JBC Invites 5 Senior Justices to Apply for Chief Justice Post

The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) has invited five senior justices to apply for the post of Supreme Court (SC) Chief Justice, which will become vacant upon the retirement of Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo, the court said Tuesday. SC spokesperson Atty. Camille Ting confirmed that the JBC invited Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen and Associate Justices Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa, Ramon Paul Hernando, Henri Jean Paul Inting and Rodil Zalameda. “Since the early 2000s, the JBC has followed the practice of inviting the five most senior Associate Justices to apply for the Chief Justice post as a matter of courtesy and in recognition of their seniority,” Ting said in a statement. “What began as an informal practice has since become a standing JBC policy,” she added. Gesmundo is set to retire on November 6, 2026. Over the weekend, the JBC opened the application and nomination process for the post. The deadline for the submission of online applications is on October 13, 2026, Tuesday, at 4:30 p.m. Interested applicants must visit the official JBC website for complete details and guidelines on the application requirements. They must also access the JBC Online Registration and Application System through the Philippine Judiciary Platform and complete the necessary steps. “Applicants who have been found by the Council to have willfully made false statements, misrepresentations, or concealments of any material information as provided for under the 2020 Revised JBC Rules, as amended, shall be considered disqualified from being nominated by the Council or may be subject to perjury,” the JBC said.— MCG, GMA News