Dimaampao nominated anew as SC justice

MARAWI CITY – Court of Appeals (CA) Associate Justice Japar Dimaampao, a native of this war-torn city, has made it again in the shortlist sent to President Rodrigo Duterte to fill a vacancy at the Supreme Court (SC) that would be created when Justice Noel Tijam retires on January 5 next year.

The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) deliberated last Friday on 19 nominees and came up with a 10-man shortlist that included Muslim CA justice.

Also included in the shortlist were other CA Justices Manuel Barrios (6), Amy Lazaro-Javier (6), Ramon Cruz (5), Ramon Garcia (5), Mario Lopez (5), and Apolinario Bruselas Jr. (4); and Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Amparo CabotajeTang (5), lawyer Cesar Vinnaueva (4); Justice Secretary Menardo Guevara; and SC Administrator Jose Midas Marquez.

Under the Constitution, the President has 90 days from Jan. 5, 2019 to appoint Tijam’s successor.

In the July 2017 deliberation of nominees to the position that was to be vacated by SC Associate Justice Jose Catra Mendoza, Dimaampao obtained a perfect score of seven votes alongside Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Alexander Gesmundo.

The other shortlisted 2017 nominees were CA Associate Justices Jose C. Reyes Jr. (six votes), Apolinario Bruselas Jr. (5), Ramon Paul L. Hernando (5), Rosmari Declaro Carandang (4), Amy Lazaro-Javier (4); and CA Presiding Justice Andres Reyes Jr. (5).

In 2016, Dimaampao was also highly nominated by the country’s prominent Muslim officials to the post left vacant by SC Justice Jose Perez, who retired on December 14 that year. (Ali G. Macabalang)