On June 18 the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) will close the acceptance of applications and nominations and start its public interview of the nominees on June 25 for the position of Chief Justice.
So far there are now 18 candidates for the top post in the judiciary.
The JBC rules stipulate that the five most senior justices of the Supreme Court led by Acting Chief Justice Antonio T. Carpio are automatically nominated. The other most senior justices are Presbitero J. Velasco Jr., Teresita J. Leonardo de Castro, Arturo D. Brion, and Diosdado M. Peralta.
Earlier nominated for the post were retired Judge Manuel Siangco Jr., lawyer Rafael Morales, Ormoc City Vice Mayor Nepomuceno Aparis, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, BIR Commissioner Kim Henares, former University of the Philippines law dean Raul Pangalangan, lawyer Marianito Sadondoncillo, women’s rights advocate Katrina Legarda, Solicitor General Francis Jardeleza, and former Ateneo de Manila University law dean Cesar Villanueva.
The latest nominees are former solicitor general Francisco I. Chavez who was nominated by Manuel Baviera, organizer of the Whistle Blowers’ Association of the Philippines; and former Makati City congressman Teodoro “Teddy Boy” Locsin Jr. who was recommended by lawyer Brigido Dulay and ABAKADA party-list president Jonathan de la Cruz.
The lone applicant was Jocelyn Esquivel whose qualification as a lawyer is not immediately known.
