THE Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) has included 13 names in its shortlist for the Supreme Court (SC) associate justice position vacated by the current Chief Justice Lucas P. Bersamin, according to Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra.
Court of Appeals (CA) Associate Justices Edgardo L. De los Santos and Amy C. Lazaro-Javier topped the shortlist with six points each.
Court of Tax Appeals Presiding Justice Roman G. Del Rosario and CA Associate Justices Japar B. Dimaampao and Ramon R. Garcia also entered the list with five points each.
Making it in the shortlist with four points each are: Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Amparo M. Cabotaje-Tang, SC Administrator Jose Midas P. Marquez, former Ateneo Law dean Cesar L. Villanueva, and CA associate justices Henri Jean Paul B. Inting, Jhosep Y. Lopez, Mario V. Lopez, Eduardo B. Peralta, Jr., and Ricardo R. Rosario.
Those who did not make the cut are: CA associate justices Nina G. Antonio-Valenzuela, Ramon M. Bato, Jr., Apolinario D. Brusales, Jr., Ramon A. Cruz, Stephen C. Cruz, and Oscar V. Badelles, and Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Efren N. de la Cruz.
Mr. Bersamin left his associate justice position on Nov. 28 last year upon his appointment as chief justice. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

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