By Benjamin Pulta/PNA
MANILA — The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) has set on Dec. 5 the public interview for six aspirants for the Supreme Court (SC) magistrate post to be vacated by Associate Justice Noel Tijam upon his retirement on Jan. 5, 2019.
The JBC said aside from Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang, to be interviewed also is her fellow anti-graft court justice, Efren dela Cruz and Court of Appeals Justices Eduardo Peralta Jr., Ramon Cruz, Ricardo Rosario and Ramon Bato Jr.
“Pursuant to Section 2, Rule 7 of the Revised Rules of the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC), a public panel interview will be conducted on December 5, 2018 (Wednesday) at the Division Hearing Room, Supreme Court Main Building, of the following candidates for the position of Supreme Court Associate Justice vice Honorable Noel Tijam,” the JBC said in an announcement.
Cabotaje-Tang, 58, was the youngest member of the anti-graft court when she was appointed in 2013 by then president Benigno Aquino III.
There are 14 other aspirants vying for Tijam’s post, but they will no longer face the JBC in December as their previous interviews are still considered valid.
These are CA justices Manuel Barrios, Apolinario Bruselas, Jr., Rosmari Carandang, Stephen Cruz, Edgardo delos Santos, Japar Dimaampao, Ramon Garcia, Amy Lazaro-Javier, and Mario Lopez; Sandiganbayan Justice Alex Quiroz; Tagum Tagum City Regional Trial Court judge Virginia Tehano-Ang, Court Administrator Jose Midas Marquez; Centro Escolar University law school associate dean Rita Linda Jimeno and former Ateneo law dean Cesar Villanueva.
Tijam was appointed to the SC in March last year.
President Duterte is expected to appoint over 10 members of the SC during his six-year term.
He has appointed six justices so far — now Ombudsman Samuel Martires, Tijam, Andres Reyes Jr., Alexander Gesmundo, Jose Reyes Jr. and Ramon Paul Hernando.
