MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte appointed Wednesday Supreme Court Associate Justice Diosdado Peralta as the new Chief Justice, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea said.

In a press briefing, Supreme Court spokesperson Atty. Brian Keith Hosaka said that they received a copy of Peralta’s appointment paper at 2:40 p.m. Wednesday through the Office of Clerk of Court.

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Peralta replaced former chief justice Lucas Bersamin who retired on October 18.

A native of Ilocos Norte, Peralta was appointed as an associate justice of the High Court on January 14, 2009 and will retire on March 27, 2022.

The 67-year old top magistrate was a former Sandiganbayan Associate Justice who convicted former president Joseph Estrada of plunder.

Peralta started as an assistant prosecutor in Laoag City in Ilocos Norte and Manila.

He later became a Regional Trial Court Judge in Quezon City and got the monicker “hanging judge” for sentencing around 40 people to death.

Peralta beat Associate Justice Estela Perlas-Bernabe and Associate Justice Andres Reyes Jr. for the top SC post. With a report from Neil Arwin Mercado /muf

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