JBC sets interviews of nominees to SC post

MANILA, Philippines - Public interviews have been set for aspirants for the imminent vacancy in the Supreme Court (SC) when Associate Justice Martin Villarama Jr. takes early retirement next month.

The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) has set the interviews for 16 nominees from Jan. 6 to 8 next year, according to Jose Mejia of the seven-member body tasked to screen nominees for posts in the judiciary.

After the interviews, the council could then come up with a shortlist by February next year, he added.

Among the nominees for the post is Justice Secretary Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa, President Aquino’s former chief presidential legal counsel and classmate from grade school to college.

Other nominees are: Court of Appeals (CA) Presiding Justice Andres Reyes Jr. and Associate Justices Apolinario Bruselas, Rosmari Carandang, Mariflor Castillo and Stephen Cruz; Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang and Associate Justices Maria Cristina Cornejo and Alex Quiroz;   Solicitor General Florin Hilbay; former Commission on Audit (COA) chairman Maria Gracia Pulido-Tan; Chief State Counsel Ricardo Paras III; Deputy Ombudsman for Luzon Gerard Mosquera; Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 90 Presiding Judge Reynaldo Daway; Citizen’s Battle Against Corruption Rep. Cinchona Cruz-Gonzales and lawyer Joe-Santos Bisquera.

The seven-member JBC is the constitutional body tasked to accept nominations and applications, screen and come up with a shortlist of nominees for vacancies in the judiciary and the Office of the Ombudsman.

The Constitution requires an SC justice to be a natural-born citizen, at least 40 years old, with at least 15 years of experience as judge of a lower court or lawyer.

The law also requires that the SC justice “must be a person of proven competence, integrity, probity and independence.”

Villarama was supposed to retire on April 14 next year when he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 70.

But in his letter to Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, he asked to avail of optional retirement effective Jan. 16, 2016 due to “deteriorating health condition.”

His condition was brought about by his double-knee metal implantation in 2013 and his cataract operation in 2014.

Of the current 15 SC justices, five were appointed by Aquino – Sereno and Associate Justices Bienvenido Reyes, Estela Perlas-Bernabe, Marvic Leonen and Francis Jardeleza.