By Rey Panaligan
Four of the 13 applicants to the post of Supreme Court (SC) associate justice that was vacated last May 11 when Associate Justice Andres B. Reyes Jr. retired will be interviewed online by the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) on May 28.
Set for online interview via Zoom starting at 10 a.m. are Court of Appeals (CA) Associate Justices Ramon M. Bato, Priscilla J. Baltazar Padilla, Edwin D. Sorongon, and Nina G. Antonio Valenzuela.
The nine other applicants whose previous interviews are still valid are Court Administrator Jose Midas P. Marquez; Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Amparo M. Cabotaje Tang, and CA Associate Justices Manuel M. Barrios, Eduardo B. Peralta, Ramon A. Cruz, Pablito A. Perez, Japar B. Dimaampao, Jhosep Y. Lopez, and Ricardo R. Rosario.
In an announcement, the JBC – the constitutional office that accepts, screens, and nominates appointments to the judiciary – said that any sworn complaint, report or opposition against any of the applicants may be emailed to [email protected] and [email protected].
Whoever is appointed by President Duterte from among the nominees to be submitted by the JBC will complete the membership in the SC composed of 15 justices.
At the same time, the JBC – through ex-officio secretary Edgar O. Aricheta – announced the opening for applications and nominations to the post of SC associate justice that would be vacated on September 18 with the mandatory retirement of Associate Justice Jose C. Reyes Jr., and to the post of CA presiding justice that was vacated when CA Presiding Justice Romeo F. Barza retired on Aug. 2, 2019.
The JBC’s announcement also stated:
“Interested applicants must visit the official JBC website (www.jbc.judiciary.gov.ph) and access the Online Application Scheduler. After filling in the required information in the Online Application Scheduler, they will receive a computer-generated letter of intent in their e-mail addresses. They must submit the complete and accurate digitized versions of (a) the Letter of Intent and (b) documentary requirements through electronic mail to [email protected] on their selected date and time of appointment in the Online Application Scheduler.
“The documentary requirements should be in Portable Document Format (PDF) and e-mailed in a single file only, following the order of documents as enumerated in the Announcement posted on the JBC website. The date of actual receipt of the complete documentary requirements (sent through e-mail) shall be deemed as the date of filing.
“In addition, the applicants shall ensure receipt by the JBC of two (2) complete sets of the documentary requirements through courier service not later than 4:30 p.m. of 7 July 2020 (Tuesday). Applicants who fail to comply with the requirements of online and physical submission via courier service of the documentary requirements shall not be considered for nomination.
“Moreover, the qualification of applicants shall be reckoned as of the said deadline for filing of applications.”