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New SC chief bats for JBC rules review


Newly appointed Chief Justice Reynato Puno on Thursday underscored the need to revisit the rules of the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC), particularly on the uselessness of the public interview on candidates for the top post at the Supreme Court. In a press conference to upstart his first day in office, Puno said since the crafting and ratification of the 1987 Constitution, none of the appointed chief justice has underwent public interview by the JBC. "It is a fact that since the start of the Supreme Court, the candidates for chief justice have never been to this kind of an interview," he said. Puno said the JBC public interview was just brought out, through the JBC’s own rules, as a new dimension for the selection of chief justice. "I will not take hard fact stance on this matter. Let this be re-examined by the JBC, by the Court and by other stakeholders of the justice system," Puno said. Puno said he sees no need for a new law to be passed by Congress to amend the JBC rules. "JBC has its own rules [that could] be given a fresh look and, of course, the Court has to be consulted and the other sectors concerned," he said. "There must be some flexibility. We have to look at the rule and find out whether it needs some metamorphosis. Let’s not have fixed mindset on that issue." Last Nov. 29, the 8-man JBC panel then headed by Panganiban as ex-officio chairman, conducted a public interview for all the six candidates for chief justice. Puno and fellow Senior Associate Justices Leonardo Quisumbing, Antonio Carpio, Consuelo Ynares-Santiago and Angelina Sandoval-Gutierrez snubbed the public interview, citing the two-year standing resolution of the Supreme Court not to subject all incumbent justices of the high court for public interview, Of the six candidates for chief justice, only Sen. Miriam Santiago showed up before the JBC. Santiago, however, left upon learning that her rivals were not around. -GMANews.TV

Tags: sc, jbc
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