Former Court of Appeals magistrate Priscilla Baltazar-Padilla took her oath of office on Friday as new associate justice of the Supreme Court, completing the 15-member roster of the highest court of the land.
The oath-taking, which took place at the Supreme Court session hall, was attended by her husband Venancio, a lawyer; daughter Queenie Venessi Malibiran, son-in-law Kenneth Malibiran, and nephew Rodel Baltazar.
Padilla is among the four female magistrates of the high court. Born on July 2, 1958, Padilla graduated magna cum laude and at the top of her class in both her Political Science and Bachelor of Laws degrees from the Lyceum of the Philippines. She placed 5th in the 1984 bar examinations, with an average of 90.3 percent.
Padilla replaced Associate Justice Andres Reyes Jr. who retired last May 11. —Jerome Aning