MANILA, Philippines - The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) has short-listed 13 nominees for three vacancies in the Court of Appeals (CA). During deliberations yesterday, all eight members of the JBC chaired by Chief Justice Renato Corona took a vote and picked 10 trial court judges, an assistant solicitor general, a city fiscal, and a private lawyer in the shortlist to fill the posts left vacant by the promotion to the Supreme Court of CA Justice Estela Perlas-Bernabe and the retirements of Justices Mario Guarina III and Rodrigo Lim Jr. last year.
Quezon City regional trial court Executive Judge Ma. Luisa Padilla topped the list after getting the unanimous vote of all members of the council. Assistant Solicitor General Amparo Cabotaje-Tang, Manila City Prosecutor Jhoseph Lopez and Judges Severino de Castro of Quezon City Regional Trial Court (RTC), Renato Francisco of Bulacan RTC, and Edgar Santos also of QC each got seven votes. Four other judges made it to the list after getting six votes – Judges Selma Alaras of Makati RTC, Henri Jean Inting of Quezon City RTC, Ma. Filomena Singh also of Quezon City RTC, and Joselito Vibandor of Las Piñas RTC.
The three others who made it to the JBC shortlist were private lawyer Rochelle Dakanay-Galano and Judges Jonel Mercado of Pampanga RTC and Erlina Nicolas-Alvaro of Las Piñas RTC. They got five votes each.
The shortlist would be submitted to President Aquino, who has 90 days from the period of vacancy to appoint the new justices.
Yesterday’s meeting of JBC went smoothly amid the impeachment of Corona.
“Everything was normal, they had the agenda so they just went through the agenda. It was business as usual for the JBC,” SC spokesman Midas Marquez told reporters. Iloilo Rep. and justice committee chairman Niel Tupas Jr., who heads the prosecution team in the impeachment, was not present because of a meeting in the House of Representatives, but he sent his votes through a representative.
The other five members who attended the closed-door meeting were Sen. Francis Escudero, lawyer Milagros Fernan-Cayosa from the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, lawyer Jose Mejia from academe, retired SC justice Regino Hermosisima and retired CA justice Aurora Lagman from the private sector.
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima attended the meeting but did not join stay for lunch.