President Duterte appoints Lucas Bersamin as new SC Chief Justice

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BREAKING: President Rodrigo Duterte appoints Lucas Bersamin as new Chief Justice.

The Palace announces the appointments of Mr. Lucas P. Bersamin and Ms. Rosmari D. Carandang as Chief Justice and Associate Justice, respectively, at the Supreme Court.

Justice Bersamin is presently the most senior Justice in the Supreme Court in terms of services rendered under the Judicial Branch in various capacities. He served nearly 17 years as the Presiding Judge of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court, over 6 years as Associate Justice at the Court of Appeals, and close to 10 years as the 163rd magistrate of the Supreme Court.

Justice Carandang, meanwhile, has been an Associate Justice of the Court of Appeals since March 2003. Prior to her stint at the Court of Appeals, she likewise served as the Presiding Judge of the Manila Regional Trial Court.

Both Justices belong to what PRRD calls “the best and the brightest” as Chief Justice Bersamin placed 9th in the 1973 Bar Examinations while Associate Justice Carandang also claimed the same spot in the 1975 Bar Examinations.

We are confident that CJ Bersamin and AJ Carandang will continue to uphold judicial excellence, assert its independence and stand firm against erring members of the bench, the bar and court personnel as they lead the third branch of the government, together with the rest of the Supreme Court Justices, in remaining steadfast in its role as the guardian of the rule of law. - Presidential Spokesperson Salvador S. Panelo