METRO MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte has appointed Court of Appeals Associate Justice Ricardo Rosario as Supreme Court associate justice.
He will be replacing Associate Justice Jose Reyes, Jr., who retired last September.
According to Supreme Court spokesman Brian Keith Hosaka, they have yet to received a copy of the appointment papers. Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea confirmed Rosario’s appointment on Friday.
President Duterte has made 15 appointees to the high court, of which, four have retired. Rosario would complete the 15-man tribunal.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said that the President expressed confidence in the ability of Rosario and he is expecting him to bring integrity and independence to the High Tribunal.
Roque further added that Rosario would advocate judicial independence, uphold the rule of law and continue the reforms in our court processes.
Rosario, a law graduate of the Ateneo de Manila University, spent his early years as a lawyer at the National Bureau of Investigation. became the presiding judge of the Metropolitan Trial Court of Manila Branch 19 and as presiding judge of the Regional Trial Court of Makati Branch 66 in 1997 until his promotion as Court of Appeals Associate Justice in 2005.
He was one of the nominees in the shortlist submitted by the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) to the President last month. Included on the list were CA Associate Justices Ramon Cruz, Japar Dimaampao, Eduardo Peralta Jr. Jhosep Lopez and Maria Filomena Singh and Court Administrator Jose Midas Marquez.
