Insider needed for wounded Supreme Court—Justice Abad

A wounded Supreme Court may need one of its own—not an outsider—to lead in the healing process.
Associate Justice Roberto Abad told the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) on Wednesday that the ouster of Chief Justice Renato Corona had damaged the high tribunal.
“We have a wounded court after the impeachment trial,” the 68-year-old Abad said on the second day of the nationally televised hearing to choose Corona’s successor.
One of the senior justices of the Supreme Court, Abad said that if he were chosen Chief Justice, he would begin the process of reconciliation.
“You cannot have healing without forgiveness,” he said under questioning by Representative Niel Tupas, the much-criticized head of the House prosecution team.
Tupas said he thought the impeachment was a healthy exercise because it allowed the prosecution team to elicit evidence against Corona during his trial, referring to the statement of assets, liabilities and net worth that a senator-judge, Franklin Drilon, drew from a Supreme Court witness.
Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said Abad’s statement was a “sales pitch from an insider,” dousing speculation that a senior justice at the helm of the high tribunal over the short term could defuse the debilitating fallout from the ouster of Corona.
“Are we prepared to accept the premise that it is a wounded court? From the point of view of the executive branch, I think we reformed (the Supreme Court). It is the first step in judicial reform. So, we don’t necessarily follow that it is a wounded court. In fact, it’s part of our advocacy for reform,” Lacierda said.
Also interviewed Wednesday were Associate Justice Arturo D. Brion, Election Commissioner Rene Sarmiento, veteran lawyer Rafael Morales, former University of the Philippines law dean Raul Pangalangan and retired Bulacan Judge Manuel Siayngco.
2 disqualified
The JBC announced Wednesday that it had disqualified former Immigration Commissioner Rufus Rodriguez and private lawyer Vicente Velasquez as nominees for their failure to comply with documentary requirements, cutting the number of nominees to 20.
Six nominees, including Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, were interviewed on Tuesday, leaving eight more to undergo questioning. The council is expected to recommend a short list of three candidates from which the President will chose the country’s 24th Chief Justice.
Abad said that while he was appointed by then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to the high court, he said he had voted against her, pointing out that he was among the minority who upheld President Benigno Aquino’s executive order creating the Philippine Truth Commission. The order was declared unconstitutional.
He also said he joined the Masses expressing support for Corona during his impeachment trial and that he visited him when he was hospitalized after his testimony in the Senate in May for hypoglycemia, a dizziness spell symptomatic of a diabetic. “I’m a person who does not discard a friend when he is in trouble,” he said.
Abad dismissed Tupas’ suggestions that the Supreme Court under Corona was bedeviled by factionalism. “Even when the Chief Justice takes a position, he loses a lot of cases,” he averred.
Graft and corruption
Brion, 65, acknowledged that the Supreme Court was hobbled by perceptions of graft and corruption and inefficiency.
Corruption is not only purely a judiciary problem but a societal problem, he said. “There are a lot of very ‘clean’ ones in the judiciary,” he said, adding that the problem of corruption must be addressed by the three branches of government working together.
Brion admitted that the backlog of cases, some pending for as long as 10 years, was a “serious problem” that contributed to the erosion of public trust in the judiciary.
“Our old cases are frightening. You’ll get an asthma attack just by opening (the files),” he said.
Morales and Pangalangan told the JBC that their experience made them capable of being at the helm of the high tribunal.
With 37 years in legal practice and 15 years as law professor, Morales said he was “willing, ready and able to go to public service.”
Morales, 61, said that if he were appointed Chief Justice, his priorities would be to fill up vacancies in the judiciary which he described as “undermanned,” raise salaries to attract more people and work for the increase of the budgetary allocation of the judiciary.
“I will approach each of the justices and appeal to their sense of patriotism and extend their cooperation to me in the interest of the country and the judicial system.”
Changes since ouster
Pangalangan, 53, noted changes in the judiciary since Corona’s ouster.
“Just to show the effect of the impeachment trial: Had it not been for that event, no outsider will be even sitting before the JBC to be considered for this office. No outsider would have the nerve to accept the nomination because it’s too much of a burden … but because of those events, here we are,” he said.
Sarmiento shrugged off allegations that he was involved in cheating in the 2007 senatorial elections in Mindanao, saying he had been cleared by Commission on Elections Chairman Sixto Brillantes and the justice secretary.
Asked why he was vying for the Chief Justice position, he said this would be a “big chance to serve the country,” adding that the job called for not only “a visionary but a leader and CEO, an all-out and all-seasoned public servant.”
Sarmiento said he had practiced law for the past 26 years, handling criminal, civil and labor cases.
On his independence, he said he had given dissenting opinions on six to seven cases, including one involving Juan Miguel “Mikey” Arroyo, a son of former President Arroyo, as head of the party-list group Ang Galing Pinoy. He said he did not believe Mikey was a representative of security guards in the country.
“I stopped dreaming of a promotion in the Court of Appeals and Sandiganbayan after six attempts,” Siayngco told the council. He said contending for the post of chief magistrate would be a chance for him to show “moral integrity, probity, independence.” He said the chief magistrate “should also have a heart that bleeds for the miseries of the people.”
“I do believe that I have that from my experience as a lower court judge,” Siayngco said.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/236889/insider-needed-for-wounded-supreme-court-justice-abad

