13 aspirants to post of retiring SC justice

There are 13 aspirants to another post in the 15-member Supreme Court (SC) that would be vacated with the retirement of Justice Jose Catral Mendoza on August 13.

The aspirants are: SC Court Administrator Jose Midas P. Marquez, Deputy Ombudsman for Luzon Gerard Mosquera, Court of Appeals (CA) Associate Justice Samuel Gaerlan, Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Alexander Gesmundo, CA Presiding Justice Andres Reyes Jr., and CA Associate Justices Ramon Bato Jr., Apolinario Bruselas Jr., Rosmari Carandang, Stephen Cruz, Japar Dimaampao, Ramon Paul Hernando, Amy Lazaro-Javier, and Jose Reyes Jr.

Last week, the JBC has nominated six CA justices and the vice dean of the law school of Centro Escolar University to the SC post that would be vacated on July 6 by Justice Bienvenido Reyes.

President Duterte will choose one from among the nominees – CA Presiding Justice Reyes and CA Associate Justices Carandang, Jose Reyes Jr., Bruselas Lazaro Javier, and Dimaampao, and CEU Vice Dean Ventura-Jimeno – within 90 days from July 6 as Justice Bienvenido Reyes’ replacement.

The President already has two appointees in the SC. They are Associate Justices Samuel Martires and Noel Tijam.