JBC to vote on shortlist for next ombudsman on July 20
MANILA, Philippines — The Judicial and Bar Council is set to vote on the shortlist of candidates to be the next ombudsman on July 20.
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, an ex-officio member of the JBC, confirmed this in a message to reporters.
“JBC will vote on July 20 and send the shortlist to the president on the same date,” Guevarra added.
Ten members of the bar have applied to become the country’s next chief graft-buster. On June 14 and 20, the JBC conducted its public interview of the aspirants. They are the following:
- Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III
- Sandiganbayan Justice Efren de la Cruz
- Lawyer Edna Herrera-Batacan
- Davao City judge Carlos Espero II
- Lawyer Rey Nathaniel Ifurung
- Lawyer Rainier Madrid
- Associate Justice Samuel Martires
- Lawyer Felito Ramirez
- Lawyer Rex Rico
- Ombudsman Special Prosecutor Edilberto Sandoval
Espero, who has also applied for a spot at the Supreme Court, faced the panel on June 14, while the other nine applicants were quizzed by the JBC on June 20.
Acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio sits as the chair of the seven-member panel. He is joined by Guevarra and Sen. Richard Gordon.
JBC’s regular members, who led the JBC interview, are Ret. Justice Jose Mendoza (representing the retired SC justices), Jose Mejia (representing the academe), Maria Milagros Fernan-Cayosa (representing the Integrated Bar of the Philippines) and Toribio Ilao Jr. (representing the private sector).
The above-named seven will create a shortlist after deliberating on the documentary requirements and interviews of the applicants.
Duterte, who holds the authority to appoint members of the judiciary, will choose from the list.
Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales will step down on July 26, seven years since she has assumed the post.
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