JBC sets voting on shortlist for CJ post

MANILA, Philippines — The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) is set to come up this week with a shortlist for the vacant chief justice post in the Supreme Court (SC).

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, ex-officio member of JBC, revealed that the council is set to meet on Nov. 23 to deliberate on the chief justice post.

“We will deliberate on the CJ post this Friday and have the voting for the shortlist,” he said.

The JBC, the seven-member body tasked to screen nominees for judicial posts, has received five nominations for the top SC post left open by the retirement of chief justice Teresita Leonardo-de Castro on Oct. 10.

Acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio and Associate Justices Diosdado Peralta, Lucas Bersamin and Estela Perlas-Bernabe accepted their automatic nomination for the vacancy, being senior justices of the SC.

The fifth nominee, Associate Justice Andres Reyes Jr. also accepted his nomination for the post.

Associate Justice Mariano del Castillo, the only senior SC magistrate who declined his automatic nomination, will sit as acting chairman of JBC for the deliberations on the chief justice post as provided under the rules.

The JBC earlier extended the Oct. 15 deadline for nominations for the chief justice post to Oct. 26. 

Under the Constitution, a vacancy in the SC should be filled within 90 days, or until Jan. 8 for Duterte to name De Castro’s successor.

The Constitution requires the chief justice, just like the associate justices, to be a natural-born citizen, at least 40 years old, with experience as judge or in private law practice for at least 15 years and a person with proven competence, integrity, probity and independence.    

Duterte is expected to appoint over 10 members of the SC during his six-year term. He already appointed six justices so far – now Ombudsman Samuel Martires, Noel Tijam, Andres Reyes Jr., Alexander Gesmundo, Jose Reyes Jr. and Ramon Paul Hernando.   

There are two more associate justice posts in the SC to be filled this year – one for the post stemming from the promotion of De Castro in August and the other for the post to be left by the retirement of Tijam in January next year.