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20 nominees vie for vacancies at SC, JBC says

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Twenty aspirants have applied for a vacancy in the Supreme Court left by the promotion of Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin in November last year, according to the Judicial and Bar Council.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, ex-officio member of JBC, on Wednesday disclosed that the preliminary list for the SC associate justice post consisted mostly of insiders from the judiciary.

Court Administrator and SC spokesman Midas Marquez leads the list of nominees submitted to the seven-member council during the period of nomination and application that ended last Jan. 22.

Guevarra said 15 of the nominees are associate justices of the Court of Appeals, namely: Nina Antonio-Valenzuela, Oscar Badelles, Ramon Bato Jr., Apolinario Bruselas Jr., Ramon Cruz, Stephen Cruz, Edgardo de los Santos, Japar Dimaampao, Ramon Garcia, Henri Jean Paul Inting, Amy Lazaro-Javier, Jhosep Lopez, Mario Lopez, Eduardo Peralta Jr. and Ricardo Rosario.

The list also included two magistrates of the Sandiganbayan—Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje Tang and Associate Justice Efren dela Cruz—as well as Justice Roman del Rosario of the Court of Tax Appeals.

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The three other nominees considered “outsiders” from the judiciary are former Ateneo law dean Cesar Villanueva, Bureau of Internal Revenue deputy commissioner Lanee Cui-David and law professors Jeremy Gatdula. Rey E. Requejo

Guevarra said the 7-member council concurrently chaired by Chief Justice Bersamin will meet on Friday, Jan.31, for preliminary deliberations on the list that could result in initial cut.

“After the first deliberation, the JBC executive committee will come up with the official list of contenders for the position, which will eventually be subject of final deliberations by the JBC in its next meeting. Only then will the JBC shortlist be prepared and submitted to the President,” he explained.

There are current two vacancies in the SC. Apart from the associate justice post vacated by Bersamin, the council already came up earlier with a shortlist for the position vacated by the retirement of Associate Justice Noel Tijam last Jan. 5.

The shortlisted submitted to the Palace last month included Court Administrator Marquez; CA Justices Manuel Barrios, Bruselas, R. Cruz, Dimaampao, Javier, Ramon Cruz, Ramon Garcia, and M. Lopez; Sandiganbayan Justice Tang and Dean Villanueva.

Under the Constitution, the President has 90 days from January 5 to appoint Tijam’s replacement from the list submitted by the JBC.

The Constitution also requires an associate justice of the High Court to be a natural-born citizen, at least 40 years old, with experience as judge or in private law practice for at least 15 years and a person with proven competence, integrity, probity, and independence.

Aside from Tijam’s post, the SC has another vacancy left by the promotion of Bersamin as Chief Justice last Nov.

The JBC has already started the screening process for this associate justice post.

President Duterte is expected to make the appointments this month.

Duterte is also expected to appoint over 10 associate justices of the High Court during his six-year term. He already appointed seven justices so far – now Ombudsman Samuel Martires, Tijam, Andres Reyes Jr., Alexander Gesmundo, Jose Reyes Jr., Ramon Paul Hernando, and Rosmari Carandang. –

The President is also set to name three chief justices during his term after the ouster of chief justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno last year. He first appointed now retired chief justice Teresita Leonardo – De Castro last August, and then Bersamin last Nov. until his retirement in October.

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