Sereno pushes for review of JBC process

MANILA, Philippines – Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno wants to have the selection process of the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC), the body that screens and vets aspirants to posts in the judiciary, reviewed. 

Senator Francis Escudero, one of the 8 members of the JBC, said that Sereno – who as chief justice automatically assumes the JBC chairmanship – said that the whole process will be reviewed by the JBC in a workshop or retreat, which may be conducted in the next two weeks. 

JBC member Jose Mejia said Sereno wants the process “re-tooled” to expedite the filling up of vacancies in the judiciary. At present, the JBC has to select nominees for 12 vacancies in lower courts nationwide and one seat in the Supreme Court. 

Both denied though that Sereno wants to merely evaluate one requirement for contenders and applicants for the post – the psychological exams.

“Wala siyang sinabi na yun ang gusto nya. Kasama yan sa mga ni-re-review niya at isa yun sa pinag-usapan ng JBC. In fact, pati budget pinag-uusapan, pati policies ng JBC because she wants to be updated as well with the traditions that the JBC has had in the past years. (She didn’t say that that’s what she wants. That’s part of what she wants — to review — and that’s one of the things being tackled by the JBC. In fact, even the budget is being discussed, as well as the policies of the JBC, because she wants to be updated as well on the traditions that the JBC had in the past years),” Escudero said.

Results of Sereno’s psychological exams hit the headlines after the Manila Times reported that she and Solicitor General Francis Jardeleza got a grade of 4 in the tests during their nomination for the post of chief justice. A grade of 5 means failure.

The newspaper quoted from the supposed results of the report, which described Sereno as someone who “projects a happy mood but has depressive markers too. There is a strong tendency to make decisions based on current mood thus, outcome is highly subjective and self-righteous.”

The results of the report are supposed to be confidential. The JBC even turned down a request from Justice Arturo Brion to obtain the results of his own psychological test.

The JBC will probe the leak of the results of Sereno and Jardeleza’s psychological tests. Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, also a member of the body, said the National Bureau of Investigation is willing to help the JBC to determine how the leak happened. – Rappler.com

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