118 lawyers aspire to fill in vacancy for presiding judges

The Judicial and Bar Council is now looking into the backgrounds of 118 lawyers, some of them already judges of the first level courts, who applied for the position of presiding judges to fill in vacancies at two regional trial court branches in Cebu City.

Although the names of the applicants were not published in the Supreme Court's official website, but it said that there were 59 applicants for the judgeship position of RTC branch 6, used to be presided by Judge Anacleto Caminade who resigned this June only.

The same number of applicants wished to be appointed to replace RTC judge Ireneo Lee Gako, Jr. who is scheduled to retire from the bench during his 70th birthday on September 20.

RTC branch 8 does not have a presiding judge since the retirement of then judge Antonio Echavez almost two years ago, but it was not known why it was not included in the lists of vacant court branches in Central Visayas.

The pairing judge, Simeon Dumdum Jr. who is presiding at RTC branch 7, handles the cases assigned to branch 8.

Aside from RTC branches 6 and 5, there are eight lawyers who applied for appointment as judge of the regional trial court based in Larena, Siquijor while one Wilfredo Navarro applied as judge of RTC branch 25 in Danao City.

The JBC has already ordered Navarro, a native of Surigao City who passed the bar in 1978, to appear before them in Manila on Wednesday for an interview, psychological examination and psychiatric evaluation.

Meanwhile, lawyers Salvador Mendoza Sr., Alberto Pita and Josefa Ramos who aspire to become judge of the municipal trial court in cities in Danao City and Benny Paterno Gimenez for MTC in Barili were also ordered to appear before the JBC tomorrow.

The municipal circuit trial court in Borbon-Tabogon and the same level court in Moalboal-Badian-Alcantara do not have applicants, while only one applicant is aspiring to become judge in MCTC for Malabuyoc-Ginatilan-Alegria towns.

The law provides that the members of the Supreme Court and judges of lower courts shall be appointed by the President from a list of at least three nominees prepared by the Judicial and Bar Council for every vacancy and such appointments need no confirmation.

The JBC is composed of the Chief Justice as ex-officio chairman, the Secretary of Justice, and representatives from the Congress, Integrated Bar of the Philippines, a professor of law, a retired member of the Supreme Court and representative of the private sector as ex-officio members. - Rene U. Borromeo