TWO Court of Appeals Justices have been appointed Supreme Court associate justices by President Duterte, court insiders confirmed yesterday.
Although the SC has yet to receive the official appointment papers from Malacanang, court insiders confirmed the appointment of CA Associate Justices Mario Lopez and Edgardo Delos Santos to the posts vacated by the retirement of Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio and Francis Jardeleza.
Carpio retired last October 26 while Jardeleza left the judiciary last September 26 after both reached the mandatory retirement age of 70.
Lopez and Delos Santos were among the newly-appointed government officials who took their oath of office yesterday at Malacanang.
Lopez graduated cum laude at the San Beda College of Law. He later took his masters of laws at the University of Sto. Tomas. Before his stint at the appellate court, Lopez served as prosecutor of the Ombudsman and as executive judge of Batangas City in 1997.
Delos Santos completed his law degree from the University of San Carlos in Cebu City and served as trial court judge in Dumaguete City and Bacolod City before he was appointed executive justice of the CA-Visayas station.
The appointment of Lopez and Delos Santos are the 7th and 8th appointments made by Duterte out of the 15-member SC.
Among the issues the SC will decide on in the coming days are the electoral protest filed by losing vice presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. against Vice President Leni Robredo as well as petitions questioning the legality of the anti-drug campaign of the Duterte administration.
Court insiders also said Duterte appointed Deputy Special Prosecutor Cornelio Somido as Deputy Ombudsman for Luzon, replacing Mechor Arthur Carandang, who was sacked by Malacanang for allegedly disclosing confidential information on the Duterte family’s bank accounts.
