5 new CA justices named

President Arroyo has appointed five new justices to the 51-member Court of Appeals.

The five newly appointed CA justices are Rosalinda Vicente, Arturo Brion, Jose Mendoza, Arsenio Magpale and Jose Reyes Jr.

With their appointments, the CA, chaired by presiding Justice Cancio Garcia, is now composed of 48 magistrates, leaving three more unfilled vacancies.

Mrs. Arroyo signed the appointment papers of the five new CA justices on June 26, but these documents were only officially transmitted to Supreme Court Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. on Tuesday.

The five were nominated to the President by the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC), the body that screens and recommends replacements for vacancies from the lower courts to the SC.

Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye formally announced the new CA appointments at a press conference in Malacañang yesterday.

Bunye also said the President has yet to appoint a new associate justice to fill the vacancy created in the 15-man Supreme Court by the recent retirement of SC Associate Justice Vicente Mendoza.

The President will make her choice from a list of five nominees submitted to her by the JBC.

"The deadline is July 4, so the President still has until July 4 to make her choice. But, to date, we are not aware of any decision yet by the President," Bunye said.