Justice chief nominated to high court

JUSTICE Secretary Menardo Guevarra has been endorsed to fill a vacancy in the Supreme Court (SC) that will be left by retiring Justice Jose Reyes.

In a letter to the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) dated June 22, former chief presidential legal counsel Raoul Victorino nominated Guevarra for the Supreme Court post.

“I have known Secretary Guevarra to be a person of proven competence, integrity, probity and independence, and his sense of patriotism through his socio-civic engagements. I believe that he possesses the necessary credentials, professional experience and the motivation to discharge the duties as an associate justice of the Supreme Court,” he said.

He cited Guevarra’s good track record in government service, adding that the Justice chief graduated with honors from the Ateneo de Manila College of Law and placed in the 1985 Bar examinations.

Victorino said Guevarra had declined a previous nomination to the court because “he is still in love with the Department of Justice. This statement merely exemplifies the loyalty and dedication of the man, to public service and the pursuit of Justice, in our republic.”

Guevarra said he was thankful for Victorino’s nomination, but he had not made up his mind since there was still a lot of work to be done at the Department of Justice.

The 66-year-old Guevarra hails from Malhacan, Meycauayan, Bulacan. He graduated from the Ateneo magna cum laude in Political Science in 1974.

He earned a master’s degree in economics at the University of the Philippines in 1977.

Guevarra is an ex-officio member of the JBC and is expected to recuse himself from the vetting process once he accepts the nomination.

The Supreme Court is currently one associate justice short. The seat left by Justice Andres Reyes Jr., who retired last May 11, remains unfilled.

The JBC vet nominees for vacant posts in the judiciary and the Offices of the Ombudsman and Deputy Ombudsman. It then submits a short list to the president, who makes the final choice.

The council is headed by Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta, with Sen. Richard Gordon, Leyte Rep. Vicente Veloso and Guevarra as ex-officio members.