Enrile: Aquino should thank Arroyo for appointing chief justice

Instead of criticizing President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, ‘potential president’ Senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino III should be thankful for the appointment of Associate Justice Renato Corona as the next Supreme Court chief justice, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said Thursday. He even urged Aquino to study the 1987 Constitution. During a weekly news forum at the Senate, Enrile said Aquino, who is most likely to succeed Mrs. Arroyo, cannot appoint the next chief justice. "I respect the opinion of the potential president of the country, Noynoy, but I think he should instead be thankful that President Arroyo appointed a chief justice because if the sitting president hesitates to appoint a chief justice, Noynoy cannot appoint a chief justice if they will follow the logic that they have to pass through the JBC (Judicial and Bar Council)," he said. There will be no JBC when Aquino assumes the presidency on June 30 because of the absence of the chief justice, Enrile said. The JBC recommends the appointees to the Judiciary and the President selects from a list provided by the JBC. Chief Justice Reynato Puno will retire on May 17 upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70. "That’s very clear in the Constitution, the chief justice is the ex-officio chairman of the JBC, if he is not there, the JBC cannot function," Enrile said. He said the same way the Commission on Appointments cannot function without a Senate President. "My God, these people must study the Constitution first before they open their mouths," Enrile said. In a statement issued Wednesday, Aquino said Mrs. Arroyo should have waited for the next administration to name the replacement of Puno and "recognize the new government's right to appoint the next chief justice." [See: Noynoy to Arroyo on SC chief issue: Recognize new govt] "There is no vacancy to be filled," Aquino said. — LBG/KBK, GMANews.TV