Palace defends Duterte selection of San Bedans to SC

March 9, 2017

Malacanang defended on Thursday the appointment of two new justices of the Supreme Court who came from San Beda law school, where President Rodrigo Duterte graduated.

Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said everytime Duterte makes a decision, it is for the interest of the public.

"Yesterday I heard him say twice, you know it’s never a matter of personal interest, it’s always public interest first," Aguirre said in a press briefing.

"So from what we can see, from his gauge --- for public interest first. He must probably had seen that these classmates --- these schoolmates are --- you know, were within the standards that he demanded of," he added.

Duterte named Samuel Martires and Noel G. Tijam as new SC associate justices, both San Beda graduates.

The president is expected to appoint 10 more during his term because 10 SC justices are set to retire during his presidency.

Abella said Duterte's appointment of incoming magistrates in the high tribunal would not be confined from San Beda graduates.

"But certainly, it’s not just confined within his --- within his alma mater. But again and again, he has said that he has a very limited --- not very limited --- his knowledge of contacts is limited within a certain scope," he said.

Most of Duterte's appointed officials in the executive branch are either his friends from Davao or his colleagues when he was still at the law school.

"However he (Duterte) is, like I said, he is a man who listens, he is a man who’s deeply interested, he is a man who studies his subject matter and certainly he can go beyond his alma mater," Abella said. Celerina Monte/DMS