‘Controversial’ DILG undersecretary among 3 new CA justices

Published March 14, 2014 8:12pm

President Benigno Aquino III has appointed three new associate justices of the Court of Appeals, including a controversial undersecretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

The three are Quezon City Judge Maria Filomena Dumandan Singh, Pablito Alhambra Perez, and DILG Undersecretary Rafael Antonio Magat Santos, according to a court source who spoke on condition of anonymity for lack of authority to reveal the names.

The three will be taking the posts vacated by retired CA associate justices Rosalinda Asuncion-Vicente, Angelita Gacutan and Pampilo Abarintos.

The three were chosen from a list of 22 nominees.

The shortlist was prepared by the Judicial and Bar Council, which is constitutionally mandated to screen and recommend nominees for vacant posts in the judiciary and the Offices of the Ombudsman and Deputy Ombudsman.

Prior to his appointment to the CA, Santos was criticized while applying for Sandiganbayan presiding justice, a post that eventually went to Amparo Cabotaje-Tang.

At the time of Santos's Sandiganbayan bid, United Nationalist Alliance secretary general Toby Tiangco expressed fears at how a Santos-led Sandiganbayan would affect cases like that against former Makati mayor Elenita Binay, wife of Vice President Jejomar Binay.

Tiangco was spokesman of UNA during the campaign season, when the party went up against President Benigno Aquino III's Team PNoy. Aquino and DILG Secretary Manuel Roxas II are top officials of the Liberal Party

Santos served as undersecretary to Department of National Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz from 2004 to 2006 before being personally handpicked by Roxas as his deputy at the Department of Transportation and Communications and at the DILG.

Santos is reportedly Roxas's "right hand man", both at the DOTC and the DILG. Roxas had earlier vouched for Santos' track record in government service.

"Maayos ang kanyang trabaho. Sa haba ng aming pagsasama sa DOTC at saka sa DILG ay wala kang masasabi. Walang mantsa, walang bahid ang kanyang pagserbisyo," Roxas said. — Mark Merueñas/JDS, GMA News

Tags: courtofappeals, departmentofinteriorandlocalgovernment