MANILA, Philippines — The race to succeed Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo is taking shape, with the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) inviting the Supreme Court’s (SC) five most senior Associate Justices to apply for the top post in the judiciary.
Invited were Senior Associate Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen and Associate Justices Alfredo Benjamin S. Caguioa, Ramon Paul L. Hernando, Henri Jean Paul B. Inting, and Rodil V. Zalameda.
The vacancy will arise when Gesmundo retires.
The JBC’s invitation follows a long-standing practice of giving the five most senior Associate Justices the opportunity to vie for the Chief Justice position.
The practice dates back to the early 2000s, when the JBC began inviting the five most senior members of the Supreme Court to apply as a matter of courtesy and recognition of their seniority.
What started as an informal tradition has since evolved into a standing JBC policy.
The invitation, however, does not automatically put any of the five justices in the running for the post. Each must decide whether to apply and undergo the JBC’s screening and selection process.
The JBC is constitutionally tasked with recommending nominees for vacancies in the judiciary, including the Chief Justice post. The President then chooses the appointee from the JBC’s shortlist.
The Chief Justice heads the Supreme Court and the Philippine judiciary, making the succession one of the most consequential judicial appointments in the country.
