MANILA, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. appointed new associate justices in the Court of Appeals (CA), Court of Tax Appeals (CTA), and the Sandiganbayan, the Supreme Court (SC) announced on Wednesday, September 27.

The High Court said the President appointed the following justices:

CA

• Associate Justice Ma. Consejo Mapa Gengos-Ignalag as replacement of Manuel Barrios
• Associate Justice Lorna Francisca Catris Chua Cheng as replacement of now SC Associate Justice Maria Filomena Singh
• Associate Justice Raymond Joseph Guevarra Javier as replacement of Loida Posadas-Kahulugan

CTA

• Associate Justice Henry Sumaway Angeles as replacement of Erlinda Uy

Sandiganbayan

• Associate Justice Juliet Marquez Manalo-San Gaspar as replacement of Alex Quiroz

The recent appointments were only the second set of associate justices appointed by Marcos to the judiciary. In October 2022, the President picked his first judiciary appointees: Associate Justices Selma Palacio-Alaras and Wilhelmina Jorge-Wagan for the CA, and Associate Justice Corazon Ferrer-Flores for the CTA.

Must Read

IN NUMBERS: Things to know about the Philippine Supreme Court and its justices

For the SC, Marcos will get to appoint his first High Court justice only by 2025, precluding resignations or unforeseen emergencies. The President will pick his SC associate justice after the retirement of Associate Justice Mario Lopez in June 2025.

Under Philippine laws, the president has the power to pick justices for the CA, CTA, Sandiganbayan, and even the SC – usually from a short list of nominees from the Judicial and Bar Council.

The CA has the “appellate jurisdiction on all cases not falling within the original and exclusive jurisdiction of the Supreme Court” and is the second highest court in the country. Petitioners and complainants who lost at the lower court levels usually rely on the CA for their appeal.

The CTA is a special court that handles cases involving internal revenue tax and customs cases. The Sandiganbayan, meanwhile, is the country’s anti-graft court that oversees graft and corruption cases. – Rappler.com