Ombudsman, Sandiganbayan head welcome De Castro as CJ

Dubbing her the "first lady chief justice," Teresita Leonardo-De Castro's appointment got a thumbs up from her former colleague Ombudsman Samuel Martires.

The former Sandiganbayan associate justice issued the statement shortly after Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra confirmed De Castro was handpicked by President Rodrigo Duterte.

"I am very very happy that she was chosen by the President as the country's First Lady Chief Justice," Martires' statement read.

"She deserves it," Martires crowed.

Recalling De Castro was his presiding justice at the anti-graft court, Martires said he was "pretty sure that the Sandiganbayan justices and employees are happy for her appointment as CJ."

The Ombudsman pegged her as a "good person; strict but compassionate, a stickler to the rules, (and) a workaholic."

The current head of the Sandiganbayan, Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang, also had high praise for De Castro.

"I feel truly proud given that she came from our court, the Sandiganbayan," Tang said in her statement.

Senator Richard Gordon chimed in with his praise for De Castro.

"She will do very well with her experience as a legal luminary for 45 years," Gordon pointed out.

Gordon also described De Castro as "highly bright", "competent" and "a woman of the law."

However, not all lawmakers were pleased with Duterte's choice for chief justice.

Representatives Edcel Lagman and Gary Alejano Saturday characterized De Castro's appointment as a "reward" for the part she played in the ouster of former Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno. — Margaret Claire Layug/DVM, GMA News