Interview for Supreme Court candidates starts July 19

MANILA, Philippines - The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) set yesterday public interviews for candidates to the lone vacant post in the Supreme Court (SC) left by the appointment of Renato Corona as chief justice last May 17.

SC spokesman Jose Midas Marquez said the interviews would be held consecutively starting July 19.

Marquez added that the JBC would invite the public to comment on all 28 aspirants – either in support for or against the nomination of any of them.

He said the schedule of the public interview and the invitation for public comments would be published in an advertisement in a major newspaper.

The SC official explained that not all candidates would undergo public interview, where they would be asked by the eight-man JBC led by Chief Justice Corona about their qualifications and sometimes about pressing social and legal issues.

“If they have been interviewed within the given year they will no longer be interviewed. The interview will be only for those first time aspirants or those who’ve been interviewed a long time ago,” he said.