By Dane Angelo M. Enerio
The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) is set to interview on Thursday six candidates vying for the position of Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justice Presbitero J. Velasco, Jr. who will compulsorily retire on Aug. 8, according to a statement released by the court’s Public Information Office (PIO).
Judge Carlos I. Espero II and Court of Appeals (CA) Associate Justices Oscar V. Badelles and Manuel M. Barrios will take part in the screening body’s morning session of the public interview which will take place between 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon.
Meanwhile, CA Associate Justices Amy C. Lazaro-Javier and Ramon D.R. Garcia and former Ateneo Law School dean Cesar L. Villanueva will be interviewed in the afternoon from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
The statement also noted that six other candidates, namely, SC Court Administrator Jose Midas P. Marquez and CA Associate Justices Ramon M. Bato Jr., Apolinario D. Bruselas Jr., Rosmari D. Carandang, Ramon Paul L. Hernando, and Jose C. Reyes Jr., will no longer be interviewed as their previous interviews with the JBC are still considered valid.
The interviews will be livestreamed on YouTube using the official page of the high court.
According to the SCPIO, “the public may submit to the JBC a sworn complaint, report, or opposition against any of the aforesaid applicants” either through mail addressed to the SC, through telephone, or through email.

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