Public Vigilance urged in appointment of 10 new SC justices

Supreme Court facade. — PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER

BAGUIO CITY—The judicial reform advocate group, Hustisya Natin, has urged  public vigilance for the new justices of the Supreme Court who will be  appointed by President Duterte to replace 10 retiring justices in the next three years.

Lawyer Marlon Manuel, chair of the project steering committee of Hustisya Natin, on Friday called on citizens to take part in the Judicial Appointments Watch (JAW) as the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) served  notice for public panel interviews with candidates filling a post to be  left by Justice Jose Perez. Perez is retiring on Dec. 14.

Also retiring between 2017 and 2019 are Justices Arturo Brion, Jose Mendoza, Presbitero Velasco Jr., Teresita Leonardo-De Castro, Mariano del Castillo, Lucas Bersamin, Antonio Carpio, Bienvenido Reyes and Francis Jardeleza.

Except for Reyes and Jardeleza, these justices were appointed by former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Justices Diosdado Peralta and Estela Perlas-Bernabe are due to retire in 2022.

Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, Justices Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa and Mario Victor “Marvic” Leonen are serving terms beyond 2022. These three justices are appointees of former President Benigno Aquino III.

In a media training on judiciary monitoring here, Manuel said the Hustisya Natin’s JAW focuses on the JBC process and does not endorse or protect candidates. Mr. Duterte will select an appointee from a list submitted by the JBC.

Candidates scheduled for interviews on Nov. 16 are Persida Rueda-Acosta, Rita Linda Ventura-Jimeno, Rowena Apao-Adlawan, Japar Dimaampao, Samuel  Martires, Ricardo Paras III and Noel Tijam.

The JBC’s notice last month also announced that the previous interviews of these candidates were still valid: Apolinario Bruselas Jr., Rosmari  Carandang, Stephen Cruz, Reynaldo Daway, Alex Quiroz, Andres Reyes Jr. and Jose Reyes Jr.