Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta. (Photo from the Supreme Court Public Information Office)
MANILA, Philippines — The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) has opened the nomination for the post of Chief Justice which will become vacant with the early retirement of Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta on March 27.
The deadline for submission of the complete sets of applications or recommendations with conforme together with all the documentary requirements will be on Feb. 15.
But with quarantine restrictions being enforced because of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the JBC is advising aspirants to just access the Online Application Scheduler at the JBC website jbc.judiciary.gov.ph not later than the deadline, from 8 a.m. to 12 midnight.
After filing the required information in the Online Application Scheduler, aspirants will receive a computer-generated letter of intent in their email addresses.
The aspirants must then submit through e-mail on their selected date from the scheduler the complete and accurate digitized versions of the following: 1. letter of intent and 2. the documentary requirements. The date of actual receipt of the complete documentary requirements sent through email shall be considered as the date of filing.
As required by the JBC rules, only nominations with a letter of acceptance from the nominee will be processed. JBC is constitutionally mandated to vet applicants in the Judiciary and top positions at the Office of the Ombudsman. It comes up with a shortlist and submit it to the President for the final decision.
The five most senior Associate Justices of the Supreme Court are automatically nominated but will still have to submit a letter of acceptance and other requirements.
With Peralta’s upcoming retirement, the five most senior magistrates are Senior Associate Justice Estela Perlas-Bernabe (mandatory retirement on May 14, 2022), Associate Justices Marvic Leonen (mandatory retirement on Dec. 29, 2032), Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa (mandatory retirement on Sept. 24, 2029), Alexander Gesmundo (mandatory retirement on Nov. 6, 2026) and Ramon Paul Hernando (mandatory retirement on Aug. 27, 2036. Only Bernabe, Leonen, and Caguioa are not appointees by President Rodrigo Duterte.
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