Diokno, Villanueva, Herbosa again vie for SC post

MANILA, Philippines (2nd UPDATE) - There are 10 contenders for the post of Supreme Court justice, 3 of whom previously vied for the position of chief justice.

Cesar Villanueva, head of the Governance Commission for the GOCCs or Government-owned and Controlled Corporations, Securities and Exchange Commissioner Teresita Herbosa and De La Salle law school Dean Jose Manuel Diokno are in the running for the seat vacated by Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno following her appointment in August. Sereno served as associate justice from 2010 to August 2012.

Villanueva and Diokno were two of the 7 who were nominated to the post of associate justice, along with government peace panel head and former University of the Philippines Law Dean Marvic Leonen, retired trial court judge Adoracion Cruz Avisado, Court of Appeals Justices Noel Tijam, Magdangal de Leon and Isaias Dicdican.

Villanueva was nominated by Rep. Jerry Treñas, while Magdangal was recommended by retired SC Justice Angelina Sandoval-Gutierrez. Diokno was nominated by lawyer Pablito Sanidad.

Herbosa - who was almost disqualified in the race for the post of chief justice because of a disbarment complaint filed against her - applied for the post, as well as CA Presiding Justice Andres Reyes and CA Justice Ramon Bato. The disbarment complaints against Herbosa have already been dismissed.

Two others have been recommended or nominated for the 15th seat in the High Tribunal, but did not confirm their nomination - these include energy secretary Raphael 'Popo' Lotilla, and National Labor Relations Commission Joseph Gerard Mabilog. Edna Diño from the office of the chief attorney in the SC declined her nomination.

The Judicial and Bar Council - the body that screens and vets aspirants for posts to the judiciary - will now schedule the public interviews,where contenders will be asked about various issues, including their ideas for reforming the judiciary and their own judicial philosophy.

President Benigno Aquino III has 90 days to appoint a new SC justice.

This will be his fourth appointment in the Court; he previously named Sereno and Justices Estela Perlas-Bernabe and Bienvenido Reyes to the High Tribunal. - Rappler.com