The Supreme Court has endorsed six aspirants for the associate justice post left vacant by the appointment of Ombudsman Samuel Martires last July.
During its en banc session Tuesday, the SC came up with its own shortlist to be forwarded to the Judicial and Bar Council for consideration in the selection process.
The nominees included in the list are Court Administrator Jose Midas Marquez and five Court of Appeals justices: Manuel Barrios, Apolinario Bruselas, Rosmari Carandang, Japar Dimaampao and Ramon Garcia.
Barrios and Carandang topped the list with 12 votes each while Bruselas got nine votes. Marquez, Dimaampao and Garcia all got eight votes each from the SC justices.
The SC traditionally submits to the JBC its recommendation for vacancies in the high court.
But this practice was discontinued during the term of ousted Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno.
The SC’s shortlist will serve as the automatic vote of Chief Justice Teresita Leonardo-de Castro who concurrently chairs the seven-member JBC during voting for the vacant position.
The JBC, tasked to vet nominees for judicial posts, will start today public interviews for this vacancy in the high court.
Bruselas, Carandang, Dimaampao, and Marquez will face the council chaired by De Castro, along with four other applicants: CA Justices Stephen Cruz, Edgardo Delos Santos, Ramon Paul Hernando and Mario Lopez.
On the other hand, Barrios, Garcia and three other bets —CA Justice Oscar Badelles and Amy Lazaro Javier and Tagum City RTC Branch 1 Judge Virginia Tehano-Ang —will no longer undergo the public interview since their recent interviews for an earlier vacancy in the Court are still valid.
Apart from the Martires vacancy, the JBC has also started the search for another vacancy in the SC left by the promotion of Chief Justice De Castro.
It set the deadline for the submission of applications and requirements on Oct. 1.
De Castro is also set to retire from the judiciary on Oct. 8 upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70.
The JBC will then again start the selection process for the top judicial post.
