JBC draws up shortlist for next SC justice

MANILA, Philippines — Eight Court of Appeals justices and Court Administrator Midas Marquez made it to the Judicial and Bar Council’s shortlist for the next Supreme Court associate justice.

The following members of the Bar will be considered by President Rodrigo Duterte to take the position vacated by Ombudsman Samuel Martires:

• CA Associate Justice Japar Dimaampao
• CA Associate Justice Ramon Garcia
• CA Associate Justice Manuel Barrios
• CA Associate Justice Apolinaro Bruselas Jr.
• CA Associate Justice Rosemari Carandang
• CA Associate Justice Edgardo delos Santos
• CA Associate Justice Ramon Paul Hernando
• CA Associate Justice Amy Lazaro-Javier
• SC Court Administrator Midas Marquez

Duterte has appointed five justices—including Martires, whom he later named Ombudsman—at the Supreme Court. The president is also expected to name the next chief justice, following the retirement of Chief Justice Teresita de Castro next week, in the next months.

CA justices top SC list

The STAR reported that the SC, in an en banc session on September 25, came up with their own shortlist that was forwarded to the JBC for the council’s consideration.

Barrios and Carandang topped the list, earning 12 votes each.

Bruseles, meanwhile, got nine votes.

Dimaampao, Garcia and Marquez—lone candidate who is not a CA justice—received eight votes.

The voting was done prior to the JBC public interview conducted on September 26.

During the interview, Delos Santos, who hails from Leyte, drew attention for his story of hard work at the CA in Visayas.

He said he was known as the “habal-habal” judge of Dumaguete. He recalled that he used to transport his family aboard his motorcycle back then, as he did not have a car.

Sara Duterte opposes Marquez's SC bid

In the same JBC interview, Marquez was asked on the opposition of Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio to his bid for a seat at the high tribunal.

The Davao mayor and presidential daughter earlier accused an SC aspirant of currying favor with her by allegedly working for the withdrawal of a disbarment case against her.

The incident involves a certain Gemma Sotto, who is supposedly a friend of Marquez. He hired her son as a contractual legal clerk at the Office of the Court Administrator.

JBC member Milagros Fernan-Cayosa asked Marquez: “Did you know that Mrs. Sotto was going to Davao purportedly for your benefit in order to approach the mayor?”

Marquez said he did not.

Marquezwas in the headlines during at the height of moves to oust Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno. He appeared as resource speaker at the House of Representatives’ impeachment proceedings against her.