JBC resets interview of chief justice bets

THE Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) has reset to Friday, March 12, the public interview for the three applicants for the position of chief justice in view of the retirement of Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta.

Peralta, the nation’s 26th chief justice, is set to retire on March 27.

The JBC originally scheduled the holding of public interviews on March 10.

The resetting was made to give the three candidates more time to prepare for the interview.

Three senior associate justices of the Supreme Court are in the running for the top position in the judiciary. They are Justices Estela Perlas-Bernabe, Alexander Gesmundo and Ramon Paul Hernando.

Two other justices — Marvic Mario Victor Leonen and Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa — reportedly backed out from the race.

Under the revised rules of the JBC, all applicants for judicial positions are required to submit themselves to a public interview.

The council earlier turned down the recommendation of the Supreme Court to waive the public interview rule on candidates who are incumbent justices of the high court. It also refused to waive the rule requiring applicants to submit pertinent documents such as the Statements of Assets Liabilities and Net Worth and bank accounts.

The JBC is constitutionally mandated to screen and vet nominees for vacant posts in the judiciary as well as the Offices of the Ombudsman and Deputy Ombudsman.