Commission on Elections commissioner Rene Sarmiento on Wednesday said he was the "agent of change" that the judiciary needs now.
In his interview by the Judicial and Bar Council, Sarmiento delivered an opening statement that centered on his plan to uphold social justice and human rights.
"Sa tingin ko, ako ay akma kapag pinag-uusapan natin ang pagbabago," Sarmiento told members of the JBC, which screens and vets nominees for vacant judicial posts.
The Comelec official vowed to create a special human rights court in response to the backlog of cases in the judiciary.
Sarmiento noted he envisions a judiciary that has "ethics, morality, loyalty to the rule of law, and an advocate of the common good.
"A chief justice is not only a visionary but also a leader," added Sarmiento who became a Comelec commissioner in 2006.
Sarmiento said he was open to amending the 1987 Constitution, including changes in its economic provisions, through a constituent assembly.
"In this era of globalization, dapat buksan," Sarmiento said when asked if he would support moves to allow the sale of lands to foreigners.
He is open to modifying mining laws "to bring investments provided [the industry is] properly regulated."
Sarmiento supports the move to revive measures against political dynasties in the Philippines.
The Comelec official is among two of the 20 aspirants to chief justice post, whose candidacy hangs in the balance because of pending criminal or administrative charges.
Commissioner Sarmiento’s case before the Office of the Ombudsman was an offshoot of the 2010 automated national elections. Maria Cristina Agustin and Nelson Selis of the Philippine Computer Society alleged the commissioner was involved in an anomalous transaction involving the sale of computers to the commission.
The JBC had said that Sarmiento and De Lima – the other official with a pending case against her in court – would be automatically disqualified if their respective cases remain unresolved when council takes a vote on July 30.
According to JBC rules, a person cannot vie for a judiciary position and in the Office of the Ombudsman if he or she:
has a pending criminal or regular administrative cases
has a pending criminal cases in foreign courts or tribunals
or has been convicted in any criminal case or administrative case in which the penalty is at least more than P10,000 in fines.
The exemption to the rule is if the person has received judicial clemency. — VS, GMA News
source: gmanetwork.com
