MANILA, Philippines — The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) has endorsed Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justices Alexander Gesmundo, Ramon Paul Hernando, and Estela Perlas-Bernabe as candidates to succeed Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta who is set to retire.
According to JBC’s letter to President Rodrigo Duterte, Peralta will optionally retire on March 27, which would leave the post vacant.
“Pursuant to Article VIII, Section 9 of the Constitution, the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) has the honor to submit the following nominations for the position of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines (vice Hon. Diosdado M. Peralta, who will optionally retire on March 27, 2021),” JBC said.
The document was signed by the JBC members, including ex-officio members Peralta, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, House justice committee chair Rep. Vicente Veloso.
Other members of the JBC who signed the documents were former Associate Justices Jose Mendoza and Noel Tijam, Integrated Bar of the Philippines representative Judge Franklin Demonteverde, and private sector representative Judge Toribio Ilao Jr.
Both Hernando and Gesmundo were appointed by Duterte, while Perlas-Bernabe was appointed earlier by then-President Benigno Aquino III.