Noynoy to Arroyo on SC chief issue: Recognize new govt

"Inappropriate" was how Senator Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III described President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's decision to name Associate Justice Renato Corona as the incoming chief justice. In a statement issued Wednesday, Aquino said Mrs. Arroyo should have waited for the next administration to name the replacement of Chief Justice Reynato Puno, who will retire on May 17 upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70. "There is no vacancy to be filled," Aquino said, adding that Mrs. Arroyo should "recognize the new government's right to appoint the next chief justice. "There is still time for Mrs. Arroyo to reconsider her decision. We hope she will choose not to add another burden on top of everything else she will be leaving behind," he said. Based on GMA Network's partial and unofficial tally, Aquino was leading his closest rival for the presidency, former President Joseph Estrada, by nearly five million votes. The Senate and the House of Representatives have yet to convene to officially start the canvassing of votes for president and vice president. Palace names Corona Earlier in the day, Malacañang announced that Corona, one of the youngest magistrates ever appointed to the Supreme Court, would be replacing Puno. Prior to being appointed to the high tribunal in April 2002, Corona had been President Arroyo's chief of staff, spokesman, and acting executive secretary. Other nominees for the position were SC Associate Justices Teresita Leonardo-De Castro, Arturo Brion, and Acting Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Edilberto Sandoval. 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 not covered by the election ban. [See: Supreme Court allows Arroyo to appoint next chief justice] Citizens' groups and legal experts 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. For his part, Aquino, who is likely to succeed Mrs. Arroyo, said: "We will resolve the problem of the appointment of the Chief Justice with the utmost consideration for the provisions of the Constitution and the interest of the Filipino people." — Johanna Camille Sisante/RSJ/KBK, GMANews.TV