Monday, April 25, 2011
THE Judicial and Bar Council will soon start its interview of 28 applicants for two soon-to-be vacant posts in the Supreme Court with the retirement of associate justices Antonio Eduardo Nachura and Conchita Carpio-Morales this coming June.
Nachura will retire this June 13, while Morales will step down on June 19 when they reach the mandatory age of retirement of 70
Their retirement will enable President Benigno Aquino to make his second and third appointments to the 15-man tribunal. His first appointee to the Supreme Court (SC) was associate justice Maria Lourdes Sereno following the appointment by former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of Renato Corona as chief justice.
During its meeting on Monday, the JBC set in their agenda the screening of the 28 applicants for the SC, which included 17 Court of Appeals justices, two Sandiganbayan justices, two Court of Tax Appeals justices, one Constitutional Commission delegate, a Comelec commissioner, and several law practitioners.
Court administrator and spokesman Jose Midas Marquez said that the JBC likewise extended until April 29 the period for applications and nominations for the SC vacancies.
Marquez said the extension for filing was due to the "too short" 10-day application period set by the eight-member JBC from March 18 to 28, thus, some applicants failed to submit their applications or nominations.
"Thus the JBC has decided to still consider until April 29, 2011 at 5pm the applications and nominations with conforme of persons with outstanding qualifications, provided they give a valid justification for failing to apply within the earlier period and subject to the sound discretion of the JBC," he said in a text message.
The JBC also tackled the date of interview of the said applicants and decide whether or not they will trim down the listing of the 28 applicants before arriving at a voting for their shortlist, which shall be submitted to the President, who must select from the list within 60 days from the time the vacancy is created.
The JBC, a constitutional body which screens and make recommendations to vacant judicial posts, is normally composed of eight members that include the chief justice as ex-officio chairman, along with regular members Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, Senator Francis Escudero, Iloilo Rep. and Justice Committee Chairman Niel Tupas Jr., retired SC Justice Regino Hermosisima and retired CA Justice Aurora Lagman.
The council is still awaiting the ad interim appointments of former Justice Secretary Artemio Tuquero who shall represent the academe and the replacement of the late Atty. J. Conrado Castro of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, who passed away recently due to car accident.
Among those who have vied for the SC vacancies are CA justices Hakim Abdulwahid and Japar Dimaampao, both Muslims, who have standing nominations and applications for the post; CA Presiding Justice Andres Reyes Jr., and justices Ramon Bato Jr., Estela Perlas-Bernabe, Apolinario Bruselas Jr., Mariflor Punzalan-Castillo, Stephen Cruz, Magdangal De Leon, Isaias Dicdican, Remedios Salazar Fernando, Portia Alino-Hormachuelos, Bienvenido Reyes, Jose Reyes Jr., Noel Tijam and Vicente Veloso.
In the Sandiganbayan, the applicants are Justices Francisco Villaruz and Alex Quiroz, while in the CTA, the aspirants were Justices Lovell Bautista, and Juanito Castaneda Jr.
Constitutionalist and 1968 Bar topnotcher Rodolfo Robles who had been previously shortlisted by the JBC will again try his luck, along with Comelec Commissioner Rene Sarmiento.
Other applicants include former University of the Philippines Law Dean Raul Pangalangan and Lanao lawyer Tomas Cabili and law book author Francis Jardeleza.
From within the SC, aspirants include Deputy Court Administrator Nimfa Vilches and Binan, Laguna RTC Judge Marino Rubia.