A lady justice will fill up the position of Supreme Court Associate Justice that became vacant when Teresita Leonardo-de Castro was appointed as Chief Justice.
President Rodrigo Duterte has appointed Court of Appeals Associate Justice Rosmari Carandang as the 181st Justice of the Supreme Court
Carandang is the current chairperson of the Appellate Court’s Third Division and the third most senior associate justice of the CA.
A native of Batangas, she was born on Jan. 9, 1952. She has four more years to serve as Supreme Court magistrate before she retires at the mandatory age of 70.
She graduated from the University of the Philippines College of Law and placed 9th in the 1975 Bar examination.
She is the 7th appointee of President Duterte to the Supreme Court. His first appointee was fellow Bedan Samuel Martires whom he later appointed as Ombudsman.
Duterte’s other appointees are Associate Justices Noel Tijam, Andres Reyes Jr., Alexander Gesmundo, Jose Reyes Jr. and Ramon Paul Hernando. All of President Duterte’s appointments are from the judiciary. Martires and Gesmundo were justices of the Sandiganbayan while the others are from the Court of Appeals.
The President is expected to appoint majority of the High Court justices by the time his term as President ends. /muf