3 aspirants for SC post to face JBC

MANILA, Philippines — The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) will interview on Jan. 6 three of the candidates aspiring for the Supreme Court (SC) position vacated by Associate Justice Priscilla Baltazar-Padilla, who applied for disability retirement last month.

The JBC will interview Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang and Court of Appeals Associate Justice Japar Dimaampao.

Sedfrey Candelaria, dean of the Ateneo de Manila University School of Law and head of the Research, Publications and Linkages Office of the Philippine Judicial Academy, will also face the JBC.

Eight other aspirants for SC justice were previously interviewed by the council.

They are CA Associate Justices Nina Antonio-Valenzuela, Apolinario Bruselas Jr., Ramon Cruz, Jhosep Lopez, Eduardo Peralta Jr., and Maria Filomena Singh, Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Oscar Herrera Jr. and SC administrator Jose Midas Marquez.

Padilla’s disability retirement was approved on Nov. 3. She was appointed by President Duterte on July 16.

Padilla, 62, took up Bachelor of Arts, Major in Political Science and Bachelor of Law at the Lyceum of the Philippines where she graduated magna cum laude in both degrees.

In the 1984 Bar exams, Padilla placed fifth with a score of 90.3 percent.

She joined the judiciary in 1996 as presiding judge of the manila Metropolitan Trial Court. In 2006, she was appointed CA associate justice.