MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte has appointed 17 new municipal and regional trial court (RTC) judges, which include the daughters of a Supreme Court magistrate and a retired justice of Court of Appeals justice.
Based on appointment papers dated October 27, 2017, Duterte appointed 15 RTC judge in Metro Manila and one municipal trial court (MTC) judge each in Canlaon City, Negros Oriental and Buguey, Cagayan.
Pia Cristina Bersamin-Embuscado, daughter of Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justice Lucas Bersamin, was appointed as judge for Las Pinas RTC Branch 198.
Catherine Therese Tagle-Salvador, a graduate of Ateneo Law School, was appointed judge for Malabon RTC Branch 73. She is the daughter of retired Court of Appeals (CA) Justice and former Comelec Commissioner Lucenito Tagle.
Redentor Dela Cruz Cardenas, Augusto Jose Y. Arreza, Rosario Ester Orda-Caise, Ricardo A. Moldez II, Giovanni E. Vidal, and Ma. Caridad SJ. Villamor-Yee were appointed to branches 134, 233, 234, 235, 236, and 237 of the Makati RTC, respectively.
Catherine Therese M. Tagle-Salvador, Anna Michella C. Atanacio-Veluz, Misael M. Ladaga, and Josie Negros Rodil, meanwhile, were named to branches 73, 169, 292, and 293 of the Malabon RTC, respectively.
In Manila RTC, appointed as judges were Caroline L. Tobias for Branch 7, Cynara Hannah L. Cayton for Branch 8, and Renato Z. Enciso for Branch 12 while Ma. Rowena Violago Alejandria was named judge of Branch 121 of the Caloocan RTC.
Edwina Belcina Monceda was appointed to MTC of Canlaon City, Negros Oriental, and Rhodora Gines Arrocena to the Buguey, Cagayan MTC.
The appointees were shortlisted by the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC), a constitutionally-mandated body to screen and vet nominees to the President for vacant posts in the judiciary and the Offices of the Ombudsman and Deputy Ombudsman.
It is chaired by Chief Justice on-leave Sereno but she was now replaced by acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio with ex-officio members, namely Senator Richard Gordon and Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali and Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra.
Retired SC Justice Jose Catral Mendoza is the head of the Executive Committee, with lawyer Jose Mejia representing the Academe, and Milagros Fernan-Cayosa representing the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, Ret. Judge Toribio Ilao, representing the private sector as the other regular members of the JBC. (Christopher Lloyd Caliwan/PNA)
