Documentation of JBC Public Interviews continued...
Four members of the Judicial and Bar Council were present on Days two and three of the public interviews. They were Chief Justice Renato Corona, Justice Regino Hermosisima, Atty. J Conrado Castro, and Justice Aurora Santiago-Lagman. Candidates interviewed on Day 2 were Appellate Court Justices Remedios Salazar Fernando and Portia Alino Hormachuelos, Atty. Katrina Legarda, Atty. Epifania Mendoza, and former UP College of Law Dean Raul Pangalangan.
Day three interviewees were Sandiganbayan Justice Edilberto Sandoval, Commission on Elections Commissioner Rene Sarmiento, Atty. Lourdes Sereno, and Court of Appeals Presiding Justice Andres Reyes.
Only three members of the JBC (without CJ Corona) were present to interview the last five candidates on Day four. The candidates interviewed were Dean Amado Valdez of the University of the East College of Law, Atty. Alberto Valenzuela, Court of Appeals Justices Vicente Veloso and Japar Dimaampao, and Ateneo Law School Dean Cesar Villanueva.
DAY 2 of JBC PUBLIC INTERVIEW, 21 JULY 2010
JUSTICE REMEDIOS SALAZAR FERNANDO. Justice Remedios Salazar Fernando prides herself with a .05% reversal rate from the Supreme Court and a zero backlog per month at the Court of Appeals. She offers herself to the court and to country and will maintain her independence.
For Justice Fernando, her most difficult decision was the case of Jonas Burgos, the first Writ of Amparo case filed before the Court of Appeals and that which lasted for more than a year.
On the issue of the oil depots in Manila, Justice Fernando believes that that oil depots should be moved to other safer places because the 96 million pesos that the city of Manila earns from the depots would be nothing compared to the possible destruction these could do in Metro Manila.
On enhancing poor’s access to justice, she actually participates in Supreme Court’s endeavors to increase access of underprivileged to justice.
On handling public pressure, Justice Fernando said she is guided by the Code of Judicial Conduct that justices should not be affected by public opinion and should just consider the facts of the case and the relevant laws. Transparency for her is also important for better understanding of the Court’s decisions.
Justice Fernando was able to answer Justice Corona’s questions on the Supreme Court’s latest rulings with regards to election law issues and Writ of Kalikasan.
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