The Judicial and Bar Council said on Saturday that it is looking for a new Court of Appeals Associate Justice and a Sandiganbayan Associate Justice after its two lawyers—former Court of Appeals Associate Justice Noel Tijam and former Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Samuel Martires—were promoted to the Supreme Court.
Tijam and Martires were named 175th and 176th Justice of the High Court on March 2 and March 8, respectively.
In a statement, the JBC said that it is now open to receive application for the two vacant positions.
Likewise, the JBC is also looking for a lawyer who would fill in the vacant position as Special Prosecutor of the Office of the Ombudsman after Ombudsman’s Special Prosecutor Wendell Barreras-Sulit’s term ended last March 11.
“Applications/recommendations should be submitted to the JBC Secretariat,” the announcement said.
The JBC was created through Article VIII Section 8 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, and is mandated to screen individuals who will fill in vacancies to the Office of the Ombusdman, Deputy Ombudsman, Special Prosecutor, and the offices of the Chairperson and Regular Members of the Legal Education Board.
The JBC has been “vested with great responsibility” to ensure that the applicants possess the necessary qualifications for positions as identified in various laws, specifically the Constitution.
Its creation, according to the late Chief Justice Roberto Concepcion, was necessary in “attaining and preserving the independence of the judiciary.”