In a major step for transparency and accountability, the Judicial and Bar Council approved today an open voting system in its nomination of candidates to the Supreme Court.

By a vote of 6-2, open voting won against secrecy in the voting, which had been the practice of the screening body for years. The two who opposed open voting were Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez and former Justice Regino Hermosisima Jr.

Those who voted in favor were Chief Justice Reynato Puno, Dean Amado Dimayuga, former Justice Aurora Santiago Lagman, Rep. Matias Defensor, Senator Francis Joseph Escudero and lawyer  J. Conrado Castro.

It was Castro who first proposed that JBC conduct an on-the-record voting when it selects candidates to the SC.

In a phone interview, Defensor, who was initially for secret balloting, said the move should assuage concerns raised by SC watchers and observers that it is influenced by Malacanang.

“I still believe their anxiety (SC watchers) that Malacanang might control the SC  is still baseless. I thought that if they would feel more secure about open voting, then let it be,” Defensor said in explaining his change of position.

Gonzalez was not able to attend today’s JBC hearing but sent notice about his negative vote.

SC observers like the Supreme Court Appointment Watch (where Newsbreak is a partner) have pushed for open voting for greater accountability in the JBC. It is the JBC that vets nominees to the judiciary, the Ombudsman and the Deputy Ombudsman.

The JBC has the enormous responsibility next year of short-listing candidates to seven vacancies in the 15-man Tribunal. It recently finished its public interviews for nominees to the position soon to be vacated by Justice Ruben Reyes, who formally retires on Jan. 2, 2009.