MANILA, Philippines — Three magistrates of the Supreme Court are vying to become the next chief justice.
SC spokesperson Brian Hosaka on Monday told reporters that Senior Associate Justice Estela Perlas-Bernabe and Associate Justices Alexander Gesmundo and Ramon Paul Hernando “completed the requirements for the application for the position of chief justice.”
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Bernabe, Gesmundo and Hernando are among the five most senior justices of the SC, following Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta. They have received automatic nomination to the top judge post.
Others who received automatic nomination, by virtue of seniority, are Associate Justices Marvic Leonen and Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa, but they did not submit documents, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, an ex-officio member of the JBC, told reporters in a separate message.
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Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta is set to officially hang his judicial robes on March 27, a year ahead of his mandatory retirement age.
The Judicial and Bar Council, which screens applicants to the Judiciary, initially set the deadline for submission of applications and documentary requirements on February 15, but extended the period of filing to February 26.
Guevarra said Bernabe, Gesmundo and Hernando will face the JBC for a public interview on March 10.
Applicants
Of the three applicants, Senior Associate Justice Bernabe is the most senior justice, having been with the high court since September 2011.Former President Benigno Aquino III appointed her to the SC.
If chosen to become the next chief justice, Bernabe will serve as the country’s top judge until May 14, 2022, leaving an opportunity for President Rodrigo Duterte to appoint another chief justice in his term.
Justice Gesmundo meanwhile is the most senior justice among President Rodrigo Duterte’s appointees to the SC. He has been a part of the SC since August 2017. He is set to retire in November 2026.
Justice Hernando is currently the sixth most senior justice, but he is the youngest in age. He joined the SC in 2018. If picked to become the next chief justice, he will serve as top judge until August 2036.
Justices Leonen and Caguioa, who both did not submit documents, were also appointed to the SC by former President Aquino.
During Duterte’s term, the Judiciary will have changed leadership at least four times. Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno was ousted after her colleagues voted in favor of a petition questioning her appointment and was replaced by Chief Justice Teresita Leonardo-De Castro, who sat as top judge for less than two months.
Duterte also appointed Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin who retired in October 2019, after serving as head of the Judiciary for 11 months. Peralta succeeded Bersamin's term as chief justice.
Since all current applicants are also from the Bench, a subsequent designation as next chief justice would create another vacancy at the tribunal, which already has 11 of Duterte’s appointees.