JBC shortlists 5 nominees for Duterte to appoint to SC

The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) has named five nominees to the position of Supreme Court (SC) associate justice which will be vacated on December 14 by Justice Jose Portugal Perez.

Nominated to the post were Court of Appeals (CA) Presiding Justice Andres Reyes Jr.; CA Associate Justices Apolinario Bruselas Jr., Jose Reyes Jr. and Japar Dimaampao; and Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Samuel Martirez.

President Duterte has 90 days from December 14 to name the replacement of Justice Perez.

The JBC said it will meet anew on December 9 to decide who among the applicants will be nominated to the SC post which will be vacated on December 29 by Justice Arturo D. Brion.

The President is expected to name 10 SC justices within his six-year term of office.

To be included in the shortlist, Jose Reyes got a unanimous vote from the seven members of the JBC; Bruselas, Dimaampao, and Martires each got five votes; while Andres Reyes got four votes.