JBC accepting applications for CA justice post

MANILA, Philippines — The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) announced it is accepting applications and nominations for the position of Court of Appeals (CA) presiding justice to replace Romeo Barza who retired on Aug. 2. 

Last July 26, or eight days before Barza retired, the JBC already opened the applications for the highest-ranking post in the appellate court. 

Barza, who obtained his law degree from the University of the Philippines in 1974, was co-founder of the now disbanded Carpio Villaraza Barza and Roselle Law Offices, previously known as “The Firm.”

He was appointed to the CA by former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on May 4, 2006.  

On Dec. 8, 2017, President Duterte signed Barza’s appointment as the CA’s presiding justice.

Meanwhile, the JBC had also set 17 dates to interview 67 applicants for the position of eight Court of Appeals (CA) justices after four of them have been elevated to the Supreme Court (SC) and four retired.

The four CA justices who were appointed as magistrates to the SC are Associate Justices Ramon Paul Hernando, who was appointed on Oct. 10, 2018; Rosemary Carandang on Nov. 26, 2018; Henri Jean Paul Inting on Feb. 22 this year; and Amy Lazaro-Javier on March 6 this year.

Hernando is the seventh appointee of Duterte to the SC, while Carandang is the eighth justice, Inting the ninth justice, and Javier the 10th.

The four other vacancies in the appellate court were created by the compulsory retirement of three CA associate justices – Normandie Pizarro on Feb. 7; Carmelita Manahan on March 21; and Sesinando Villon on July 16. 

CA Associate Justice Edward Contreras, on the other hand, availed himself of early retirement last July 9.

The JBC had set the scheduled interviews between Oct. 22 until Dec. 2. The Council will interview four applicants, while the remaining three applicants would be interviewed on the last day, Dec. 2.