By Benjamin Pulta/PNA
MANILA — The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) will start on Thursday its deliberations on the 22 applicants vying for the position of Associate Justice in the Supreme Court (SC).
“After the first deliberation tomorrow (Thursday), the JBC executive committee will come up with the official list of contenders for the position, which will eventually be the subject of final deliberations by the JBC at its next meeting. Only then will the JBC shortlist be prepared and submitted to the president,” JBC ex officio member and Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said in a message to reporters Wednesday.
The applicants include Court of Appeals magistrates Oscar Badelles, Nina Antonio-Valenzuela, Ramon Bato Jr., Apolinario Bruselas Jr., Ramon Cruz, Stephen Cruz, Edgardo de los Santos, Japar Dimaampao, Ramon Garcia, Henri Jean-Paul Inting, Amy Lazaro-Javier, Jhosep Lopez, Mario Lopez, Eduardo Peralta Jr., and Ricardo Rosario.
Also among the applicants are Bureau of Internal Revenue Deputy Commissioner Lanee Cui-David, Court of Tax Appeals (CTA) Presiding Justice Roman Del Rosario, Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang and Associate Justice Efren de la Cruz, SC Court Administrator Midas Marquez, former Ateneo Law School Dean Cesar Villanueva and private lawyer and professor Jeremy Gatdula.
The candidate who will be picked by President Rodrigo Duterte takes the post of then Associate Justice Lucas Bersamin, who was appointed Chief Justice.
Duterte has so far appointed seven magistrates in the High Court, namely Noel Tijam, Alexander Gesmundo, Andres Reyes Jr., Jose Reyes Jr., Ramon Paul Hernando, Rosmari Carandang and Samuel Martires, who is now Ombudsman.
The JBC screens and vets nominees for vacant posts in the judiciary, Offices of the Ombudsman and Deputy Ombudsman before these are submitted to the President.(With Francesca Fajardo, OJT/PNA)
