IV. REFORMING THE JBC The question is whether the JBC has satisfactorily or merely perfunctorily performed its constitutional duty.. BY CARMELA FONBUENA April 30, 2021 | 11:30:00 PM
Court observers said many of the judiciary s problems are rooted in the JBC, the body that vets nominees to the judiciary.
“When we talk about independence, we’re not only talking about the independence of the SC but the independence of the JBC itself,” said Manuel.
The 1987 Constitution created the JBC to limit the president’s discretion to the list the body submits
It changed the process under Martial Law, when Marcos made all court appointments, and under the 1935 Constitution, when the president nominated the justices and the legislature confirmed them.
III. DUTERTE S WINNING STREAK “I haven t seen an appointee of President Duterte vote against him, whereas every president before him had a problem with the court. April 30, 2021 | 11:30:00 PM
Five years into his presidency, and with only a year left in his term, Duterte has packed the Supreme Court with his appointees. Twelve out of 15.
There will only be two justices he didn’t appoint who will be left in the high court by the time his successor assumes office in 2022. There’s also a pending impeachment complaint against one of them, Associate Justice Marvic Leonen.
The Supreme Court, much like Congress, has long been criticized as a rubber stamp of the executive. But it has turned for the worse under Duterte, said Gatmaytan.