MANILA, Philippines—Senior Court of Appeals Justice Martin Villarama Jr. was sworn in Saturday afternoon as the latest member of the Supreme Court.

Villarama took his oath before Chief Justice Reynato Puno at the Dignitaries Lounge of the New Supreme Court Building on Padre Faura St. in Manila.

It was his ninth nomination to the high court, having been included on the short list of nominees submitted by the Judicial and Bar Council to Malacañang for as many times.

He replaced Justice Consuelo Ynares-Santiago who retired last month.

Villarama, 63, is the 166th magistrate to be appointed to the high court, according to a statement issued by the Supreme Court public information office. He is married to Supreme Court Clerk of Court Ma. Luisa Dizon-Villarama.

Villarama obtained his law degree from Manuel L. Quezon University after obtaining a degree in business administration from De La Salle University.

He began his law career as a technical assistant in the Legal Research Division (now Office of the Chief Attorney) of the Supreme Court.

He later worked as legal counsel and corporate secretary for various companies until he rejoined the judiciary in 1986 when he was appointed Regional Trial Court Judge of Pasig City. He served as Executive Judge from 1992 to 1996.

He is a recipient of the Ulirang Ama Award for Law and Judiciary and was declared Katangi-tanging Anak ng Angat, Bulacan, in 2003.

He was elevated to the Court of Appeals in March 1998 and served as chair of the Fifth Division and supervising justice of the Judicial Records Division.

During the 71st anniversary of the Court of Appeals in 2007, Villarama was recognized by his peers as one of the justices with the least pending cases

Born on April 14, 1946 in Manila, Villarama and his wife have two children: Dr. Clarissa D. Villarama-Cellona, a dermatologist; and Carlo D. Villarama, a recent Bar examinee.