MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino appointed yesterday and immediately swore in government chief peace negotiator Marvic Leonen as Supreme Court (SC) associate justice, a decision that Malacañang said would be one of the administration’s “lasting legacies.”
Leonen, at 49 one of the youngest SC justices ever, is expected to serve for 21 years, or until he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 70.
He took his oath at 4:20 p.m. at Malacañang.
While his appointment was expected because he had worked with Aquino, the President said he interviewed all the nominees for the position to give everyone a fair chance.
Leonen’s appointment immediately broke in social media as his friends and well-wishers started congratulating him.
Confirming the appointment, Leonen said the President’s choice was consistent with his “desire for a judiciary imbued with the highest standards of independence, probity and integrity.”
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A former dean of the University of the Philippines College of Law, Leonen earned praise for leading the government panel that hammered out a framework agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which could pave the way for lasting peace and development in Mindanao.
He received his Bachelor of Laws from UP and Master of Laws from Columbia University in New York.
He fills the seat vacated by Maria Lourdes Sereno, who was appointed chief justice.
“President Aquino views his appointment as a contribution to his vision of an empowered, independent, and reformist judiciary. Dean Leonen had contributed significantly to the cause of a just, dignified, and lasting peace with our Muslim brothers and sisters while keeping with the spirit and letter of the Constitution,” presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said.
“A revitalized Supreme Court, with the renewed confidence and public trust of our people, is essential to the fulfillment of the President’s social contract with the Filipino people: a truly impartial judicial system that delivers equal justice to rich and poor,” he said.
The road to the Supreme Court
Before heading the peace panel in 2011, Leonen served as dean of the UP College of Law from 2008 to 2011 but offered to resign in December 2010 due to a plagiarism issue.
He tendered his resignation after being accused of using “original source material without attribution” in an article he wrote for the Journal of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines in 2004.
However, based on reports, Owen Lynch, an American law professor in UP, saw no intellectual dishonesty even if Leonen failed to attribute some of his ideas in his article.
In August 2010, Leonen was among the 37 UP law professors who called for the resignation of SC Associate Justice Mariano del Castillo for allegedly plagiarizing parts of his ruling on comfort women.
He also criticized the SC for flip-flopping in various cases and said the justices were not gods when then chief justice Renato Corona was impeached and tried by the Senate.
Leonen was also known to be one of those who went against the decision of then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to name a chief justice despite the 2010 election appointment ban but which the SC ruled to be legal.
He topped the list of the Judicial Bar and Council tasked to vet nominees to the SC.
Obvious choice
Before leaving for Cambodia on Saturday night, the President was able to interview the other nominees – former energy secretary Raphael Lotilla, Court of Appeals (CA) presiding Justice Andres Reyes Jr. and Justices Rosmari Carandang, Jose Reyes Jr. and Noel Tijam and De La Salle University law dean Jose Manuel Diokno.
In a press briefing, Lacierda said MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal endorsed Leonen to be SC justice and that the government panel would continue its work.
He said Leonen was not a shoo-in because all the nominees were given a chance to talk to the President.
Lacierda sees no conflict of interest even if Leonen will be SC associate justice after working on the framework agreement with MILF.
“The fact that he has worked with him for several months on the framework agreement gave him an idea on at least the thought process of Dean Marvic Leonen. The fact that the President was able to work with Dean Marvic was certainly a factor the President considered,” he said, adding that Aquino went through a “very deliberative process” in making his choice.
He said Leonen being the obvious choice was the media’s perspective on the whole selection process “but the President in our discussions said he was going to go through all of the nominees and he was going to be fair to all.”
Administration allies welcomed the appointment of Leonen, saying he “will bring a wealth of academic experience to the high tribunal.”
Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Deles said Leonen’s appointment will not affect the momentum of the peace process.
“The Supreme Court gains a member with a deep understanding of the Constitution and our nation’s historic journey to peace. This is indeed a major gain in our continuing journey for peace and justice,” Deles said.
She said Leonen will help boost the Aquino government’s bid to achieve a lasting peace in Mindanao and all fronts.
“Government negotiations with the MILF are on track and moving towards the completion of the Comprehensive Agreement by the end of the year. The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process and the panel are ready to ensure the necessary leadership for the panel to successfully complete its tasks,” Deles said.
She said the panel will immediately submit their recommendation for the replacement of Leonen to the President. (From Philstar.com)