In spite of her compulsory retirement in October his year, Supreme Court Associate Justice Teresita Leonardo – De Castro on Thursday formally accepted her automatic nomination for the chief justice post.
De Castro, a known nemesis of ousted chief justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, submitted to the Judicial and Bar Council a letter formally accepting the automatic nomination for the top judicial post as one of the five most senior justices and also the nomination by retired Sandiganbayan Justice Raoul Victorino.
De Castro, who rose from the ranks in the judiciary from a court clerk and has been serving in the government for 45 years, is set to retire from the judiciary this October.
If appointed chief justice, she would only have a couple of months to lead the 15-member bench.
De Castro was appointed to the high court by former president and now House Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in December 2007.
Prior to her promotion, she was the presiding justice of the Sandiganbayan and the chairman of the special division of the anti-graft court that convicted ousted President Joseph “Erap” Estrada of plunder in 2007.
A recipient of numerous judicial excellence awards, the feisty justice has served as president of the Philippine Women Judges Association and the prestigious International Association of Women Judges.
De Castro was one of the eight justices who voted to oust Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno from the top judicial post by granting the quo warranto petition by Solicitor General Jose Calida.
She also testified against Sereno in the impeachment proceedings before the House committee on justice and had a shouting match with her during the oral arguments on the quo warranto case last April.
Aside from De Castro, the JBC also received on Thursday an application for the chief justice post from Davao City regional trial court judge Virginia Tehano-Ang.
On the last day for nomination and application yesterday, there were five candidates for the chief justice post to be screened by the JBC.
Associate Justices Diosdado Peralta, Lucas Bersamin and Andres Reyes Jr. have also accepted their nomination for chief justice earlier this week. All three also voted to oust Sereno.
Peralta and Bersamin were also among the senior justices who were automatically nominated for the post, while Reyes was nominated by Victorino along with all 14 incumbent justice of the SC.
Antonio Carpio, the most senior magistrate, already declined the nomination. He said he did not want to benefit from Sereno’s ouster, which he opposed by voting against the SC ruling.
Presbitero Velasco has declined the nomination since he is retiring from the judiciary next month.
The chief justice position was opened last June 25 and set the deadline for nominations yesterday, July 26.
The 1987 Constitution requires that the chief justice position be filled within 90 days from vacancy or from the finality of the SC ruling ousting Sereno last Tuesday, June 19.
This means that President Duterte needs to appoint Sereno’s replacement by Sept. 16.
The Constitution also requires the chief justice, just like associate justices of SC, to be a natural-born citizen, at least 40 years old, have experience as a judge or in private law practice for at least 15 days, and a person with proven competence, integrity, probity and independence.