MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Francis Escudero on Tuesday chided Malacañang Palace for putting pressure on the Supreme Court on the issue of appointing a new Chief Justice before the May elections.

Escudero said Malacañang's move to pressure the Supreme Court on the issue of appointing the new Chief Justice shows a lack of delicadeza. He noted that there are already pending cases that either compel or stop the High Court from pressuring the Judicial Bar and Council to submit its shortlist immediately.

"We used to have what we call delicadeza in the country, Ngayon tila wala na talaga. I don't see any reason why Malacañang had to weigh in except to make known its position on the matter and to show its cards that they really want to appoint the next chief justice," he said in an ANC interview.

Various groups have said that President Arroyo cannot appoint the next Chief Justice since the appointment would fall within the 60-day constitutional ban on midnight appointments.

The Office of Solicitor General (OSG), however, said the President is allowed by the Constitution to appoint the successor of Chief Justice Reynato Puno since the ban on midnight appointments does not cover the Chief Justice post.

Escudero said the Judicial Bar and Council will await the SC's decision on when it should submit its shortlist for Chief Justice.

"The JBC will not be pressured one way or the other unless the SC decides and that decision becomes final in which case the JBC, whether majority of its members agree with the decision or not, would be obliged to follow and obey the SUpreme Court," he said.

"I just hope that the [SC] justices will have a sense of history and at the same really study the legalities involved in this particular issue and not be swayed one way or the other, either by public opinion or Malacañang, and for them to just choose in accordance with the law and what the intention of the law is," he added.