JBC sets public interviews for Sandiganbayan presiding justice aspirants

The Judicial and Bar Council has scheduled the public interviews for those seeking to replace Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Edilberto Sandoval, who will retire in June this year. In an announcement published in The Philippine Star, the council set on June 1, 2011 the public interviews for Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Teresita Diaz-Baldos, law practitioners Tomas O. Cabili, Benguet trial court judge Danilo Camacho, and Manila trial court judge Silvino Pampilo Jr. The JBC is the constitutional body that vets, screens and recommends to the President nominees to judicial posts and nominees to the positions of Ombudsman and deputy Ombudsman. The JBC will no longer conduct a public interview for the other candidates because they were already interviewed in August last year. The other aspirants are Sandiganbayan associate justices Efren dela Cruz, Gregory Ong, Francisco Villaruz, and deputy court administrator Nimfa Vilches. Incumbent Sandiganbayan presiding justice Edilberto Sandoval will hang his robes on June 20, when he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 70. Sandoval is also the concurrent chair of the Sandiganbayan’s Second Division, which ruled in favor of former military comptroller Carlos F. Garcia, an accused plunderer who struck a plea bargaining agreement with the Office of the Ombudsman. In a 22-page resolution promulgated last Monday, the Second Division said there was no reason why deal should not be approved because Garcia has complied with the requirements required by the court, like the return of P135 million of the P303 million he allegedly plundered from the funds of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. The resolution was penned by Diaz-Baldos, who is among the eight candidates seeking to occupy the post that Sandoval will vacate in June. - Sophia Dedace/KBK, GMA News