Justice Jose Reyes, Jr. applies for chief justice

Supreme Court Associate Justice Jose Reyes, Jr. has applied for chief justice, becoming the fourth magistrate to vie for the vacancy to be created by Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin's upcoming retirement.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra confirmed Tuesday that Reyes, a Duterte appointee, has applied for the position.

Associate Justices Diosdado Peralta, Estela Perlas-Bernabe, and Andres Reyes, Jr. have also applied for the post. Bersamin will retire on October 18, his 70th birthday.

Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio and Associate Justices Marvic Leonen and Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa declined their nominations.

A former Court of Appeals justice, Reyes was appointed to the highest court in the country in August 2018. He had also served as court attorney and as a Metropolitan and Regional Trial Court judge.

He has also taught taught at the College of Business and Economics in the De La Salle University, according to the SC Public Information Office.

After Bersamin, Reyes is currently the ninth most senior justice in the high tribunal. — BM, GMA News