Public interview set for Supreme Court aspirants

MANILA -- Twelve candidates for the position of Associate Justice of the Supreme Court will be interviewed in the last week of October, the vetting body Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) said Friday.

Slated October 23 and 25, the public interview is part of the process of coming up with a shortlist of nominees to be submitted to President Benigno Aquino III, who is tasked to fill in the seat vacated by Maria Lourdes Sereno who was appointed Chief Justice on August 24.

Court of Appeals (CA) Associate Justice Ramon Bato Jr., former University of Perpetual Help System Law Dean Jose-Santos Bisquera, CA Associate Justice Rosemari Carandang, and Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Maria Cristina Cornejo are set to be interviewed on October 23.

Former RTC Judge Adoracion Cruz-Avisado, CA Associate Justice Magdangal De Leon, CA Associate Justice Isaias Dicdican, former University of the Philippines Law Dean Marvic Leonen, former Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla, CA Presiding Justice Andres Reyes Jr., CA Associate Justice Jose Reyes Jr., and CA Associate Justice Noel Tijam will be grilled on October 25.

De La Salle University Law Dean Jose Manuel Diokno, Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Teresita Herbosa, and former Ateneo Law Dean Cesar Villanueva, meanwhile, will no longer be interviewed since they had already underwent the process when they were vying for the position of Chief Justice in July.

After the public interviews, the eight-member JBC will vote on the shortlist and prepare the list of nominees to be given to President Aquino. (Virgil Lopez/Sunnex)