THE Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) set a panel interview in September for all nominees and applicants for the position of Chief Justice in view of the retirement of incumbent Lucas Bersamin on October 18, a member of the council told the Manila Times on Thursday.This was stated b)y JBC Regular Member Representing the Academe Noel Tijam to the Manila Times.Noel Tijam, representing Academe, told the Times in a text message that the interview was on September 18 pending confirmation by the JBC executive committee and en banc.Tijam said the two members of the JBC were newcomers and haven't interviewed previous applicants for the post, including retired Judge Franklin Demonteverde, a JBC Regular Member representing the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP).The purpose of the interview is to determine the philosophy and legal views of the applicants for Chief Justice.In the past, JBC cannot push through with this proposal because of resistance from the sitting high court justices who did not want to be interviewed.There were instances when the high tribunal manifested before the JBC that an interview was not necessary because in order to know the philosophy of a sitting justice it was better to read his or her decisions.The Supreme Court en banc supervises the JBC.He said that the panel interview shall also cover the nomination for the two vacant posts for Associate Justice in view of the incoming retirement of Justice Francis Jardeleza on September and Antonio Carpio on October, respectively.In fact , the JBC has set the date for interviews on September 4.For the seven vacant justice posts at the Court of Appeals, the council has set the interview on September 25.Public interviews for the applicants for the position of presiding justice will be in October. This was in connection with the retirement of CA Presiding Justice Romeo Barza last July 30.The JBC is constitutionally mandated to screen and vet nominees to the President for vacant posts in the judiciary and the Offices of the Ombudsman and Deputy Ombudsman. Bersamin heads the JBC, with ex-officio members Senator Richard Gordon and Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra.Retired SC Justice Jose Catral-Mendoza is the head of the executive committee; retired Judge Toribio Ilao, representing the private sector, Demonteverde and Tijam, are the other regular members of the JBC.
