MANILA, Philippines — On what should have been a well-attended event by fellow magistrates, only two justices were physically present at the Supreme Court (SC) yesterday morning when Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta bid farewell to the judiciary he had served for 34 years.
The continuing COVID-19 pandemic forced the other justices to virtually watch Peralta’s last flag-raising ceremony and listen as he delivered his farewell speech to his SC family. The only two SC Associate Justices physically present yesterday were Rosmari Carandang and Henri Jean Paul Inting.
All in attendance wore face masks and shields and practiced social distancing following public health protocols for COVID-19. They were spread out in the more than 1,200-square-meter open grounds of the SC that was decorated with blue balloons.
SC spokesman Brian Keith Hosaka said there were 33 active COVID-19 cases at the High Court as of March 18.
Peralta said his retirement would be bittersweet because while he would be able to spend more time with his family – his wife Court of Appeals Associate Justice Fernanda Lampas Peralta; his only daughter Dorothy, who is a lawyer; his sons Timothy John, John Christopher and John Isaac, who are accomplished musicians; and his 96-year-old mother Catalina – he would be saddened to leave his “beloved” SC that has been his second home for the last 12 years.
Among his accomplishments is the fast tracking of the videoconferencing of court hearings, with at least 192,444 video conferences and a success rate of 88 percent from May 4, 2020 to Feb. 5, 2021.
“To say that the past year had been a difficult one is beyond an understatement. In both the personal and professional aspects of our lives, we all have had to deal with the numerous repercussions of this global health crisis we are still facing,” Peralta said.
He added that even if he retires from the SC, he would make himself available to the High Court.
“I will forever remember the fond memories I have of working for and with all of you. While I prepare to hang up my judicial robe, this is definitely not the end of us seeing each other. Rest assured that I will still make myself available to the Supreme Court if and when the time comes that my assistance is needed,” he added.
When Peralta assumed the post of the Chief Justice on Oct. 23, 2019, he presented his 10-Point Program. During the last 17 months, despite the COVID-19 crisis, almost all of his programs bore fruit.
Under his leadership, the SC formulated and approved 18 procedural rules and guidelines to improve the administration of justice and address the problem of clogged court dockets; streamlined the plantilla in several offices, divisions and services of the Court that guaranteed the security of tenure for employees and improved their processes; established the Judiciary Public Assistance Section (JPAS) that receives and promptly acts on concerns, issues and suggestions and even complaints against erring court officials and employees; and formally organized the Judicial Integrity Board, an effort to prevent corruption in the Judiciary.
Peralta was expected to retire on March 27 next year when he reaches 70, which is the mandatory age of retirement for justices, but he opted to retire a year early.
He studied law at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Faculty of Civil Law and passed the Bar in 1979. He began his public service career in 1987 as a third assistant City fiscal in Laoag city before getting promoted as judge, becoming an associate justice and later the presiding justice of the Sandiganbayan, and going up the ladder to the SC as an associate justice in 2009 and Chief Justice 10 years later.