Arroyo selects Corona as next Supreme Court chief justice

Malacañang announced Wednesday morning that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has chosen Supreme Court Associate Justice Renato Corona to replace Chief Justice Reynato Puno, who is scheduled to retire on May 17.

Presidential spokesman Ricardo Saludo said that President Arroyo picked Corona, 61, from among the four nominees submitted by the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC), a Palace source said. GMANews.TV tried to get a confirmation from Supreme Court spokesman Midas Marquez but calls to his mobile phone went unanswered. To recall, President Arroyo named Corona as SC associate justice on April 9, 2002. He was one of the youngest magistrates ever appointed to the high tribunal. He had been President Arroyo's chief of staff, spokesman, and acting executive secretary. Corona served as a member of the faculty of the Ateneo Law School for 17 years, teaching Commercial Law, Taxation and Corporation Law. Aside from Corona, the nominees to the position were SC Associate Justices Teresita Leonardo-De Castro, Arturo Brion, and Acting Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Edilberto Sandoval. Prior to his appointment, talk was already rife that Corona was being groomed to succeed Puno. Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, who served as President Arroyo’s chief legal counsel before their relationship soured, is more senior than Corona but had turned down the JBC’s nomination. A check on previous Supreme Court rulings on controversial cases involving the Arroyo administration would show that Corona usually voted in favor of the administration while Carpio voted against it. Carpio was one of the founding partners of the prominent Carpio, Cruz and Villaraza Law Firm — also known as “The Firm" — which used to have close ties with President Arroyo. Other co-founders include former Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz and Arthur Villaraza. "The Firm" supposedly had a falling out with President Arroyo after the “Hello, Garci" controversy broke in 2005. Cruz and another “The Firm" member, former Ombudsman Simeon Marcelo, resigned from the Arroyo administration in 2005 and 2006, respectively. Midnight appointments It was a Supreme Court ruling that allowed Mrs. Arroyo to name a new chief justice despite a perceived ban on making appointments during election period. Section 15 Article VII of the 1987 Constitution prohibits the incumbent president from making appointments two months before an election and until his or term expires. Applied this year, the election ban started on March 10 and will last until the end of President Arroyo’s term on June 30. But last March, the High court decided that SC appointments are exempt from the election ban. [See: Supreme Court allows Arroyo to appoint next chief justice] Citizens' groups and legal experts groups have expressed concern that Mrs. Arroyo would be able to tighten her hold on the high court if she is allowed to appoint the next chief justice before she bows out as President on June 30. All the current members of the high court, except Puno, were appointed by Mrs. Arroyo. — With Johanna Camille Sisante, LBG/RSJ/HS, GMANews.TV