All 5 chief justice candidates make it to JBC shortlist - Rappler

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. faces a consequential choice for the country’s highest judicial office after the Judicial and Bar Council finalized a five-candidate shortlist for the next Supreme Court chief justice, Rappler reported.

The Five Contenders for the Top Court Seat

The shortlist features five sitting high court magistrates. Supreme Court spokesperson Camille Sue Mae Ting and several other sources have confirmed that the candidates in the running are Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen, Associate Justice Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa, Associate Justice Rodil Zalameda, Associate Justice Japar Dimaampao, and Associate Justice Jose Midas Marquez. As reported by Philstar.com, Associate Justices Ramon Paul Hernando and Henri Jean Paul Inting—both senior magistrates—opted to withdraw their nominations prior to the council’s submission of the final list.

Jbc interview leonen — Photo: Philstar.com

The selection process moves forward as Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo approaches his mandatory retirement on November 6, 2026. Under Article VIII, Sections 4 and 9 of the 1987 Constitution, President Marcos has 90 days from the vacancy to name a successor, giving the executive until February 2027 to make the appointment. Leonen will serve as acting chief justice once Gesmundo retires until the President names a permanent replacement.

Contrasting Judicial Philosophies and Reform Proposals

The next leader will take charge of a court largely shaped by the appointments of former President Rodrigo Duterte. Leonen, at 63 the most senior among the applicants and one of only two Aquino appointees alongside Caguioa, proposed an independent study during his JBC interview to review major corruption cases handled by the high court since the 1986 Edsa People Power Revolution.

Marcos faces crucial choice: 5 shortlisted as next SC chief justice — Photo: Inquirer

Zalameda proposed creating a specialized anti-graft monitoring group and urged reforms to accelerate trial proceedings, noting that ordinary litigants often grow frustrated with multi-year delays, Daily Tribune reported. Marquez similarly vowed to eliminate overburdened courts by 2032 through targeted docket management and procedural streamlining.

Simultaneous Vacancies and Next Steps

The high-stakes search for a chief magistrate unfolds alongside the process to replace Associate Justice Amy Lazaro-Javier, who reaches her mandatory retirement age on November 16. The Judicial and Bar Council submitted an 11-person shortlist for that associate justice vacancy, which includes Court of Appeals Presiding Justice Fernanda Lampas Peralta, Solicitor General Darlene Marie Berberabe, and Commission on Audit Chairperson Gamaliel Cordoba, among others.

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President Marcos will have near-absolute discretion in picking both the next chief justice and the incoming associate justice from the respective council lists. These appointments will alter the balance of the Supreme Court as the administration approaches the midpoint of its constitutional timeline for judicial succession.