MANILA – The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) has initiated the application process for a vacancy in the Supreme Court, following the upcoming mandatory retirement of Associate Justice Mario Lopez on June 4. The JBC made this announcement on Tuesday, marking the beginning of the selection process for this critical judicial role.
The appointee to replace Justice Lopez will be the first Supreme Court justice appointed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Lopez, who was appointed on December 3, 2019, following the retirement of former Justice Francis Jardeleza, will leave a significant position open.
The most recent appointment to the Supreme Court was that of Associate Justice Filomena Singh on May 18, 2022, who succeeded retired Associate Justice Estela Bernabe. Looking ahead, three more justices are set to retire before the end of President Marcos’s term in June 2028: Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo, and Associate Justices Amy Lazaro-Javier and Henri Paul Inting.
According to the Philippine Constitution, the Supreme Court is comprised of a Chief Justice and 14 Associate Justices. The court can convene either en banc or in smaller divisions of three, five, or seven members, depending on the discretion of the court.
The appointment of Supreme Court justices is carried out by the President, who selects from a list of at least three nominees provided by the JBC for each vacancy. These appointments do not require confirmation by the Commission on Appointments.
Candidates for the Supreme Court must demonstrate proven competence, integrity, probity, and independence. They must also be natural-born citizens of the Philippines, at least 40 years old, and have at least 15 years of experience either as a judge of a lower court or in law practice within the country.
Justices serve until they reach the age of 70 or until they are unable to perform their duties due to incapacity.