Aquino names 23 provincial judges

President Benigno Aquino III. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines–President Aquino has appointed 23 new judges in nine provinces, among them, an incumbent director of the Commission on Elections and the son of a Court of Appeals justice.

The appointments were contained in a transmittal letter dated Jan. 14 and released to the media this week. The letter was signed by Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa and sent to Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno.

The new judges will serve in regional trial courts, municipal trial courts, municipal trial courts in cities and municipal circuit trial courts in Bohol, Capiz, Cebu, Eastern Samar, Guimaras, Leyte, Mountain Province, Negros Oriental and Southern Leyte.

Among those appointed were Director Ferdinand Rafanan of the Comelec planning department to RTC Branch 55 in Mandaue City, Cebu, and lawyer Manuel Isidro Rosauro Antonio Barrios to MTCC Branch 4 in Roxas City, Capiz.

Barrios is the son of Court of Appeals Justice Manuel Barrios.

The new RTC judges are Leonito Sabandal in Tacloban City, Leyte; Ernesto Penaflor in Samar; Jacinto Elle in Southern Leyte; Rosario Abigail Dris-Villanueva in Guimaras; Ricky Jones Macabaya and Jose Nathaniel Andal in Cebu City; Lindecita Arcamo and Jorge Cabalit in Bohol, and Emerenciana Manook in Northern Samar.

The other new judges are Bonifacia Carmen Ramos in Roxas; Dakila Dante Barcenas, Yvonne Artiaga and Grace Veloso-Fernandez in Cebu; Manasseh Bastes in Tacloban; Renato Noel Echague in Eastern Samar; Alejo Calvo and Ulysses Loverita in Northern Samar; Lorna Obus-Pades in Leyte; Mayumi Gorme-Amora in Southern Leyte; Donna Marie Cajigan-Daoas and Gaslito Dumpayan in Mt. Province, and Dinah Tabada-Chu of Negros Oriental.

The appointees were screened by the Judicial and Bar Council, chaired by Sereno.