Philippine Supreme Court Justices: Should they be elected or not?

Philippine Supreme Court Justices: Should they be elected or not?
 

THE JUDICIARY IS ONE OF THE THREE BRANCHES of the government which is co-equal with the Legislative and the Executive branches. Under the Judiciary Department is the Supreme Court which is the highest court of the land. It is composed of 14 Associate Justices appointed by the President of the Philippines.  The Judiciary is the only department of the government wherein its justices are appointed and not elected by the voting citizens.
               
The 8-5 votes of Supreme Court in favor of a temporary restraining order filed by the former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on the watch list order of the Department of Justice is so controversial. As they were appointed by her, many say that most of the Associate Justices of Supreme Court are part of the elaborate scheme laid down by the past administration to frustrate efforts of exacting accountability and justice from the decrepit couple.
 
Possible Reasons for the Affirmative side
1. Supreme Court’s decisions will not be tainted with doubts since they are elected by people and not appointed by a politician.
2. It will increase people’s trust on our Justice system for they are elected by the people.
3. Presidents can no longer receive special favors from the Supreme Court.
4. It will strengthen the power of the Judiciary Department and make it more independent from the Executive Department.
5. Justices will owe their allegiance to the electorates and not to the president who appoints them.
 
Possible Reasons for the Negative side
1. Conducting an election means more expenses on the side of the Government.
2. Electoral system is not yet that efficient to produce reliable results.
4. Justices will have money campaign contributors like big companies which may affect their ruling whenever their sponsors are in dispute in court.
5. They are no longer free to do what they feel is best because they have to make decisions that will be popular to the voters.
 
The Contributors/Online Moderators:
Camille Angelica B. Gonzales graduated from Marian School of Quezon City and New Era University-Highschool. She is her family’s interior designer and a certified iced tea lover.
Kristine Joy E. Romero is from Deparo Elementary School and Deparo High School. She describes her self as “simple and that’s all.”
Ivy Joyce De Pedro went to NewEra Elementary School ,Dagat-Dagatan Elementary School , Macario B. Asistio Sr. High School , and University of the East – Caloocan. She considers herself as having “normal weight but of a tiny height.”
Raymar Mendez graduated from Balucoc Elementary School and Frances High School. He introduces himself as “the indeterminate one.”
Rencie Alyssa Acejo is an alumna ofGeneralMaximo Hizon Elementary School and Holy Heart Christian Academy. She loves going to the mall with her cousin.
 
Some rules in this online debate:
Non-sense comments are discouraged.Please avoid using foul words. Since this is an open friendly debate, rude behavior will not be tolerated.
Disclaimer: This is not a formal survey. This is an open friendly debate.
 
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TAG: Philippine Supreme Court Justices: Should they be elected or not?
 

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