MANILA- Several magistrates of the Court of Appeals (CA) and the court administrator of the Supreme Court are among applicants and nominees vying for the post to be vacated by Associate Justice Presbitero Velasco, Jr. on August 8.

Velasco, who was appointed to the high court on March 31, 2006, will reach the mandatory age of retirement of 70 in the judiciary.

Justices of the appellate court applying for the post are Jose Reyes, Rosmari Declaro-Carandang, Ramon Bato, Ramon Hernando, Ramon Garcia, Oscar Badelles, Manuel Barrios, Apolinario Brussels, and Amy Lazaro-Javier.

Meanwhile, this will be the third time for Court Administrator Jose Midas Marquez to apply for a seat in the 15-member court.

The other hopefuls are Ateneo College of Law Dean Cesar Villanueva and Davao City Regional Trial Court Judge Carlos Espero.

Velasco’s replacement is President Rodrigo Duterte’s fifth appointee to the high court. His first appointees are Associate Justices Samuel Martires, Noel Tijam, Andres Reyes, Jr., and Alexander Gesmundo.

The Judicial and Bar Council, the body tasked to screen applications for judicial posts, set the last day of acceptance of applications on May 2.

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Applicants who are in government service were required to submit their 2016 and 2017 Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALNs).

Those in the private sector meanwhile were required to submit his/her 2017 SALN.

All applicants were required to submit their income tax returns or certificates of compensation payment/tax withheld for 2016 and 2017, and medical evaluation results.

Next to hang her robe is Associate Justice Teresita Leonardo-De Castro, who will be retiring in October.

When Duterte’s term ends in 2022, granting that there will be no revision in the current 1987 Constitution that shall pave for the way for a restructuring of the high court, he shall have appointed 12 of its 15 magistrates.

This number will rise to 13 should Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno be removed from office via quo warranto proceedings.

The high court is set to vote on the Sereno ouster plea on Friday, May 11.