A TOTAL 12 aspirants vied for a Supreme Court seat to be vacated by Associate Justice Presbitero Velasco Jr. who is set to retire this coming August while three appear interested to replace Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales.
The Judicial and Bar Council on Thursday revealed 12 candidates had applied for the post since the nomination for the Supreme Court vacancy period ended last May 2.
Nine applicants are associates justices of the Court of Appeals—Jose Reyes, Rosmari Declaro Carandang, Ramon Bato, Ramon Hernando, Ramon Garcia, Oscar Badelles, Manuel Barrios, Apolinario Bruselas and Amy Lazaro-Javier.
Court Administrator Jose Midas Marquez of the Supreme Court was also nominated for the post.
Velasco was a former CA justice and court administrator prior to his appointment in the SC in March 2006.
The list also included Judge Carlos Espero RTC Davao City and former Ateneo College of Law Dean Cesar Villanueva.
Meanwhile, a San Beda University professor who lawyered for President Rodrigo Duterte when he was then the Davao City mayor has filed an application with the Judicial and Bar Council to replace Morales, who is retiring on July 26.
According to judiciary sources, Edna Batacan had personally filed her application with the JBC.
Others in the short list of applicants are former Sandiganbayan presiding justice Edilberto Sandoval who is now the chief of the Office of the Ombudsman’s Office of the Special Prosecutor, and Supreme Court Associate Justice Teresita de Castro, who was nominated by her colleague, Associate Justice Arturo Brion.
Even Solicitor General Jose Calida was also interested to head the Ombudsman, but as of press time, he has not filed any application with the JBC.
The council will accept applications until May 15.
Just like the President, Batacan has earned her degree in law at the San Beda College of Law.
She was a law professor at her alma mater for over three decades after passing the 1981 bar exam.
She represented Duterte in several lawsuits in Davao City and in the Sandiganbayan in 2010.
A year later, the anti-graft court absolved Duterte of graft suit filed by then House Speaker Prospero Nograles for dismantling a canal cover project.
Batacan also lawyered for former first gentleman Mike Arroyo as well as his wife, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in the controversial NBN-ZTE broadband deal.
The Constitution requires an SC justice to be at least 40 years of age; with 15 years or more experience as a judge of a lower court or in the practice of law in the country; and has proven competence, integrity, probity and independence.
The JBC rules also require applicants to submit 17 documentary requirements, including their complete sworn statements of assets, liabilities and net worth for the previous years.
All applicants must also submit the results of their medical examinations that they took within the past six months.
Besides Velasco’s post, the JBC is expected to open another vacancy for an associate justice of the SC to be left by the retirement of Associate Justice Teresita Leonardo-De Castro this October.
The JBC is chaired by the Chief Justice with ex-officio members — Senator Richard Gordon and Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali on sharing term and Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra.
The regular members of the council are retired SC justice Jose Catral-Mendoza, retired Judge Toribio Ilao, and lawyers Jose Mejia and Milagros Fernan-Cayosa.