She may be young, but not too young to become Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
It is also not out of conceit that Internal Revenue Commissioner Kim Henares boasted an advantage over other aspirants for the post of ousted Chief Justice Renato Corona because she had seen how the judiciary worked up close and personal.
So said presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda.
On Monday, Lacierda indicated that the 51-year-old Henares had the lock on the Corona post, but backtracked later in the day, saying President Benigno Aquino had not yet made up his mind. That same day, a commentator said Corona’s replacement should not be an “Aquino toady.”
But the way he spoke Wednesday about the Bureau of Internal Revenue chief and Aquino’s shooting buddy spoke volumes.
“Age is not a factor,” Lacierda told Palace reporters.
“If you look at it, the present Chief Justice—again, I’m doing a comparison—the present Chief Justice of the United States Federal Supreme Court is only in his 50s,” Lacierda said.
The Constitution requires Supreme Court justices to be a natural-born Filipino, at least 40 years old and must have been a judge or must have practised law in the country for at least 15 years.
Justices of the US Federal Supreme Court may serve until they decide to retire, Lacierda said.
“And unlike in the Philippines where the justices have to retire at the age of 70, those in America [serve] until they decide to retire. They don’t have a [fixed term] in the United States,” he added.
Source : By Edu Punay (The Philippine Star)
