Chief Justice Peralta takes oath before Duterte

Newly appointed Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta took his oath before President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday.

Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea said Duterte administered the oath of office to Peralta in a ceremony held in Malacañang.

“In the oath taking of CJ Peralta this afternoon in Malacanang, PRRD told him that all he asks is that the SC under his watch should be characterised with fairness and truth. That every citizen be treated equal before the law regardless of the status in life," said Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo.

Duterte's third chief justice appointee, Peralta succeeded Lucas Bersamin, who retired on October 18.

LOOK: Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta takes oath before President Duterte. @gmanews pic.twitter.com/mSdKHkIy0k

— Cecille Villarosa (@CecilVillarosa) October 24, 2019

Newly appointed Supreme Court Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta has taken his oath before Pres. Duterte (pic from Sen. Bong Go) | via @Joseph_Morong pic.twitter.com/NKi83mOItp

— GMA News (@gmanews) October 24, 2019

The Palace earlier extolled Peralta’s track record in the judiciary, citing decisions that “reverberate to this time,” including the imposition of the death penalty on a policeman who used his service firearm to shoot an 11-year-old boy while flying his kite on a rooftop, and the first conviction for plunder involving a cashier of the Bureau of Internal Revenue.

Peralta, a former trial court judge, also reportedly convicted the most number of accused involved in big time drug cases and other serious crimes.

“We are certain that with Chief Justice Peralta at the helm of the Supreme Court, the judiciary will continue to be well-managed as it thrives to uphold the principles of judicial excellence, integrity and independence,” presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said on Wednesday when Peralta’s appointment was announced by Malacañang.

The Peralta court, which is now mostly composed of Duterte appointees, will be deciding cases involving the President's war on drugs, his unilateral move of withdrawing the country from the International Criminal Court, and former senator Bongbong Marcos' election protest against Vice President Leni Robredo.

Peralta will retire from the judiciary when he turns 70 in March 2022. — MDM, GMA News