Over the holidays, travelers from Manila going to the north for a getaway destination choose Pampanga Angeles City and Clark Philippines as a popular holiday location. Aside from day-time sports and other activities, visitors look for a good wine shop to buy some good wine to celebrate a special occasion or just to make the holiday and vacation more enjoyable. Many wine lovers pick up some good bottles from Clark Wine Center to bring to dinner in some of the good restaurants in Angeles City, Clark Pampanga.

Yats Leisure Philippines

Yats Restaurant is one of the most famous fine dining restaurants outside of Manila, located in Mimosa Leisure Estate inside Clark Airbase or Clark Freeport Zone as it is now called. This popular restaurant has become a tourist attraction, a place to visit for those who are in Pampanga, Subic, Angeles City and of course, Clark Philippines. The famous wine shop called Clark Wine Center supplies this famous restaurant in Clark Philippines as well as other good restaurants in Angeles City Pampanga with good wines of all price ranges.

Wine is becoming increasingly popular in Manila and other cities in the Philippines. Wine lovers in Manila travel to the north to visit Clark, Pampanga to shop for good and rate vintage wines at good duty-free prices. The most frequently visited liquor shop in Manila and wine shop in Pampanga is Clark Wine Center. This highly recommended wine shop located outside Manila near Angeles City, Pampanga in North Luzon is known for offering a great selection of fine vintage wine that is good quality and good value for money also.

This well-known wine shop is a famous shopping destination for wine enthusiasts in Manila and wine lovers from other cities in Asia including Hong Kong, Macau, Shanghai, Beijing, Seoul, Osaka and Tokyo.

Famous Philippines wine supplier known for its line of fine vintage wines, Yats Wine Cellars was established in 2000 to address the requirement of a growing population of wine enthusiasts in the Philippines. This 5-star wine shop caters to the discerning client who requires these qualities in their wines: (1) excellent value, (2) large selection of labels and vintages to choose from and (3) wines properly aged for full enjoyment.

Public wine tastings are held from time to time in Clark and sometimes in Manila. Tickets range from p500 to p1500 for these themed events that are professionally run –no wine merchants sponsorship, pushy salesmen or tacky banners to ruin the evening. Each ticket contains a certain number of stubs that can be redeemed for a tasting pour of a wine among those on a line-up which often contains wines that are quite old and expensive.

