THE Judicial and Bar Council has forwarded to President Rodrigo Duterte a shortlist of seven nominees for the second vacancy in the Supreme Court when Associate Justice Arturo Brion retires on December 29.
The JBC has selected six Court of Appeals magistrates and a law school dean from 14 aspirants to succeed Brion.
CA Associate Justice Rosmari Carandang topped the list after getting six votes from the seven-member council followed by Associate Justices Apolinario Bruselas Jr., Jose Reyes Jr. and Japar Dimaampao with four votes each.
The three others in the list are Associate Justices Amy Javier-Lazaro and Noel Tijam, and Centro Escolar University law school associate dean Rita Linda Ventura-Jimeno.
On December 2, the seven-member council released another shortlist of five candidates for the vacancy in the high court to be left by the retirement of Associate Justice Jose Perez on December 14.
Justices Reyes, Bruselas and Dimaampao were also in that shortlist along with CA Presiding Justice Andres Reyes Jr. and Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Samuel Martires.
The JBC, which is tasked to screen nominees to posts in the judiciary and the office of the Ombudsman, came up with the short lists after three months of selection and public interviews last month.
The President must appoint the new justices within 90 days after a vacancy occurs.
The JBC is led by Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II and legislative representatives Senator Richard Gordon and Mindoro Oriental Rep. Reynaldo Umali.
The regular members are retired Supreme Court Justice Angelina Sandoval-Gutierrez who heads the Executive Committee; lawyer Jose Mejia, representing the academe; lawyer Milagros Fernan-Cayosa, representing the Integrated Bar of the Philippines; and retired Judge Toribio Ilao representing the private sector.
The Constitution requires a candidate for the position of associate justice of the high court to be a natural-born citizen, to be at least 40 years old and have 15 years or more of experience as a judge of a lower court or engaged in the practice of law in the country.
The magistrate must also be “a person of proven competence, integrity, probity and independence.”
President Rodrgio Duterte is expected to appoint at least 10 justices to the high court during his six-year term.