Reward? Justice who junked De Lima’s plea named CA chief
A reward or a worthy appointment?
One of the Court of Appeals (CA) justices who jettisoned the legal action brought by detained Sen. Leila de Lima challenging her indictment for drug trafficking has been designated by President Rodrigo Duterte to head the appeals court.
Romeo Barza took his oath before Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio on Monday, three days after the President named him presiding justice of the CA.
Barza and Carpio were among the founders of the once influential Carpio Villaraza Barza Cruz & Rosell Law Offices, more known as The Firm.
He replaced Associate Justice Andres Reyes Jr., who was appointed by Mr. Duterte to the high court on July 13.
Barza, who completed his law degree at the University of the Philippines in 1974, joined the judiciary in 1995 as a Regional Trial Court (RTC) judge in Batangas City.
He was named by then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to the appeals court in May 2006 and served as national president of the Philippine Judges Association in 2003 and 2005.
As a member of the appeals court’s Special Sixth Division, Barza voted to reject De Lima’s petition for injunction which questioned the decision of the Department of Justice to sue her in connection with the drug trade inside the New Bilibid Prison.
Meanwhile, Mr. Duterte picked Mary Ann Corpuz-Mañalac as the newest member of the Sandiganbayan.
Mañalac was the presiding judge of Makati RTC Branch 14 who ordered Sunvar Realty Development Corp. to vacate a contested prime property in Makati City in favor of the government.
