Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on Friday praised the appointment of Lucas Bersamin as the new chief justice.
“He is a very qualified person, very fine legal mind and extensive judicial experience. So, well-deserved. Congratulations to him,” Arroyo said in Pampanga.
President Rodrigo Duterte appointed Bersamin to replace Teresita Leonardo-de Castro, who retired in October after serving as chief justice for only 41 days.
Bersamin, an Arroyo appointee, will serve as chief justice for less than a year, or until he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 70 on Oct. 18, 2019.
Bersamin voted in favor of the burial of the late President Ferdinand Marcos at the Heroes’ Cemetery. He also favored the petition to unseat Maria Lourdes Sereno as chief justice over her alleged untruthful declaration of her Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth.