Associate Justice Reyes declines nomination to SC top post
Court of Appeals Associate Justice Bienvenido L. Reyes. Photo taken from https://ca.judiciary.gov.ph
MANILA, Philippines — A third Justice of the Supreme Court has declined his nomination for Chief Justice.
“May I inform this Honorable Body that being one of the most Junior Members of the Court, I defer to the more Senior Colleagues of mine. Hence, this will serve as my blanket and automatic non-acceptance or declination of any nomination from any person or party to the said position,” Associate Justice Bienvenido Reyes said in a letter to the Judicial and Bar Council.
Reyes, the second justice appointed by President Benigno Aquino III was nominated by Arturo M. De Castro who also nominated the other four high court justices and presiding justices of the Sandiganbayan and Court of Appeals.
Other justices of the high tribunal who declined the nomination were Estela Perlas-Bernabe and Mariano Del Castillo.
The other nominees from the Supreme Court are Jose Perez, Lucas Bersamin, Martin Villarama, Jose Mendoza, Maria Lourdes Sereno and Roberto Abad who has accepted his nomination.
The five justices, who by virtue of their seniority, became candidates outright, were Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, and Associate Justices Presbitero Velasco, Jr., Teresita Leonardo De Castro, Diosdado Peralta and Arturo Brion who has accepted his nomination.
