De Castro accepts nomination to chief justice post

MANILA, Philippines — Associate Justice Teresita De Castro on Thursday has accepted the nomination to become the country’s next top judge.

This was confirmed by a report from The STAR.

De Castro is one the five most senior Supreme Court justices to have received automatic nomination to the chief justice post.

De Castro was in news in recent months for trading barbs with ousted Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno during the oral arguments over the quo warranto petition and even in public speeches.

She has been serving the Judiciary for more than 40 years, starting as a clerk in the SC’s Office of the Clerk of Court in 1973. De Castro was appointed as SC justice by former president, and currently House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

De Castro, however, is set to retire from the SC in October, when she reaches the mandatory retirement age of 70.

On Wednesday, Associate Justices Diosdado Peralta, Lucas Bersamin and Andres Reyes Jr. filed their respective acceptance of the nomination they received. The STAR earlier reported that De Castro, Peralta and Bersamin are expected to accept their automatic nomination to comply with the requirement of having at least three nominees for the post.

Peralta and Bersamin, by virtue of tradition, received automatic nomination to the post. They also received a recommendation from retired Sandiganbayan Justice Raoul Victorino who nominated all the 14 justices to the chief justice position.

Reyes, who is President Rodrigo Duterte’s third appointee to the SC, also applied to become the next chief justice.

READ: Bersamin, Peralta, Reyes accept chief justice nomination

Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, meanwhile, has declined his nominations to the post, citing delicadeza.

The most senior justice said that he does not want to benefit from the SC’s ruling on the government’s quo warranto petition that ousted Sereno from the chief justice position.

The four who have accepted their nominations all voted to grant Solicitor General Jose Calida’s legal challenge to Sereno’s appointment.

The JBC closes its application for the opening at the Office of the Chief Justice on Thursday, July 26. — with a report from Edu Punay