(UPDATED) The spotlight is cast on Judicial and Bar Council reforms
MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – Soon after President Aquino steps down in June 2016, his successor will appoint 3 justices to the Supreme Court – and 8 more till the end of his or her term in 2022 – or a total of 11* out of 15 justices. That will be almost triple the number of justices (4) that President Aquino appointed to the Supreme Court.
This fact, more than ever, puts the spotlight on the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC), the body that vets candidates to the judiciary. Will it be insulated from politics in making its choices? Will it be truly independent and fearless in selecting members of the highest court of the land?
As JBC member Justice Aurora Santiago-Lagman said, “The quest for judicial integrity begins with the JBC.”
Read full and original article at https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/in-depth/77160-aquino-successor-supreme-court-justices/
