President Rodrigo Duterte administers the oath of office to newly appointed Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta during a ceremony at Malacañang on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2019.
MANILA, Philippines—Newly appointed Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta took his oath before President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday afternoon.
Duterte’s spokesman Salvador Panelo said the President administered the oath of office to Peralta in a ceremony held in Malacañang.
Newly-appointed Supreme Court Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta with President Duterte in Malacañang. 📸 Sen. Bong Go @inquirerdotnet pic.twitter.com/WBXZgohoNb
— Darryl John Esguerra (@drrylesguerra) October 24, 2019
Panelo said Duterte told Peralta that “all he asks is that the Supreme Court under his watch should be characterized with fairness and truth.”
“That every citizen be treated equal before the law regardless of the status in life,” Panelo said, supposedly quoting Duterte as saying.
Peralta replaced former chief justice Lucas Bersamin who retired on October 18.
READ: Diosdado Peralta is new Chief Justice
Malacañang earlier said the Supreme Court would continue to be independent under Peralta, who was a former Sandiganbayan Associate Justice who convicted former president Joseph Estrada of plunder.
“We are certain that with Chief Justice Peralta at the helm of the Supreme Court, the Judiciary will continue to be well-managed as it thrives to uphold the principles of judicial excellence, integrity and independence,” Panelo said.
READ: Palace sure Chief Justice Peralta will uphold judicial independence, integrity
Peralta was also a former Regional Trial Court Judge in Quezon City and got the monicker “hanging judge” for sentencing around 40 people to death.