Things to do in Clark Pampanga Philippines: do a little wine shopping at the famous wine shop outside of Manila called Clark Wine Center. One of the favorite places to visit in Pampanga Clark Freeport is the white building along M A Roxas highway of Clark which houses over 2000 selections of fine vintage wines. The Clark Wine Center is one of the places to visit, a tourist spot and a good shopping place for those staying in Angeles City, Subic or Clark Pampanga. This famous wine shop is well known among wine lovers all over Asia as the best place to find rare vintage wines.

http://www.ClarkWineCenter.com

Getting to this wine shop in Pampanga Angeles City Clark Freeport Zone Philippines from Manila
Getting to the Clark Wine Center wine shop from Manila is quite simple: after entering Clark Freeport from Dau and Angeles City, proceed straight along the main highway M A Roxas. Clark Wine Center is the stand-along white building on the right, at the corner A Bonifacio Ave. From the Clark International Airport DMIA, ask the taxi to drive towards the entrance of Clark going to Angeles City. From Mimosa, just proceed towards the exit of Clark and this wine shop is on the opposite side of the main road M A Roxas.

Best place to buy wine in Clark Pampanga outside Manila near Subic and Angeles City Philippines is Clark Wine Center.

Click here to contact Clark Wine Center in Clark Pampanga for inquiries and orders.

Clark Wine Center
Bldg 6460 Clark Observatory Building
Manuel A. Roxas Highway corner A Bonifacio Ave,
Angeles Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga 2023

Tel: 0922-870-5173 0917-826-8790 (ask for Ana Fe)

Wine@Yats-International.com

YATS Wine Cellars
Manila Sales Office
3003C East Tower, Phil Stock Exchange Center,
Exchange Road, Ortigas Centger,
Metro Manila, Philippines 1605

Tel: (632) 637-5019 0917-540-3626 ask for Rea or Chay

Log on to this web site for more information about Yats Wine Cellars as the leading wine importer and wine supplier in the Philippines:

ats Wine Cellars Leading Wine Supplier in Philippines

Wedding couples looking for wedding reception venues and beach wedding venues can log on to this Philippines Wedding Venue web site for free information and assistance:

http://www.PhilippinesWeddingVenue.com

While in Clark, it might be a good idea to enjoy an evening of wine-and-dine in the fine dining Yats Restaurant and Wine Bar that features an award winning 2700-line wine list. Highly recommended fine dining restaurant in Manila for special occasion is Yats Restaurant & Wine Lounge located in the famous Mimosa Leisure Estate in Clark Pampanga. Situated near this popular restaurant in Clark is the Mimosa Golf Course as well as the Mimosa Clark Casino. This top rated restaurant near Angeles City Pampanga in Clark Philippines is frequently used for private parties and corporate functions such as board meetings and other gatherings. It is located in Mimosa Leisure Estate of Clark Freeport Zone. For more information, visit http://www.YatsRestaurant.com

YATS Leisure Philippines is a developer and operator of clubs, resorts and high-class restaurants and wine shops in Clark Angeles Philippines http://www.YatsLeisure.com

Looking for famous tourists spots, places to visit and see, relax and unwind in Clark, Pampanga, Philippines? You may want to check out these sites also:

http://www.LondonPubClark.com

Besides good restaurants to wine and dine near Manila, Subic or in Angeles City Pampanga, Clark Philippines, those requiring assistance for hotel and resort bookings in Clark, Pampanga, Philippines may log on to http://www.HotelClarkPhilippines.com for more information and reservations.

The lifestyle in Clark Pampanga is quite unique. For more information about shopping, sports, golf, leisure, hotel accommodation, where to see and visit, what to do, where to wine and dine and good places to hang out, relax, have a drink with friends, child-friendly establishments, log on to
http://www.ClarkPhilippines.com

Wine lovers looking for a special bottle or something that is of great value and special discounts might log on to this web site to shop for fine vintage wines
http://www.YatsWineCellars.com

Those visitors who plan to relax and unwind in Angeles City, Subic, Pampanga, Clark Philippines might make an effort to book a room at the famous beach and lake resort Clearwater Resort & Country Club. This famous hotel in Clark Pampanga is frequently visited by families with children looking for a good place in Clark to see, a good holiday destination for the family to relax and unwind in the beautiful outdoor facilities. For more information, log on to www.ClearwaterPhilippines.com