JBC to interview CJ candidates starting July 24

MANILA, Philippines – The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) will hold public interviews for the post of chief justice from July 24 to 26.

Jose Mejia, a member of the JBC, said they may interview 8 candidates per day as there are 25 nominees and applicants for the post.

The public interviews will be aired live, a first in the history of the JBC, the body that vets aspirants to the judiciary to the President. The JBC unanimously agreed on June 18 to delete a provision in its rules barring live coverage of the public interviews.

Another JBC member, Iloilo Rep Niel Tupas, previously said that they decided to allow live coverage following several requests from former JBC member Sen Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan and the Supreme Court Appointments Watch (SCAW), a court watchdog. 

“We wanted to be liberal and transparent on the selection process,” he said.

The public interviews are a venue for aspirants to articulate their judicial philosophy and answer complaints against them, if any.

The airing of the interviews “will raise pressure on the JBC. They would have to justify why they are voting for candidates whose competence or independence is under question,” Vincent Lazatin of SCAW previously told Rappler.

The JBC has drafted its guidelines for the live coverage but has yet to finalize them. – Rappler.com

Click on the links below for more. 

• 22 official candidates for Chief Justice
• JBC to interview CJ candidates starting July 24
• 25 accept nominations for chief justice
• Questions for chief justice candidates
• JBC should review process of choosing CJ
• Besides JBC, Palace has judicial search committee
• CONVERSATIONS: How should the JBC choose the next chief justice? #SCWatch