Marcos reappoints ex-SC Justice Mendoza to Judicial and Bar Council
President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. (PCO)
President Marcos has reappointed retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Jose Mendoza to the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC), Malacañang confirmed Saturday, Oct. 18.
Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro confirmed the reappointment via text message.
Mendoza, whose new term will run until July 9, 2029, will again represent retired justices in the JBC, the body tasked with screening and recommending appointees to the judiciary.
The reappointment came after the Commission on Appointments (CA) deferred its deliberations on Mendoza’s ad interim appointment last week. During the hearing, senators raised questions about his previous role in the JBC’s vetting of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, who was later appointed as Ombudsman.
Senator Imee Marcos led the objections, citing what she described as “ever-changing rules” within the JBC and expressing concern over Mendoza’s “lack of responsive and adequate answers” during questioning.
“I am deeply disturbed and alarmed by the responses of Justice Mendoza to the questions of the chair, of Congressman Garbin, of Senator Villanueva, and those of myself, casting doubt on the probity and independence of the JBC,” she said during the CA session.
Mendoza was first appointed to the JBC in July this year to fill a vacancy representing retired justices.
Before this, he also served as a JBC member from 2017 to 2021 under the administration of former president Rodrigo Duterte.
He was appointed to the Supreme Court in 2010 and served until his retirement in 2017.
The JBC was created under the 1987 Constitution to insulate the judicial appointments process from partisan politics and preserve the judiciary’s independence.