Supreme Court justice Noel Tijam retiring

MANILA, Philippines — A magistrate of the Supreme Court (SC) is set to retire from the judiciary, leaving two vacancies in the tribunal that President Duterte will fill this month.

Associate Justice Noel Tijam, second of seven appointees of Duterte in the court, will reach the mandatory retirement age of 70 tomorrow.

The high court will hold a special retirement ceremony for him today to be led by Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin at the SC session hall.

Tijam, a former Court of Appeals justice, was promoted by the President to the SC on March 8, 2017. 

Tijam graduated cum laude and class salutatorian in 1971 from the San Beda College of Law. He was classmate of Duterte in law school.

After working as legal consultant in various committees in the Senate and as assistant vice president and deputy corporate secretary of the Government Service Insurance System, Tijam was appointed judge of the Quezon City regional trial court (RTC) in 1994 and served as president of RTC judges in the city.

In 2003, he was promoted to the CA.

Tijam is married to Ma. Cynthia Cornejo Tijam with whom he has three children. They have six grandchildren. 

The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) has already completed the nomination process for Tijam’s replacement and submitted to the Palace a shortlist with 10 nominees last month.

Included in the shortlist were SC Court Administrator and spokesman Jose Midas Marquez, CA Associate Justices Manuel Barrios, Japar Dimaampao, Amy Lazaro Javier, Ramon Cruz, Ramon Garcia, Mario Lopez and Apolinario Bruselas Jr.; Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang and former Ateneo de Manila University law dean Cesar Villanueva.

Under the Constitution, the President has 90 days from Jan. 5 to appoint Tijam’s replacement from the list submitted by the JBC.

The Constitution also requires an associate justice of the high court 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.   

Apart from Tijam’s post, the SC has another vacancy left by the promotion of Bersamin as chief justice last November.