Psychic ex-judge guns for lone Supreme Court post

THE former regional trial court judge who was relieved from his post in 2006 for admitting that he had been consulting dwarfs in deciding cases have applied for the lone vacancy in the Supreme Court.

Former Malabon RTC judge Florentino Floro Jr., who had taken to calling himself the "Universal Chief Justice," is among the 16 applicants listed by the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) for the vacant post following the promotion of Maria Lourdes Sereno as Chief Justice.

Floro, who was relieved by the High Court of his post in March 2006 due to a medically disabling condition of the mind, earlier vied for the top judicial post following the ouster of Chief Justice Renato Corona, but had been excluded by the JBC along with another aspirant, nurse Jocelyn Esquivel, for failure to meet the minimum requirements for the position.
 
In filing his application for the post, Floro mentioned that one of the three dwarfish elements (nicknamed Luis, Armand and Angel) from whom he admitted to soliciting counsel for some of his court decisions, had sent a message to Sereno.
 
"My dear Chief Justice Meilou (Sereno), thy relation with God and Mary is not governed by rules; after your last breath, thou shalt be judged by the chief justice of the Universe, the most powerful before creation, whose hands and palms bear the elements 911," said Floro, referring to "Luis."
 
Aside from Floro, the new addition to the JBC list of applicants and recommendees were: Court of Appeals (CA) Justices Rosemari Carandang and Jose Reyes Jr., Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Maria Cristina Cornejo, and De La Salle University economics professor Jose-Santos Bisquera.
 
Earlier, the JBC listed as nominees CA justices Andres Reyes, Noel Tijam, Isaias Dicdican, Magdangal de Leon and Ramon Bato Jr.; former Davao City Regional Trial Court judge Adoracion Cruz-Avisado; Government Peace Panel Chair Marvic Leonen; Securities and Exchange Commission chair Teresita Herbosa; former Ateneo Law Dean Cesar Villanueva; and De La Salle Law Dean Jose Manuel Diokno.
 
Herbosa, Villanueva and Diokno, who have earlier vied for the Chief Justice post, again also signified their interest for the lone SC vacancy. Of the three, only Villanueva was shortlisted by the JBC for Chief Justice. Leonen and Lotilla were also nominated for the Chief Justice post but declined.
 
Other nominees who did not confirm their nomination are former Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla, National Labor Relations Commission Presiding Commissioner Joseph Gerald Mabilog and Supreme Court's chief attorney Edna Dino, who declined her nomination.
 
The application period for the position was from September 5 to 17, 2012.
 
According to the JBC, all are still subject to the screening process of the JBC and their qualifications will still be evaluated.

The JBC has yet to set a date for public interview, but those already interviewed for the Chief Justice post such as Herbosa, Villanueva and Diokno need not go through the same for this particular position.

President Benigno Aquino III has 90 days or until November 22 to appoint from the shortlist which will be submitted by the JBC. (JCV/Sunnex)