Who Will PNoy Appoint to the Supreme Court?
Get to Know the Next Supreme Court Associate Justice
Day 1 of the Judicial and Bar Council Public Interviews
Documented by: Leslie B. Flores and Reylynne F. dela Paz
Supreme Court Appointments Watch
On 19 July 2010, with less than 20 people inside the gallery, at around 9:50 am, or almost an hour late from the 9 o’clock am schedule, the Judicial and Bar Council interviewed five of the twenty eight applicants vying to be the next Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. Among those interviewed by JBC were Appellate Court Justices Hakim Abdulwahid and Mariflor Castillo, Justices Ernesto Acosta and Lovell Bautista of Court of Tax Appeals, and Sandiganbayan Justice Francisco Villaruz. Below are some notes from the public interview:
Justice Hakim Abdulwahid. Justice Abdulwahid has been nominated in four occasions in six Supreme Court vacancies in 2009. As an applicant, Justice Abdulwahid invokes the provision of the Republic Act 9054 or the Act amending Republic Act 6734, entitled ‘An Act Providing for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao”. Section 2 of the said Law provides that “it shall be the policy of the central government or national government that, whenever feasible, at least one (1) justice in the Supreme Court and two (2) justices in the Court of Appeals shall come from qualified jurists of the autonomous region.” When asked by JBC member J Castro however on how he assesses the Supreme Court in the delivery of justice, he said that he believes the High Court applies the Law to all citizens of the country regardless of religion.
Given the chance, Justice Abdulwahid would like to institute reforms in line with the effective administration of Sharia courts. On the possible reforms he would initiate in the Bar, his response was to support proposal to revise the format of bar exams wherein instead of essays, a certain portion of the exam should have objective type of questions.
On Constitutional amendments, Justice Abdulwahid thinks that the Senate and House of Representatives should vote separately as how they usually decide and vote on issues. He also prefers Constitutional Convention instead of Constituent Assembly.
He is in favor of foreigners acquiring lands in the country to improve the economy and attract investments, provided however that there should be limitations in their land acquisition. Justice Abdulwahid also favors the federal form of government because there will be more participation from the people and more funding in the local areas.
His judicial philosophy is to uphold the Constitution and rule of law and believes that justice is giving to the person what is due him.
He also believes that justices committing bribery should be dismissed from service and disbarred. He is most comfortable with labor law and has been a trial judge for 11 years.
Justice Abdulwahid currently has no pending case filed against him.
Justice Ernesto Acosta. Justice Acosta is the presiding justice of the Court of Tax Appeals. He believes that his experience is mainly but not exclusively on taxation. One of his major achievements in the CTA was to solve the problem of lack of adequate facilities for the Court of Tax Appeals. Justice Acosta has 95 percent affirmation rate of cases elevated to the Supreme Court. He believes that the challenge for him is to cope with the latest jurisprudence in fields of law other than taxation. He also was not very aware of the latest Supreme Court decisions and doctrines and despite his membership in the Board of the Philippine Judicial Academy, he seemed unaware of the PhilJA’s curriculum.
Get to Know the Next Supreme Court Associate Justice
Day 1 of the Judicial and Bar Council Public Interviews
Documented by: Leslie B. Flores and Reylynne F. dela Paz
Supreme Court Appointments Watch
On 19 July 2010, with less than 20 people inside the gallery, at around 9:50 am, or almost an hour late from the 9 o’clock am schedule, the Judicial and Bar Council interviewed five of the twenty eight applicants vying to be the next Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. Among those interviewed by JBC were Appellate Court Justices Hakim Abdulwahid and Mariflor Castillo, Justices Ernesto Acosta and Lovell Bautista of Court of Tax Appeals, and Sandiganbayan Justice Francisco Villaruz. Below are some notes from the public interview:
Justice Hakim Abdulwahid. Justice Abdulwahid has been nominated in four occasions in six Supreme Court vacancies in 2009. As an applicant, Justice Abdulwahid invokes the provision of the Republic Act 9054 or the Act amending Republic Act 6734, entitled ‘An Act Providing for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao”. Section 2 of the said Law provides that “it shall be the policy of the central government or national government that, whenever feasible, at least one (1) justice in the Supreme Court and two (2) justices in the Court of Appeals shall come from qualified jurists of the autonomous region.” When asked by JBC member J Castro however on how he assesses the Supreme Court in the delivery of justice, he said that he believes the High Court applies the Law to all citizens of the country regardless of religion.
Given the chance, Justice Abdulwahid would like to institute reforms in line with the effective administration of Sharia courts. On the possible reforms he would initiate in the Bar, his response was to support proposal to revise the format of bar exams wherein instead of essays, a certain portion of the exam should have objective type of questions.
On Constitutional amendments, Justice Abdulwahid thinks that the Senate and House of Representatives should vote separately as how they usually decide and vote on issues. He also prefers Constitutional Convention instead of Constituent Assembly.
He is in favor of foreigners acquiring lands in the country to improve the economy and attract investments, provided however that there should be limitations in their land acquisition. Justice Abdulwahid also favors the federal form of government because there will be more participation from the people and more funding in the local areas.
His judicial philosophy is to uphold the Constitution and rule of law and believes that justice is giving to the person what is due him.
He also believes that justices committing bribery should be dismissed from service and disbarred. He is most comfortable with labor law and has been a trial judge for 11 years.
Justice Abdulwahid currently has no pending case filed against him.
Justice Ernesto Acosta. Justice Acosta is the presiding justice of the Court of Tax Appeals. He believes that his experience is mainly but not exclusively on taxation. One of his major achievements in the CTA was to solve the problem of lack of adequate facilities for the Court of Tax Appeals. Justice Acosta has 95 percent affirmation rate of cases elevated to the Supreme Court. He believes that the challenge for him is to cope with the latest jurisprudence in fields of law other than taxation. He also was not very aware of the latest Supreme Court decisions and doctrines and despite his membership in the Board of the Philippine Judicial Academy, he seemed unaware of the PhilJA’s curriculum.
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