Pozon of Makati City and Bernelito Fernandez of Quezon City.

Aguinaldo, Manalac and Pozon all got six votes from the seven-member JBC, while Pozon obtained four.

The four were selected out of 36 qualified applicants.

Aguinaldo is also a professor and lecturer of criminal law and persons and family relations.

Fernandez is said to be the son of the late Sandiganbayan justice Bernardo Fernandez, who acquitted late general Fabian Ver of murder charges in connection with the assassination of then senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr.

Baldoz, who retired last July 22, was chair of the Sandiganbayan Second Division handling the cases involving the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG), including those against the family and cronies of former president Ferdinand Marcos.

The court also hears the civil forfeiture cases against the late SC chief justice Renato Corona, the criminal cases against Cebu lawmaker Gwendolyn Garcia and the pork barrel scam cases of former lawmakers Rodolfo Plaza, Arrel Olaño and Arthur Pingoy.