The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) begins interviewing candidates to choose the next Philippine chief justice on Thursday, Oct. 22. Media reports say the first round will feature Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen and Associate Justice Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa, both among the most senior sitting members of the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court states the interviews will be open for viewing by the media.
Leonen and Caguioa are scheduled to each receive at least three hours for their interviews. Other reporting also frames the process as involving multiple Supreme Court justices competing for the chief justice post, with additional interviews expected after Oct. 22. One outlet adds that both Leonen and Caguioa were appointed by the late President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, while coverage otherwise focuses on the JBC’s timetable and the order of the first interviews.
