Two Sandiganbayan justices who have been embroiled in controversies—one for a widely publicized case and the other in a citizenship row—on Friday faced the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) for their bid to become the next highest official of the anti-graft court.
Garcia was accused of pocketing P303 million while still in the Armed Forces of the Philippines. On March 16, 2010, the Sandiganbayan approved the Ombudsman’s request for Garcia to enter into a plea bargaining agreement that would allow Garcia to plead guilty to two lesser offenses, return around half of what he allegedly stole from government coffers, and post bail.
In her JBC interview, Baldos said she thinks the government should be more careful in releasing to the public copies of statements of assets, liabilities, and net worth, saying these can be used to harrass public officials.
“There should be guidance in maintaining the confidentiality of these public documents,” Baldos stressed.
Citizenship controversy
Next to be interviewed was Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Gregory Ong, who earlier became the subject of a citizenship controversy, with Special Prosecutor Dennis Villa-Ignacio questioning Ong’s Filipino citizenship before the Supreme Court due to his Chinese roots.
Ong was originally appointed by former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as an associate justice of the Supreme Court, but his appointment was rejected by the SC en banc due to questions on his citizenship.
In his defense, Ong said that while his parents were Chinese citizens, his father was naturalized as a Filipino citizen when Ong was just 11 years old. Ong said he was also able to secure a certification from the Bureau of Immigration and the Department of Justice that he is a natural-born citizen.
In late 2007, a Pasig Regional Trial Court had granted Ong’s petition to be recognized as a natural-born citizen. In August, Arroyo appointed Ruben Reyes instead of Ong in the Supreme Court, after the latter withdrew his appointment due to the controversy.
Baldos and Ong are vying for the post vacated by Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Francisco Villaruz, who turned 70 years old earlier this month.
