Who’s who: Candidates vying for SC justice post

MANILA, Philippines – Five nominees are vying for the position of Supreme Court Associate Justice Jose Portugal Perez, who is set to retire on December 14.

The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC), the body mandated to screen and vet applicants to the judiciary, came out with its short list of nominees on Friday, December 2.

This will be submitted to President Rodrigo Duterte, who will select his first SC appointee from the shortlist. (EXPLAINER: How the Judicial and Bar Council works)

Two of the 5 candidates on the short list were interviewed during the 2-day public interviews held last month. The 3 other candidates had been previously interviewed for the position.

Those on the JBC shortlist are:

• Jose C. Reyes Jr 
• Apolinario D. Bruselas Jr 
• Japar B. Dimaampao 
• Samuel R. Martires 
• Andres B. Reyes Jr 

Know more about the candidates vying for the position.

JOSE C. REYES JR

Born September 18, 1950 (age 66)

7 votes from the JBC

• Court of Appeals (CA) Associate Justice
• If appointed, he will have 4 years as SC magistrate before he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 70
• Law degree from San Beda College
• Appointed to the CA in 2003
• Before CA, he worked as a Metropolitan Trial Court judge in Pasig and Regional Trial Court judge in Rizal
• Was a candidate in 2012 to replace then-SC Associate Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, and in 2014 to replace outgoing Supreme Court Associate Justice Roberto Abad
• Accused by Senator Antonio Trillanes IV of accepting a bribe just to stop the suspension of former Makati City mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay Jr

 

APOLINARIO D. BRUSELAS JR

Born May 6, 1956 (age 60)

5 votes from the JBC

• Court of Appeals Associate Justice
• If appointed, he will have 10 years as SC magistrate before he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 70
• Law degree from the University of the Philippines
• Prior to his appointment to the CA in 2005, he used to work at the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Quezon City regional trial court
• He was nominated in 2013 as candidate for the Sandiganbayan presiding justice vacancy, but lost to Amparo Cabotaje-Tang

 

JAPAR DIMAAMPAO

Born December 27, 1963 (age 52)

5 votes from the JBC

• Court of Appeals Associate Justice
• If appointed, he will have 18 years as SC magistrate before he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 70
• Law degree from University of the East College of Law
• Law professor specializing in commercial law and taxation
• During the JBC interviews, he vowed to enrich jurisprudence on sharia laws

SAMUEL MARTIRES

Born January 2, 1949 (age 67)

5 votes from the JBC

• Sandiganbayan Associate Justice
• If appointed, he will have 3 years as SC magistrate before he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 70
• Law degree from San Beda College
• Was presiding judge of the Agoo Regional Trial Court Branch 32
• In the Sandiganbayan, he penned the resolution approving the controversial plea bargain deal that allowed former military comptroller Carlos Garcia to petition for the lesser charge of direct bribery and money laundering, instead of plunder

ANDRES B. REYES JR

Born May 11, 1950 (age 66)

4 votes from the JBC

• Court of Appeals presiding justice
• If appointed, he will have 4 years as SC magistrate before he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 70
• Law degree from the Ateneo de Manila University
• Also holds a Master of Public Administration degree from the Philippine Women’s University
• After law school, he worked at the Office of the Ombudsman
• Appointed judge of Metropolitan Trial Court in Makati in 1987, and judge of Metropolitan Trial Court in San Mateo, Rizal in 1990
• Appointed as CA associate justice in 1999, and promoted to presiding justice in 2010
• Nominated in 2014 to replace outgoing Supreme Court Associate Justice Roberto Abad
• Grandson of former SC justice Alex Reyes, and son of former CA presiding justice Andres Reyes Sr

Over the next 3 years, Duterte will appoint 10 SC magistrates to replace retiring justices.

If Martires, Jose Reyes Jr, or Andres Reyes Jr are appointed to the SC, the President would be able to make additional appointments within his 6-year-term since the 3 nominees have 3 or 4 years before they reach the retirement age.

Over the past two years, the High Court has decided on major cases involving notable politicians – such as Grace Poe’s citizenship, the bail plea of Senator Juan Ponce Enrile, former president Gloria Arroyo’s plunder case, and more recently, the planned burial of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos at the heroes’ cemetery. (READ: How did SC justices vote on major political cases?) – with earlier reports from Rey Santos Jr/Rappler.com