Newly Appointed Chief Justice De Castro Will Assume Her Post This Tuesday (August 27)
DE CASTRO – On Tuesday (August 27), newly appointed Chief Justice Teresita J. Leonardo-de Castro will begin her assigned post.
Based on the report on August 25, President Rodrigo Duterte already appointed Senior Justice Teresita Leonardo-De Castro as the new Chief Justice who will take over former Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.
De Castro was also previously appointed by former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to the Supreme Court in 2007.
According to a report in Manila Bulletin, she is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, dealing with arguments on two petitions challenging the constitutionality of President Duterte’s notice of withdrawal of the Philippines’ membership in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
That being said, the three divisions in the Supreme Court. Senior Associate Justice Antonio T. Carpio will still head the second division; but Associate Justice Diosdado M. Peralta is assumed to lead the third division; and Associate Justice Lucas P. Bersamin is expected to be the working chair of the first division.
She will serve as the Chief Justice for two months for the reason that she will retire this October. At the time of her retirement, the five justices who will be the candidate for Chief Justice would be:
- Antonio T. Carpio;
- Diosdado M. Peralta;
- Lucas P. Bersamin;
- Mariano C. del Castillo; and
- Estela M. Perlas Bernabe
As per the report, the Judicial and Bar Council will consider the five most senior SC justices qualified to the post of Chief Justice that will take over de Castro.
DOJ Secretary Menardo Guevarra said she is qualified to the top judicial post since she and the other nominees passed the meticulous screening. Guevarra further added that he will make sure that Justice De Castro and the others in our shortlist were qualified for the post, especially in terms of meeting the proven integrity criterion and the SALN requirement.
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