JBC gets 20 applicants for Supreme Court post

MANILA, Philippines — The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) has received 20 applications for the Supreme Court (SC) post that will be vacated by the retirement of Associate Justice Noel Tijam in January next year.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, ex-officio member of the JBC, said the council received all 20 applications before the period for nomination and application closed on Nov. 5.

He said all 20 will be considered applicants while “the supporting documents (are) still being checked by the JBC secretariat.”

The 20 aspirants are Court of Appeals (CA) Justices Manuel Barrios,  Ramon Bato Jr., Rosemari Carandang, Ramon Cruz, Stephen Cruz, Edgardo delos Santos, Japar Dimaampao, Ramon Garcia, Amy Lazaro-Javier, Mario Lopez, Eduardo Peralta Jr. and Ricardo Rosario; Sandiganbayan Justices Amparo Cabotaje-Tang, Efren dela Cruz and Alex Quiros; SC Court Administrator Jose Midas Marquez; Tagum Regional Trial Court Judge Virginia Tehano-Ang; former Ateneo law dean Cesar Villanueva and De La Salle University law vice dean Rita Linda Jimeno.

Tijam was appointed SC magistrate on March 8, 2017, and was President Duterte’s second appointee at the high tribunal.

Prior his appointment at the SC, Tijam served as a CA justice.

There are currently two vacancies in the High Court – the chief justice post vacated by Teresita Leonardo-de Castro last month and the associate justice post left by her promotion in August.  

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