Duterte picks De Castro as new Chief Justice

FILE: Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justice Teresita Leonardo-de Castro. (Photo: Supreme Court of the Philippines)

President Rodrigo Duterte selected Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justice Teresita Leonardo-De Castro as the country’s new top magistrate, according to Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra.

“I have been informed that the President’s choice has been publicly announced by SAP (Special Assistant to the President Christopher) Bong Go and that the formal appointment will be released by ES (Executive Secretary Salvador) Medialdea on Tuesday,” Guevarra announced on Saturday, August 25.

Guevarra, an ex-officio member of the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC), described De Castro’s appointment as a “fitting finale to her illustrious career” in the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the judiciary.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, Jr., meanwhile, hailed this development.

“Bravo! Best choice for CJ! Proven competence, known nationalist, and a streak of being a judicial activist!” the Palace official said.

De Castro, 69, was picked by Duterte over her fellow magistrates — Associate Justices Diosdado Peralta and Lucas Bersamin — who were also shortlisted by the JBC.

[READ: De Castro, Bersamin, Peralta included in JBC shortlist for CJ post]

She will replace former Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, who was ousted by her fellow magistrates at the high court. De Castro was among the eight justices who voted in favor of Solicitor General Jose Calida’s petition that seeks to nullify Sereno’s appointment.

De Castro, however, will only have to serve for less than two months as she will be retiring in October upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70.

She and six other justices is facing an impeachment complaint filed by four lawmakers of the House of Representatives: Albay Representative Edcel Lagman, Magdalo party-list Representative Gary Alejano, Ifugao Representative Teddy Baguilat, Jr.

, and Akbayan party-list Representative Tom Villarin.

The magistrates are accused of violating the Constitution and betrayal of public trust in connection to the SC’s May 11 decision to unseat Sereno.

[READ: Supreme Court rules to oust Sereno]

The Palace, however, is confident that the impeachment complaint will be dismissed for lack of merit.

[READ: Palace finds no merit in impeachment raps vs 7 SC justices]

De Castro has been serving the public for 45 years. She began her professional career in the government as law clerk at the SC in 1973. Two years later, she became a judicial assistant and member of the technical staff of late Chief Justice Fred Ruiz Castro.

In 1978, she transferred to the DOJ where she served as State Counsel I and later rose to the position of Assistant Chief State Counsel by 1997.

The magistrate was eventually appointed at the Sandiganbayan as an associate justice on September 23, 1997 and became its presiding justice on December 15, 2004, according to her profile on the SC website.

During the administrations of former Presidents Corazon “Cory” Cojuangco Aquino and Fidel Ramos, De Castro also served as one of the international and peace negotiators.