PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has appointed Associate Justice Diosdado Peralta as the 26th Chief Justice, Malacañang announced on Wednesday, October 23.
Peralta will succeed Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin who reached the mandatory retirement age on October 18, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea confirmed in a text message.
Before being appointed to the High Court, Peralta was a presiding judge of the Sandiganbayan.
He also served as Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 95 judge, and a prosecutor in Laoag City and Manila.
The Palace has forwarded Peralta's appointment paper to the Supreme Court.
Peralta has served as the chairperson of the Third Division of the Supreme Court since September 2018.
He has also been the chairperson of the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET) since August 2018. The tribunal handles protest cases and quo warranto cases involving sitting members of the House. (NASE/VoxPop Philippines)