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Viewing cable 05MANILA5806, SEARCH FOR NEW SUPREME COURT CHIEF JUSTICE NARROWS

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
05MANILA5806 2005-12-14 03:33 2011-08-25 00:00 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Embassy Manila
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MANILA 005806 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, INR/EAP, INR/B, G/TIP 
DEPT PLEASE PASS TO USAID ANE/TS - L. SAULS 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PGOV KCOR PREL ECON EAID ETRD PINR RP
SUBJECT:  SEARCH FOR NEW SUPREME COURT CHIEF JUSTICE NARROWS 
DOWN TO THREE CANDIDATES 
 
REF: A. MANILA 5688 
 
     B. MANILA 5012 
 
1.  (U) This message is Sensitive But Unclassified -- Please 
handle accordingly. 
 
2.  (SBU) Summary:  The GRP's Judicial and Bar Council has 
submitted to President Arroyo its "short list" -- consisting 
of the three most senior associate justices -- to succeed 
current Supreme Court Chief Justice Hilario Davide who is 
retiring on December 20.  President Arroyo must appoint a 
successor from the list within 90 days of Davide's 
retirement.  A USG-funded project is underway to ensure 
greater transparency in the appointment process.  The new 
Chief Justice will need to press forward on the judicial 
reforms begun by the highly-regarded Davide.  End Summary. 
 
----------------------------- 
Search for Next Chief Justice 
----------------------------- 
 
3.  (U) The search for the 21st Chief Justice of the 
Philippine Supreme Court is almost at an end.  From November 
4-10, the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC), a presidentially- 
appointed advisory group, solicited nominations to fill the 
Chief Justice position.  (Note:  The JBC consists of 
representatives from the House, the Senate, the Department 
of Justice, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, academia, 
and the private sector.  A retired representative of the 
judiciary also sits on the panel.  End Note.)  The position 
is being vacated by Chief Justice Hilario G. Davide, Jr., 
who is scheduled to step down from the bench upon reaching 
the mandatory retirement age of 70 on December 20 this year. 
(Note:  Davide has been Chief Justice since 1998 and was an 
associate justice before that.  End Note.)  When nominations 
closed on November 10, the list consisted of the five most 
senior incumbent associate justices sitting on the Supreme 
Court. 
 
4.  (U) The JBC was scheduled to hold public interviews of 
all candidates on December 1.  On that date, however, the 
two least senior jurists on the list, Justices Consuelo 
Ynares-Santiago and Angelina Sandoval-Gutierrez, recused 
themselves from consideration.  In response, the JBC 
canceled public hearings on the candidates, stating that the 
list was now "a fait accompli" and the three remaining names 
would be submitted to Malacanang for review.  (Note:  The 
JBC is required by the Constitution to submit to the 
President a list of three candidates for the Chief Justice 
position.  Traditionally, the JBC has submitted the list to 
Malacanang just before the incumbent Chief Justice retires. 
End Note.) 
 
-------------------- 
The Three Candidates 
-------------------- 
 
5.  (U) The three remaining candidates for Chief Justice 
are: 
 
-- Associate Justice Reynato S. Puno, age 65:  The most 
senior Justice after Davide, Puno was appointed to the 
Supreme Court in 1992 by President Fidel Ramos.  He earned a 
law degree from the University of the Philippines, and has 
Masters degrees in Comparative Law from Southern Methodist 
University and U.C. Berkeley.  Prior to his appointment he 
taught law and worked as a bar examiner. 
 
-- Associate Justice Artemio V. Panganiban, age 69: 
Appointed to the Supreme Court in 1995 by President Ramos, 
Panganiban has been described as the most prolific writer 
and one of the most articulate jurists on the Court.  Prior 
to his appointment he was a private attorney, a high-level 
manager at the "Philippine Daily Inquirer" (a Manila English- 
language newspaper), and a member of the Pontifical Council 
for the Laity, appointed by Pope John Paul II. 
 
-- Associate Justice Leonardo A. Quisumbing, age 66:  After 
a long career in the executive branch, Quisumbing was 
appointed to the Supreme Court in 1998 by President Ramos. 
Prior to his appointment, he served as Acting Secretary of 
Defense, Acting Executive Secretary under President Ramos, 
and Secretary of Labor and Employment.  He also practiced 
law as a partner in a major firm. 
 
---------- 
Next Steps 
---------- 
 
6.  (U) On December 2, the JBC officially submitted the list 
of three candidates to President Arroyo.  The President must 
appoint the next Chief Justice within 90 days of the date 
the position becomes vacant (i.e., on or about March 20). 
In the past, the President has typically appointed a 
successor within about a week after the retirement of the 
incumbent Chief Justice, so the appointment could be 
imminent.  The President's appointment becomes effective 
immediately and does not require confirmation by Congress. 
After the President appoints the new Chief Justice, the 
process will begin to fill the vacancy for associate justice 
left by Davide's successor.  The procedures for appointing a 
new associate justice will be the same as for the current 
vacancy. 
 
------------- 
USAID Project 
------------- 
 
7.  (U) The USAID-funded NGO "Transparency and 
Accountability Network" (TAN) launched a project called 
"Supreme Court Appointments Watch" to encourage greater 
civil society participation in the appointment process and 
to ensure greater transparency.  TAN worked as part of a 
coalition to conduct public information campaigns and invite 
the public to submit reports to the JBC on the nominees. 
Other coalition members include The Asia Foundation; 
Alternative Law Groups, Inc.; the Association of Law 
Students of the Philippines; the Integrated Bar of the 
Philippines; the Lawyers' League for Liberty; and the 
Philippine Association of Law Schools.  This project is 
similar to the recent USAID-sponsored "Ombudsman Appointment 
Watch II," which facilitated wider public participation in 
the appointment process that resulted in the choice of new 
Ombudsman, Maria Merceditas "Mercy" Gutierrez (refs A-B). 
 
------- 
Comment 
------- 
 
8.  (SBU) The new Chief Justice will need to press forward 
on the judicial reforms begun by Davide.  Davide is widely 
respected for his efforts to reform the Philippine judicial 
system by trying to reduce the backlog of cases, hire more 
judges, and remove corrupt officials.  The new Chief Justice 
will have to work hard to continue these reforms -- despite 
Davide's best efforts, the judiciary still is afflicted by 
corruption; poor pay and working conditions for judges and 
other employees; lack of computers; and not enough use of 
alternative dispute resolution methods that would help 
unclog court dockets.  In addition, Davide's successor will 
need to work on further institutionalizing dedicated 
Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) courts.  He will also 
need to consider establishing special courts to handle 
terrorism and trafficking in persons (TIP) cases, all of 
which the USG supports.  All three candidates to replace 
Davide have solid reputations, which is positive for the 
reform effort. 
 
JONES