SC names six preferred candidates to replace Ombudsman Martires

The Supreme Court (SC) has recommended to the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) its six preferred candidates to  the position vacated by Ombudsman Samuel Martires.

In Tuesday’s en banc session, the high court came up with six preferred names — Court Administrator Jose Midas Marquez and Court of Appeals justices Manuel Barrios, Apolinario Bruselas, Rosmari Carandang, Japar Dimaampao and Ramon Garcia.

Barrios and Carandang topped the list with 12 votes each while Bruselas got nine votes. Marquez, Dimaampao and Garcia all got eight votes from the SC justices.

It has been a tradition of the Supreme Court to name its preferred candidates to become their next colleague. It was, however, stopped during the time of former Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.

The JBC, which is constitutionally mandated to vet nominees for judicial posts, is set to start public interviews for this vacancy in the high court.

On Wednesday, Bruselas, Carandang, Dimaampao, Marquez together with CA Justices Stephen Cruz, Edgardo Delos Santos, Ramon Paul Hernando and Mario Lopez will face the seven-man JBC for an interview.

Meanwhile, Garcia, together with CA Justices Oscar Badelles and Amy Lazaro Javier and Tagum City RTC Branch 1 Judge Virginia Tehano-Ang, will no longer be interviewed since their recent interview for an earlier vacancy in the court are still valid. /ee

READ: JBC opens nomination for SC post vacated by Ombudsman Martires