PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has appointed an appellate court justice to the Supreme Court (SC), according to the high tribunal.
Court of Appeals Justice Japar B. Dimaampao, a well-known Muslim jurist, was appointed on July 2, the SC said in a statement on Tuesday.
Mr. Dimaampao is the second Muslim High Court justice after the late Abdulwahid Bidin, who was appointed in 1987. He got shortlisted 16 times for the position before his appointment.
He had been an appellate court magistrate for 17 years since 2004. Mr. Dimaampao, who will take the seat left by Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo after his promotion, will serve until 2033, when he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 70. — Bianca Angelica D. Añago