MANILA — Five Supreme Court justices are in the running to succeed Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo, who is scheduled to retire on November 6, according to the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC).
The Supreme Court announced that public interviews for the candidates will be held on October 22 and 26 as part of the selection process for the country’s next top magistrate.
Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen and Associate Justice Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa will face the JBC on October 22, from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., respectively.
The remaining candidates — Associate Justices Rodil Zalameda, Japar Dimaampao and Jose Midas Marquez — are scheduled for interviews on October 26, from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will choose the next chief justice from the council’s list of nominees. Under the 1987 Constitution, the vacancy must be filled within 90 days.
If no successor is appointed when Gesmundo retires, Leonen, the most senior associate justice, will temporarily perform the chief justice’s duties under the Judiciary Act of 1948.
Gesmundo was appointed by former president Rodrigo Duterte in April 2021 and has served for more than five years.
The incoming chief justice will be Marcos’ third appointee to the Supreme Court, whose current membership largely consists of Duterte appointees.
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