Press Release
January 11, 2010

KIKO PANGILINAN TO MALACANANG: SPARE THE SUPREME COURT FROM A TARNISHED IMAGE AND REPUTATION;
LET NEXT PRESIDENT APPOINT NEW CJ

Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan urges Malacanang to spare the judiciary from scandals as "an appointment of doubtful legality will harm the image and reputation of the Supreme Court."

"We call on the Arroyo administration to shield the Supreme court from scandal and controversy by not appointing the next Chief of Justice. It will be a black eye for the Supreme Court if the appointment of the next Chief Justice is shrouded with questions of legality and constitutionality. A questionable appointment of no less than the Chief Justice will adversely affect the image and reputation of the court and harm its credibility. We urge PGMA to steer clear of this controversial path by allowing the next President to appoint a new CJ when CJ Puno retires in May."

Pangilinan also urges the JBC not to submit a shortlist to Malacanang.

"In order to prevent Malacanang from making a midnight appointment for the post, all the JBC has to do is refuse to submit a shortlist. By doing this, Malacanang has no basis to issue an appointment, as a shortlist prepared by the JBC is a constitutional requirement for a valid appointment to the judiciary. The JBC should refuse to be made a tool for the violation of the constitutional ban on midnight appointments spelled out in section 15, article 7 of the constitution."

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