17 vie for SC associate justice post

Seventeen applicants are vying for the Supreme Court Associate Justice position that will become vacant on June 4, 2025, due to the compulsory retirement of Justice Mario V. Lopez.

This appointment will be President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s first to the 15-member high court.

The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) will screen and shortlist at least three names for the President's selection.

The JBC will hold public interviews for these aspirants on May 14, 15, 16, and 21.

Notable candidates include Court of Appeals Presiding Justice Fernanda Lampas Peralta, Supreme Court Administrator Raul Villanueva, and several Court of Appeals Justices.

Nine of the contenders come from the Court of Appeals: Presiding Justice Fernanda Lampas Peralta and Associate Justices Nina G. Antonio-Valenzuela, Ramon M. Bato Jr., Carlito B. Calpatura, Ramon A. Cruz, Maria Elisa S. Diy, Myra V. Garcia-Fernandez, Ronaldo Roberto B. Martin and Walter S. Ong.

Peralta has served for 21 years and was appointed in 2004 after 17 years with the Office of the Solicitor General.

Other contenders include Sandiganbayan Justices Karl Miranda and Ronald Moreno, Court of Tax Appeals Justice Maria Rowena San Pedro, UP Law dean Darlene Berberabe, Philippine Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organization Manuel Teehankee, lawyer Maria Rosario Bernardo, and former law dean Maria Concepcion Noche.