Looking for the Next Chief

Last week the country saw the first televised interview of the nominees for the next Chief Justice by the Judicial Bar Council.

This is a huge development in the cause for transparency in the judiciary.

Non-lawyers caught a glimpse, not of the morbid state of the judicial arm of the government which was rudely smacked on their faces with the televised impeachment of former Chief Justice Renato C. Corona, but feted with the brilliance of the logic of the nominees, the depth of their appreciation of the law and the breadth of their knowledge of the nuances of legal theories and jurisprudence.

Truth be told there were some nominees whose arrogance reminded us of the old boys club that epitomizes all that is rotten in our judicial system but some nominees made us smile and realize that a fifty something can still be idealistic and support that idealism with action.

As of date the Supreme Court had already set for oral argument the case brought by Congress wherein they insist that they should have two votes during the deliberations of the Judicial Bar Council.The Judicial Bar Council thus moved their deliberations to wait for the decision of the Supreme Court on the matter.

We the avid viewers are but waiting for the next episode of this telenovela and hope that the next justice would finally be someone who truly posses the qualities of competence, integrity, probity and independence.

(Also submitted for publication to the Sarangani Journal)