The Judicial and Bar Council has transmitted to President Duterte its shortlist of nominees for the Supreme Court associate justice post vacated by Associate Justice Lucas Bersamin when he was appointed Chief Justice.
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, an ex-officio member of the 7-man council, said the JBC shortlisted 13 nominees for the SC justice post, namely: Court of Appeals Associate Justices Edgardo delos Santos and Amy Lazaro-Javier, who both got six votes from the council.
CA Associate Justices Japar Dimaampao and Ramon Garcia and Court of Tax Appeals Presiding Justice Roman Del Rosario got five votes each.
Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang and CA justices Henri Inting, Jhosep Lopez, Mario Lopez also landed the shortlist with four votes each.
Court Administrator Jose Midas Marquez and CA justices Eduardo Peralta, and Ricardo Rosario and former Ateneo law school dean Cesar Villanueva completed the list with four votes each, Guevarra said.
Dimaampao, Lazaro-Javier, Tang, Garcia, Marquez, Mario Lopez, and Villanueva are also in the shortlist for another vacancy in 15-member bench, particularly the seat vacated by retired SC Associate Justice Noel Tijam.
The President has yet to appoint a new justice to the SC post vacated by Tijam from the shortlist which was approved by the JBC in early December.
Under the Constitution, the president must choose his appointee from the council’s shortlist. Vacancies in the SC have to be filled within 90 days.
Bersamin took his oath as chief justice last Nov. 28. Tijam retired last Jan. 5.