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Rody to name 12 of 15 SC justices
By FEDERICO D. PASCUAL JR.
BY JUST WAITING, President Rodrigo Duterte will be able to appoint 12 of the 15 justices, or an 80-percent supermajority, of the Supreme Court during his term. There are now two empty seats, with 10 more vacancies that will occur during his six-year presidency.
Below are the incumbent 13 justices, their age, date of appointment, and date of retirement. In bold type are the 10 justices who will bow out upon reaching the retirement age of 70 during the Duterte presidency.
1. Chief Justice Maria Lourdes P. A. Sereno; age 56; appointed Aug. 13, 2010; retiring July 2, 2030.
2. Senior Associate Justice Antonio T. Carpio; 67; Oct. 26, 2001; Oct. 26, 2019.
3. Associate Justice Presbitero J. Velasco Jr.; 68; March 31, 2006; Aug. 8, 2018.
4. Associate Justice Teresita De Castro; 68; Dec. 3, 2007; Oct. 8, 2018.
5. Associate Justice Diosdado M. Peralta; 64; Jan. 14, 2009; March 27, 2022.
6. Associate Justice Lucas P. Bersamin; 67; April 3, 2009; Oct. 18, 2019.
7. Associate Justice Mariano C. del Castillo; 67; July 29, 2009; July 29, 2019.
8. Associate Justice Jose C. Mendoza; 69; Jan. 4, 2010; Aug. 13, 2017.
9. Associate Justice Bienvenido L. Reyes; 69; Aug. 20, 2011; July 6, 2017.
10. Associate Justice Estela Perlas-Bernabe; 64; Sept. 16, 2011; May 14, 2022.
11. Associate Justice Marvic Mario Victor F. Leonen; 53; Nov. 21, 2012; Dec. 29, 2032.
12. Associate Justice Francis H. Jardeleza; 67; Aug. 19, 2014; Sept. 26, 2019.
13. Associate Justice Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa; 57; Jan. 22, 2016; Sept. 30, 2029.
Two vacancies occurred this month with the retirement of Associate Justices Jose P. Perez(born Dec. 14, 1946) and Arturo D. Brion (born Dec. 29, 1946). The President will appoint their replacements from a short list to be submitted by the Judicial and Bar Council.
If the present setup is not disturbed, Chief Justice Sereno, who was appointed on Aug. 13, 2010, by then President Noynoy Aquino, will have the distinction of serving during three administrations – including the one after Duterte — by the time she retires in July 2030.
It would be interesting to watch how the three supposedly independent branches of government would check one another when President Duterte has 12 appointees in the Supreme Court – in addition to his supermajority in the House of Representatives and the Senate.
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