There are 11 aspirants to the lone vacancy in the 15-member Supreme Court (SC), a post relinquished last November 3 by Associate Justice Priscilla J. Baltazar Padilla who opted for disability retirement.

Three of the aspirants – Sedfrey M. Candelaria, two-term dean of the Ateneo del Manila University; Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Amparo M. Cabotaje Tang; and Court of Appeals (CA) Associate Justice Japar B. Dimaampao – will be interviewed online by members of the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) on January 6.
The other aspirants and whose previous interviews are still valid are CA Associate Justices Nina G. Antonio Valenzuela, Apolinario D. Bruselas Jr., Ramon A. Cruz, Jhosep Y. Lopez, Eduardo B. Peralta Jr. and Maria Filomena D. Singh; Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Oscar C. Herrera Jr.; and Court Administrator Jose Midas P. Marquez.
The JBC is a constitutional body that accepts, screens and nominates appointments to the judiciary.
The SC’s 15 justices meet weekly in a full court session. They are divided into three divisions of five justices each and hold sessions Mondays and Wednesdays.