De Lima mum on Arroyo's opposition to SC Justice's Ombudsman bid

Justice Sec. Leila de Lima on Thursday declined to comment on former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's opposition to outgoing Supreme Court (SC) justice Conchita Carpio-Morales' application for the position of Ombudsman. De Lima the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC), of which she is a member, will still deliberate on the oppositions to Morales' Ombudsman bid, and thus any comment might preempt the council's discussions. The JBC is the constitutional body mandated to screen and recommend to the President appointees to vacant seats in the judiciary and appointees to the positions of Ombudsman and deputy Ombudsman. "Since I am a member, I'd rather not comment at this point. That would be discussed or deliberated upon that is why I don't want to be making any further comments," De Lima said at a news briefing. While De Lima declined to give her reaction, a fellow JBC member, Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas Jr., earlier said that Arroyo's opposition would not hold water because Morales' independence is beyond reproach. Tupas is an ally of the administration of President Benigno Aquino III, who is supposedly considering Morales as his top pick for the Ombudsman seat. Last Monday, Mrs. Arroyo and her former Justice secretary, Raul Gonzalez, filed with the JBC their respective oppositions to assail Morales' integrity. According to them, should Morales be named Ombudsman, she may not be fair in treating cases involving Arroyo and her family because Morales' pattern of voting would indicate she had voted against the interests of the Arroyo administration. However, on Thursday, De Lima said that the JBC will deliberate on whether Morales indeed showed bias in the decisions she wrote for the court majority or in her dissenting opinions. "Does it mean that when you decide cases against the former president, is that a sign of partiality or bias? I think the opinions — whether it's the majority decision or dissenting opinion — of Justice Morales would speak for themselves," De Lima said. Aside from Morales, the other candidates facing opposition to their nominations are former Solicitor General Frank Chavez and De La Salle University (DLSU) College of Law dean Jose Manuel Diokno, a human rights lawyer and national chair of the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG). - VVP, GMA News