President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has appointed Supreme Court's Court Administrator Raul Villanueva as the new Associate Justice of the High Court.
The latter took his oath of office before the President early Tuesday.
Villanueva replaced Associate Justice Mario Lopez, who officially retired on June 4 upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70.
In a brief message delivered at the Palace right after the oath-taking, President Marcos said he was pleased with the appointment of Villanueva, emphasizing that it was rightfully earned.
The newly appointed Supreme Court official began his judicial career in 2002 as the Presiding Judge of Branch 255 of the Las Piñas City Regional Trial Court (RTC).
Over the years, he also served as Acting Presiding Judge of Branch 267 in Taguig City and Branch 4 in Manila, and later became the Executive Judge of the Las Piñas City RTC.
He was appointed Deputy Court Administrator (DCA) on March 2, 2010, and served in that role until his recent promotion to Court Administrator.
"Since 2010 he has worked in the Supreme Court and therefore well versed in all that needs to be done as for the proper and smooth function of the court," said President Marcos.
Villanueva’s public service career includes work in various government offices, having served in the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches before joining the Judiciary.
"We have begun a trend between the Supreme Court and the Executive of a closer relationship in the past couple of years, and I know the appointment of our new Justice will continue that trend and bring the departments of the government even closer than before," the President added.
Marcos expressed hope that the new appointment would lead to a more efficient and unified government, working together toward the shared goal of improving the lives of all Filipinos.
