MANILA, Philippines — Quezon City Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes, who convicted Ampatuan brothers Zaldy and Andal Jr. for the 2009 Maguindanao massacre, is among the 14 applicants vying for two vacant positions in the Court of Appeals (CA).
Reyes and the other aspirants will face the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) for interviews next week.
Two positions in the appeals court were left vacant following the resignation of Associate Justice Dorothy Montejo-Gonzaga on Nov. 3 last year and the promotion of Associate Justice Japar Dimaampao to the Supreme Court (SC) on July 2, 2021.
Marife Lomibao-Cuevas, SC clerk of court and JBC ex-officio secretary, said the interviews would be conducted via Zoom.
Scheduled to be interviewed on March 1 are Mandaluyong Regional Trial Court Branch 208 Judge Edilwasif Baddari; Zamboanga RTC Branch 33 Judge Shaldilyn Bangsja; Biñan, Laguna RTC Branch 25 Judge Eleuterio Bathan, and Carmona, Cavite RTC Branch 109 Judge Niven Canlapan.
Four CA applicants who will face the JBC on March 2 are Manila RTC Branch 38 Judge Maria Celestina Cruz-Mangrobang; Amado Paolo Dimayuga, a managing partner at Dimayuga Law Offices; Dinalupihan, Bataan RTC Branch 5 Judge Maria Lourdes Eltanal-Ignacio, and SC deputy clerk of court Corazon Ferrer-Flores.
On March 3, the JBC will interview Antipolo City RTC Branch 74 Judge Mary Josephine Lazaro, Makati RTC Branch 3 Judge Robert Victor Marcon, corporate lawyer Gregorio Nunag Jr. and Baguio City RTC Branch 4 Judge Mia Joy Oallares-Cawed.
Reyes and Marikina RTC Branch 165 Judge Acerey Pacheco will face the JBC on March 4.
In the landmark Maguindanao massacre case, Reyes convicted 43 people, including five members of the Ampatuan clan, of 57 counts of murder in December 2019.