JBC to interview SC justice aspirants on Oct. 23, 25

The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) on Thursday announced the schedule of the public interviews of the candidates for the vacant associate justice post in the Supreme Court. The post was vacated after former Associate Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno was appointed chief justice, replacing Renato Corona. Corona, who was appointed chief justice during the Arroyo administration, was voted out of office by a Senate impeachment court after he was found guilty of hiding around P200 million in dollar and peso deposits from his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth. To be interviewed on October 23 are:

• Court of Appeals (CA) Associate Justice Ramon M. Bato, Jr.,
• former University of Perpetual Help System Law Dean Jose-Santos B. Bisquera,
• CA Associate Justice Rosemari D. Carandang, and
• Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Maria Cristina J. Cornejo

Meanwhile, scheduled for inteview on October 25 are:

• former RTC Judge Adoracion P. Cruz-Avisado,
• CA Associate Justice Magdangal M. De Leon,
• CA Associate Justice Isaias P. Dicdican,
• former University of the Philippines Law Dean Marvic M. Leonen,
• former Department of Energy Secretary Raphael Perpetuo M. Lotilla,
• CA Presiding Justice Andres B. Reyes, Jr.,
• CA Associate Justice Jose C. Reyes, Jr., and
• CA Associate Justice Noel G. Tijam

The JBC said three candidates — De La Salle University Law Dean Jose Manuel I. Diokno, Securities and Exchange Commission chair Teresita J. Herbosa, and former Ateneo Law Dean Cesar L. Villanueva — will no longer be interviewed since they had already been interviewed in July 2012 when they were vying for the chief justice post. The application period for the vacant position was from September 5 to 17, 2012.  The JBC is constitutionally mandated to screen and veto nominees for vacant posts in the judiciary and the Office of the Ombudsman and Deputy Ombudsman. It has to come up with a shortlist from which President Benigno Aquino III will pick the next associate justice to complete the high court's 15-member roster. Aquino has 90 days to pick an appointee from the time the 15th SC post was vacated. — Mark D. Merueñas/KBK, GMA News