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Elizabeth Marcelo - The Philippine Star
May 31, 2025 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) yesterday submitted to President Marcos the names of 12 shortlisted nominees for the Supreme Court (SC) associate justice post amid the upcoming retirement of Associate Justice Mario Lopez on June 4.
In a two-page letter dated May 30, stamped as “received” by the Office of the President on the same date, the JBC said that after deliberation, the council found 12 applicants qualified for the post.
Included in the JBC’s shortlist was University of the Philippines College of Law dean Darlene Marie Berberabe, who took her oath last Thursday at Malacañang as the new solicitor general, replacing Menardo Guevarra.
The STAR sought clarification from Berberabe on whether she is already waiving her application for the SC associate justice post following her acceptance of the appointment as solicitor general, but she has yet to respond as of last night.
Berberabe applied for the SC post even before the position of solicitor general opened up following President Marcos’ directive to all Cabinet secretaries and heads of all government agencies to submit their courtesy resignations.
Meanwhile, the other candidates in the shortlist submitted by JBC to the President are Court of Appeals Presiding Justice Fernanda Lampas-Peralta, CA Associate Justices Nina Antonio-Valenzuela, Ramon Bato Jr., Ramon Cruz, Maria Elisa Sempio Diy, Myra Garcia-Fernandez, Ronaldo Roberto Martin and Walter Ong, Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Karl Miranda, Court of Tax Appeals Associate Justice Maria Rowena San Pedro and Supreme Court Administrator Raul Villanueva.
This will mark Marcos’ first appointee in the SC, as most of the high tribunal’s sitting magistrates including Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo are appointees of former president Rodrigo Duterte, while others are appointees of the late former president Benigno Aquino III.
The JBC is mandated under Article VIII, Section 9 of the Constitution, to screen applicants for judicial appointments by the President. Under the Constitution the President shall choose his judicial appointee only from the shortlist submitted by the JBC.
