Aquino’s good ‘vibes’ with Sereno

MANILA, Philippines – She was not his first pick, but Maria Lourdes Sereno gave President Benigno Aquino III better “vibes” than the other equally qualified candidate he was eyeing for Chief Justice.

Asked by Rappler’s Maria Ressa on #TalkThursday what made him choose Sereno, he replied, “Well, there was someone else I wanted to be there but wasn’t on the short list. I interviewed most of the candidates…and at the risk of being impolitic, I wasn’t happy with the responses they gave to certain questions.”

There seemed to be a “very great philosophical divide” between him and the other candidates for chief justice. The other candidates included the most senior Justice Antonio Carpio, believed by some to be the most qualified but was hobbled by his association with the CVC law firm which had ties with former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Carpio was among the founding partners of the firm.

After the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) struck from its list Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, widely known as the President’s favored candidate, he interviewed 6 of the 8 who were shortlisted.

“I’m sure you’ve had experience of people trying to answer a question and had very, very, very faulty logic and really trying to force your acquiescence to their very faulty logic. I’d like to think that I really gave all of them a fair shake,” Aquino said of his interviews of the candidates for chief justice.

Asked how he decides when he has to choose between two equally qualified candidates for a position, Aquino said he looks at track record and all available information about them.

“You try to talk to people who know them, who’ve seen them in times of adversity and how they replied. Sometimes I’ll give them a question.”

Aquino has been criticized for being too personalistic and choosing to appoint only people he knows personally. But in deciding on appointments, he said he’s also had to rely on what “vibes” he has developed.

“Someone comes into a room – you should be able to tell whether you can trust this person or not.”

While his “vibes” have not failed him so far, he said, “Only in my love life is that deficient.” His previous relationships or friendships that included former Valenzuela coucilor Shalani Soledad and broadcaster Grace Lee did not work out. – Rappler.com