Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Wednesday said there were 15 nominees who were aspiring for the seat in the Supreme Court that Associate Justice Alexander Gesmundo vacated following his promotion as Chief Justice.
Guevarra, an ex-officio member of the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC), did not identify the 15 aspirants, but admitted that two of the 15 applicants “are not from the judiciary.”
“Names (are) to be published after the first round of deliberations next week,” Guevarra said, in a text message to reporters.
The JBC is the constitutional office that accepts, screens, and nominates appointments to the judiciary.
Three days after Gesmundo’s appointment, the JBC started its search for applicants to the lone vacancy at SC. The deadline set last Monday, May 10.