MANILA, Philippines – Lawyer Walter Ong was shortlisted to the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan, where his brother Gregory Ong served for 16 years before he was dismissed in 2014 for links to alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim Napoles.

Walter Ong, a private practitioner, is one of the 6 shortlisted to the Sandiganbayan as released by the Judicial Bar Council (JBC) on Friday, September 29.

Those short-listed are:

1.  Dennis Patrick Perez
2. Maryann Corpus-Mañalac
3. Raymond Reynold Lauigan
4. Perpetuo Lucero Jr
5. Mia Joy Oallares-Cawed
6. Walter Ong

The short list submitted to President Rodrigo Duterte is for the vacancy left by the later former Associate Justice Maria Cristina Cornejo, who passed away in September. 

(READ: EXPLAINER: How the Judicial and Bar Council works)

Walter Ong’s brother former justice Gregory Ong was dismissed by the Supreme Court (SC) in 2014 for gross misconduct, dishonesty and impropriety after the investigating head retired justice Angelina Sandoval-Gutierrez concluded that Gregory Ong was Napoles’ main contact at Sandiganbayan.

Walter Ong is also shortlisted to the Court of Appeals (CA). In August, he was shortlisted for the vacancy left by Justice Noel Tijam (who is now SC Associate Justice). Earlier in April, Walter Ong was also shortlisted to the CA for the vacancy left by Justice Francisco Acosta.

Others shortlisted

Corpus-Mañalac is the Judge of Makati City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 141. She was the Judge who issued the notice to vacate to the Prieto and Rufino-owned Sunvar Realty Development Corporation, ejecting them and their tenants from the disputed Mile Long property in Makati.

Corpus-Mañalac is also shortlisted to the Sandiganbayan for the vacancy left by Associate Justice Samuel Martires (now Associate Justice of the SC).

There are currently 4 vacancies at the Sandiganbayan – those left by Martires, Cornejo, Associate Justice Alexander Gesmundo (now with SC) and the recently-retired Associate Justice Rodolfo Ponferrada.

Perez is a trial court judge from Binangonan, Rizal and the grandson of former SC Associate Justice Calixto Zaldivar.

Lauigan is a trial court judge from Tuguegarao City, Lucero is a private lawyer and Oallares-Cawed is a trial court judge from Baguio City. – Rappler.com