Top Manila prosecutor leads list of Court of Appeals hopefuls | Sun.Star
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Friday, December 16, 2011
THE chief prosecutor of Manila led the list of nominees for the position of Court of Appeals justice following the promotion to the Supreme Court of Justice Bienvenido Reyes.
Notching perfect eight votes from the multi-sectoral Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) is Manila Chief Prosecutor Jhoseph Lopez.
Lopez, a graduate of the University of the Philippines College of Law and a member of the Sigma Rho Fraternity, was a former Manila Councilor before he became the chief prosecutor of Manila.
He also finished his undergraduate degree in political science from UP.
Others in the JBC shortlist of nominees were judges from the Regional Trial Courts (RTCs) garnering five votes each.
These were Las Pinas RTC Judge Joselito Vibandor, Quezon City RTC Judge Maria Elisa Sempio-Diy and Judge Renato Francisco of Malolos, Bulacan RTC.
Vibandor is an alumnus of San Beda College, where he obtained his Political Science degree in 1976, and law degree in 1980.
He worked as Legislative Assistant at the Office of Budget and Management, Legislative Service in Malacañang for a year.
From 1982 to 1987, he was a Corporate Attorney in the Philippine Tourism Authority. During the mid 1980s, he was designated as Boracay Island Tourism Administrator.
Francisco, on the other hand, is known to be an environmental judge in the Bulacan.
Sitting as chairman for the JBC is Chief Justice Renato Corona, along with members Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, Senator Francis Escudero, Iloilo Representative and House justice committee chairman Niel Tupas Jr., lawyer Milagros Fernan-Cayosa from the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP), lawyer Jose Mejia from the academe, retired SC Justice Regino Hermosisima and representing the private sector retired CA Justice Aurora Lagman.
The list of nominees will be submitted to President Benigno Aquino III, of which he has 90 days upon submission of the list to choose the new appellate court justice.
The JBC is also expected to screen two more vacancies in the appellate court in view of the retirement of CA Justice Mario Guarina III and the promotion to the Supreme Court of CA Justice Estela Perlas-Bernabe. (Virgil Lopez/Sunnex)"