JBC nominates 3 SC associate justices for Chief Justice post

The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) has nominated three Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justices for the post that would be vacated on October 18 by Chief Justice Lucas P. Bersamin.

Nominated were Associate Justices Diosdado M. Peralta and Estela M. Perlas Bernabe, both with unanimous votes from the seven-member JBC, and Andres B. Reyes Jr. with four votes.

The list of nominees has been sent to President Duterte, who, under the Constitution, has 90 days from October 18 to appoint Bersamin’s replacement.

Whoever is appointed by the President would be his third appointee to the highest post in the judiciary.

Aside from Bersamin, the other Chief Justice appointed by the President was Teresita J. Leonardo de Castro who retired last year.

With the appointment of Bersamin’s replacement, there would be another vacancy for associate justice in the SC on top of those created by the retirement of Associate Justice Francis H. Jardeleza last September 26 and the retirement of Senior Associate Justice Antonio T. Carpio.

Peralta is the most senior associate justice among the three nominees. He is mandatorily retiring on March 27, 2022. Bernabe is set to retire on May 14, 2022, while Reyes will retire on May 11, 2020.

Earlier, the JBC had nominated Court Administrator Jose Midas P. Marquez and eight associate justices of the Court of Appeals (CA) to the post that would be vacated on October 26 by Carpio.

Aside from Marquez, nominated were (in alphabetical order) CA Associate Justices Manuel M. Barrios, Edgardo L. delos Santos, Japar B. Dimaampao, Ramon R. Garcia, Jhoseph Y. Lopez, Pablito A. Perez, Ricardo R. Rosario, and Maria Filomena D. Singh.

For Jardeleza’s replacement, the JBC nominated Marquez, Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Amparo M. Cabotaje Tang, and CA Associate Justices Delos Santos, Dimaampao, Samuel H. Gaerlan, Garcia, Lopez, Mario V. Lopez, Singh, Edwin D. Sorongon, and Elihu Ybanez.

Incumbent members of the JBC, aside from Bersamin, are Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra, Sen. Richard Gordon, retired SC Associate Justices Jose Catral Mendoza and Noel G. Tijam, Toribio E. Ilao Jr., and Franklin J. Demonteverde.