President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is in no hurry to appoint the next Chief Justice.

Malacañang said Tuesday the President won’t in any way embarrass retiring Supreme Court Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno by appointing his replacement even before he retires on May 17.

This developed as the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) is all set to submit Wednesday its nominees for Chief Justice to President Arroyo.

Press Undersecretary and Deputy Presidential Spokesman Rogelio Peyuan said the President can wait until Puno retires since she is “not pressured” to immediately name the next High Court chief.

“I would presume the President is properly guided not only by both decisions of the Supreme Court and Judicial Bar Council. Definitely, she is in the right place to decide as to when to actually appoint the next Chief Justice,” he told reporters.

Peyuan issued the statement after the Supreme Court warned that the President could not make any appointment until a vacancy is created on May 17, the day when Puno retires.

The High Court issued such reminder after Malacañang announced that the President would name the new Chief Justice before May 10 polls.

He said the President would abide “whatever would be best to maintain the integrity of her appointing power.”

Last Monday, the JBC voted for four nominees to replace Puno, who retires on May 17 when he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 70.

The four are SC Associate Justices Renato C. Corona, Teresita Leonardo De Castro, and Arturo D. Brion, and Acting Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Edilberto G. Sandoval.

Court Administrator and SC Spokesperson Jose Midas Marquez said President Arroyo would be free to announce her choice to be the country’s next chief magistrate provided that his or her term takes effect on May 17.

“Once the list is received by the President, she has discretion already to decide if she will announce the appointment – we leave it to her wisdom,” Marquez said.

He added: “Can the President announce the appointment? There should be no problem with that because what is material is the effectivity of the appointment.”