By Rey Panaligan
The Supreme Court (SC) is set to hold tomorrow (January 4) a retirement ceremony for Associate Justice Noel Gimenez Tijam who retires mandatorily on January 5.
(MANILA BULLETIN)
Chief Justice Lucas P. Bersamin leads the judiciary in honoring Tijam who was appointed to the SC on March 8, 2017 by President Duterte.
The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) has submitted to the President 10 nominees to Tijam’s post.
Nominated were SC Court Administrator and Spokesman Jose Midas P. Marquez, Court of Appeals (CA) Associate Justices Manuel M. Barrios, Japar B. Dimaampao, Amy C. Lazaro Javier, Ramon A. Cruz, Ramon R. Garcia, Mario V. Lopez, and Apolinario D. Bruselas Jr.; Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje Tang and former Ateneo de Manila University law dean Cesar L. Villanueva.
Under the Constitution, the President has 90 days from January 5 to appoint Tijam’s replacement from the list submitted by the JBC – the constitutional office that accepts, screens and nominates appointments in the judiciary.
Whoever is appointed as Tijam’s replacement would be the President’s 10th appointee to the SC.
The President has appointed two Chief Justices – Teresita J. Leonardo de Castro who retired last October 10 and Bersamin who is set to retire on October 18 this year when he turns 70, the mandatory retirement age for members of the judiciary.
Then CA Associate Justice Rosmari D. Carandang was the President’s seventh appointee as SC associate justice. The first six appointees were Associate Justices Samuel Martires (who retired to assume the post of Ombudsman), Tijam, Andres B. Reyes Jr., Alexander G. Gesmundo, Jose C. Reyes Jr., and Ramon Paul L. Hernando.
There still is another vacancy in the 15-member SC. This is the post vacated by Bersamin as associate justice when he was promoted Chief Justice. The JBC has opened the nominations and endorsements to the post.
Aside from Bersamin, three more SC justices are set to retire this year. They are Associate Justices Mariano C. del Castillo on July 29 and Francis H. Jardeleza on September 26 and Senior Associate Justice Antonio T. Carpio on October 26.
Tijam graduated cum laude and class salutatorian from the San Beda College of Law in 1971. He passed the bar examinations in the same year at age 22.
He became legal consultant in various committees in the Senate and was assistant vice president and deputy corporate secretary of the Government Service Insurance System.
He worked as legal counsel and corporate secretary of the Manila Hotel Corporation.
In 1994, Tijam was appointed judge of the Quezon City regional trial court and served as president of the RTC judges in the city.
In 2003, he was promoted to the CA from where the President plucked him in 2017 to assume the post of SC associate Justice.
He is married to Ma. Cynthia Cornejo Tijam with whom he has three children. They have six grandchildren.