CA presiding justice is new SC member

Court of Appeals Presiding Justice Andres Reyes Jr. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/RAFFY LERMA

President Duterte has appointed Court of Appeals Presiding Justice Andres Reyes Jr. as the newest member of the Supreme Court.

In an order dated July 12, Mr. Duterte designated Reyes as replacement for Associate Justice Bienvenido Reyes, who had reached the compulsory retirement age of 70 on July 6.

Reyes, 67, is the third appointee of the President to the high court after Justices Samuel Martires and Noel Tijam.

He is a third-generation justice—a son of former Court of Appeals Presiding Justice Andres Reyes Sr. and a grandson of former Supreme Court Justice Alex C. Reyes.

The new high court justice finished his elementary and secondary education at La Salle, Greenhills, where he served years later as a member of its Board of Trustees.

He studied economics at De La Salle University, the University of California at Berkeley and Saint Mary’s College, California, and obtained his law degree from Ateneo de Manila University.

He also has a Master of Public Administration degree from Philippine Women’s University and participated in the top management program of the Asian Institute of Management.

While studying law, Reyes worked as his father’s private secretary. After graduating from law school and passing the bar examinations in 1978, he worked as prosecutor and later as chief legal officer of the Office of the Tanodbayan.

He was appointed Judge of the Metropolitan Trial Court, Branch 61, in Makati, Metro Manila, in 1987 and Judge of the Regional Trial Court, Branch 75, in San Mateo, Rizal, in 1990. He was promoted to Associate Justice of the Court of Appeals in 1999.

Reyes also served as president of the Metropolitan Trial Court Judges Association and taught law at Arellano University and Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila.