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A new member of the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) and three recently-appointed ambassadors will undergo vetting by the congressional Commission on Appointments (CA) on Tuesday, Sep. 10, according to Surigao del Sur 2nd district Rep. Johnny Pimentel.

Pimentel, the CA Assistant Minority Leader, said the body’s Committee on Justice will weigh on the appointment of law practitioner Jose Mejia as JBC member representing the private sector.

The committee is chaired by SAGIP Party-list Rep. Rodante Marcoleta, assistant majority leader of CA.

Mejia took his oath of office on July 19. As a member of the JBC, he screens and recommends appointees to the judiciary.

Under the Constitution, the President appoints members of the Supreme Court (SC) and the judges of lower courts from a list of at least three nominees prepared by the JBC for every vacancy.

The JBC is composed of the Chief Justice as ex officio chairperson, with the Secretary of Justice and a member of Congress as ex officio members, plus four regular members appointed by the President: an Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) representative, a law professor, a retired Supreme Court member, and a private sector representative.

Meanwhile, Pimentel said the CA’s Committee on Foreign Affairs chaired by Senator Jinngoy Estrada will examine President Marcos’ three nominations for ambassadors. These are, Daniel Espiritu as ambassador to Ireland, Mardomel Celo Melicor as ambassador to Qatar, and Mary Anne Padua as ambassador to Timor-Leste.

“[Aside from] the three ambassadors, we also have 25 newly promoted career diplomats at the Department of Foreign Affairs lined up for their confirmation hearings,” Pimentel noted.

The new posting or place of assignment of an ambassador and the rank promotion of senior foreign service officers require the consent of the CA.

As empowered by the Constitution, the 25-member CA is tasked to scrutinize the competence, fitness, and integrity of key presidential appointees and find basis on whether to confirm or reject them.

The CA is composed of 12 members each from the House of Representatives and the Senate, with the Senate President as the ex-officio presiding officer.