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VOL. XXXV NO. 89 . THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2019 . 5 SECTIONS, 40 PAGES F2[l ilIilI
.Peilailta ils new
By ROBERTZON RAMIREZ
chief iustice
and CHRISTINA MENDEZ
Pre$ident Duterte has appoint-
ed Diosdado Peralta as the new
chief iustice, besting two other
associate justices shortlisted for
the Supreme Court,Vacancy fol-
lowing the retirerient of Lucas
Bersamin, Executive Secretary
Salvador Medialdea announced
yesterday.
Medialdea signed the order, which
took effect Tuesday, on ordbrs of
Duterte, who returned from Japan
in the evening of the same day after
cutting short his visit to Tokyo for the
enthronement of Japanese Er'nperor
Naruhito at the Imperial Palace.
T'he 67-year-old Peralta was cho-
sen overhis fellow Associate Justices
Estella Perlas-Bernabe and Andres
Reyes Jr., who were in the shorilist
su6mitted to the President by the
Judicial and Bar Council.
"We are certain that with Chief
Justice Peralta at the helm of the Su-
preme Court, the judiciary will con-
tinue to be well-managed as it strives
to uphold the principles of judicial
\ *leAottNE ilflrdtq Q0
exiellince, integrity and independ-
ence," preqidential spokesman and
chief legal counsel Salvador Panelo
said in a statement from Tokvri.
It was the third time for'?eralta
to get nominated to the top SC post.
The first was in 2018 while justices
were deliberating on the fate of Maria
Lourdes Sereno, who was eventually
ousted based on a quo tnarrnnto case
filed b)' the Office of the
l"lt:ibl _
General. Peralta voted along
with seven other justices to un-
seat Sere.no as chief magi.strate
for failing to file some of her
sfatements of assets, liabilities
and net worth (SALN).
Peralta, a former Manila
prosecutor and Quezon CitY
iudge,twas also among the
ispGants for the toP Sc Post
lait year, but it was Teresita
Leonardo de Castro who even-
tually bagged the Position. She
occupied the Posi ti on for a brief
peridd and was succeeded bY
Bersamin.
"With tlvo and a half de-
cadesofjudicial service to his
credit, Chief Justiie Peralta
is the most senior in terms
of the number of years of
service in the judiciary," SC
spokesman Brian Hosaka
told reporters. Peralta is the
26th chief justice.
He will reach the manda-
tory retir€iment age of 70 on
March27,2022.
Senior Associate Justice An-
tonio Carpiq acting drief justice,
received Peralta's appointnent
letter at around 2,10 pJn. yester-
day Carpio -retires on Oct. 25.
Shortly after the announce-
ment of Peralta's appointment,
SC personnel unfurled a tar-
paulin congratulating the new
chief justice.
No Bar topnotcher
During the JBC interview,
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