De Castro attends last SC flag ceremony as Chief Justice

Retiring Chief Justice Teresita Leonardo de Castro waves to supporters and employees of the Supreme Court as she leads her last flag-raising rite at the High Tribunal on Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER / MARIANNE BERMUDEZ

“I will miss all of you,” Chief Justice Teresita Leonardo De Castro on Monday told court employees on her last flag ceremony.

De Castro will mandatory retire on Oct. 10, 2018 wrapping up her more than 40 years in the public service.

On Tuesday, she will still preside over the en banc (full court) session as well as the continuation of the oral argument on the legality of Philippines’ withdrawal from the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

She will become the Chief Justice with the shortest stint having only served for less than a month and a half. Before her, the shortest to serve as chief justice was Pedro Yap with 72 days.

De Castro is considered the first female Chief Justice after Maria Lourdes Sereno was declared “de facto chief justice” and was ousted via a quo warranto proceeding. /cbb