COA chief among 15 bets for SC

MANILA, Philippines - Commission on Audit (COA) Chairman Grace Pulido-Tan led 15 candidates who have made it to the initial cut of the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) for a seat in the Supreme Court (SC) to be vacated by Associate Justice Roberto Abad, who retires on May 22.

Lawyer Jose Mejia, regular member of the council representing academe, said all nominees for the post have completed the documentary requirements.

The 15 nominees to the upcoming SC vacancy include 11 insiders in the judiciary and four outsiders.

Aside from Tan the three other court outsiders are: Solicitor General Francis Jardeleza, De La Salle University law dean Jose Manuel Diokno and COA commissioner Ma. Rowena Guanzon.

The judiciary officials that were nominated include presiding Justice Andres Reyes Jr. and Associate Justices Apolinario Bruselas, Rosmari Carandang, Stephen Cruz, Ramon Paul Hernando, Jose Reyes Jr., Noel Tijam and Nina Antonio-Valenzuela, all from the Court of Appeals; Associate Justices Ma. Cristina Cornejo and Rafael Lagos, both from the Sandiganbayan; and Quezon City regional trial court Judge Reynaldo Daway.

The 15 bets were given until last April 2 to submit required documents – including transcript of law school records, statement of assets, liabilities and net worth for the past two years for nominees in government service, birth certificate or proof of age and citizenship, certificate of admission to the Bar with rating, clearances from the National Bureau of Investigation and Office of the Ombudsman and medical records – and all of them have complied.

“No one has been disqualified in this first stage of the selection process,” Mejia told The STAR.

JBC rules provide that candidates with incomplete documentary requirements would be disqualified and not be considered for final nomination.

Mejia said the next stage would be the public interview of the candidates set on May 29 and 30.