Jardeleza gets Noynoy’s express vote for SC post Written by Benjamin B. Pulta Thursday, 21 August 2014 00:00 font size decrease font size increase font size Print Be the first to comment! A day after the Supreme Court (SC) ordered the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) to include Solicitor General Francis Jardeleza in its shortlist for a vacant Associate Justice seat, President Aquino signed Jardeleza’s appointment yes-terday to the post causing raised eyebrows. Jardeleza’s ap-pointment paper was transmitted to the SC yesterday naming him 163rd associate justice of the high court. Much of the opposition against Jardeleza was brought about by his decision to unilaterally withdraw the Philippines’ claim to the largest island in the Spratleys in a pleading submitted to the United Nations arbitration body hearing the territorial dispute in an apparent bid to appease the Chinese government. The deletion of the claim was taken back by Justice Secretary Leila de Lima who had ordered that the provision be returned. He was earlier excluded by the JBC due to “integrity issues” raised by SC Chief Justice Lourdes Sereno during voting last June 30. Aquino’s imme-diate appointment of Jardeleza was immediately interpreted as Aquino sending his message of displeasure at Sereno whom he had appointed to the post in place of ousted former Chief Justice Renato Corona. Aquino’s animosity with Sereno and the entire SC after the SC issued a 13-0 ruling to declare unconstitutional Palace acts that created the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) which was branded as a P150 billion pork barrel of Aquino. Anakpawis Rep. Fernando Hicap, however, said Jardeleza’s posting has the political stamp of the KKK (Kaibigan, Kakampi, Kabarilan) group of Aquino and was a clear sign of vendetta. “It’s clearly a political vendetta against the entire judicial body. The President knows that SC Chief Justice Sereno doesn’t approve of Jardeleza, yet Aquino appointed him to the post,” said Hicap Hicap said it would be more disturbing than awkward that Jardeleza, who defended DAP to the hilt during the oral arguments,” will now be among the SC Justices who had earlier unanimously declared that DAP is unconstitutional.” “With all the recent skirmishes between Malacañang and the High Court over the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP), Aquino is trying to extend his long hand in the Supreme Court through Jardeleza’s appointment as SC Associate,” said Hicap. “Jardeleza was removed from the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) shortlist but Aquino wielded all his authority to place ‘his guy’ in the Supreme Court,” the solon said. “If there’s anyone that Aquino can trust in the Supreme Court, it’s Jardeleza,” Hicap said. The other candidates to the SC post were Court of Appeals Associate Justices Apolinario Bruselas and Jose Reyes Jr., Commission on Audit (CoA) chairman Gracia Pulido-Tan and Quezon City regional trial court Judge Reynaldo Daway. Jardeleza is 64 years old and has six years to serve in SC. Before joining the government under the Aquino administration, Jardeleza was senior vice president and general legal counsel of San Miguel Corp. from 1996 to 2010 after a long stint in the Angara Abello Concepcion Regala and Cruz or ACCRA law firm. De Lima refused to confirm or deny the disloyalty issue being floated against Jardeleza. De Lima is an ex-officio member of the JBC which screens nominees for positions in the Judiciary. Jardeleza was accused of “disloyalty to the Republic of the Philippines” when he deleted some parts of the memorandum submitted by the Philippines to the United Nations (UN) involving the “territorial dispute” in the West Philippine Sea. The parts of the memorandum allegedly deleted by Jardeleza from the memorandum involved the “Itu Aba”, the biggest island in the Spratly Group of Islands, which is also being claimed by Taiwan. However, De Lima refused to confirm whether this was indeed the “integrity issue” being hurled against Jardeleza which prompted the JBC not to include his name in the shortlist even if he garnered sufficient number of votes from the members of the council. According to De Lima, the said issue is a sensitive matter because the arbitration case filed by the Philippines against China in connection with the West Philippine Sea is still ongoing. De Lima also expressed apprehension that the arbitration case filed by the Philippines may only be sabotaged. Nevertheless, De Lima believes that Jardeleza is qualified as Associate Justice of the SC who is known as “a professional and a hardworker”. Lawmakers from the ranks of both the administration and the opposition welcomed the appointment of Jardeleza. Iloilo Rep Niel Tupas, chairman of the House committee on justice, said Aquino made the right move in appointing Jardeleza. “The truth is, I voted to include him in the shortlist of the Judicial and Bar Council,” Tupas, a member of the JBC, said yesterday. 1-BAP party-list Rep Silvestre Bello, former Justice secretary during the time of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, also welcomed Jardeleza’s appointment. He said he Jardeleza is competent ang highly qualified for the position. Bello, member of the minority bloc, also said that Jardeleza is of unquestionable integrity. Hicap’s position was readily shared by youth solon, Kabataan Rep. Terry Ridon who said that the last-minute inclusion in the JBC shortlist and immediate appointment of Jardeleza to the SC is a blatant attempt of the Aquino administration to again undermine the independence of the High Court, this time from the inside. Angie M. Rosales, Charlie V. Manalo, Gerry Baldo tribune.net.ph/headlines/jardeleza-gets-noynoy-s-express-vote-for-sc-post
Posted on: Wed, 20 Aug 2014 14:46:46 +0000
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