Remedios Salazar-Fernando is new Court of Appeals presiding justice

Justice Remedios Salazar-Fernando is the new presiding justice of the Court of Appeals (CA), the Supreme Court (SC) said Wednesday.

Before she was appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte, Salazar-Fernando was already the CA's acting presiding justice following the retirement of then-presiding justice Romeo Barza in August 2019.

She was sworn in by Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta on Wednesday afternoon.

Court of Appeals (CA) Acting Presiding Justice Remedios A. Salazar-Fernando takes her oath as CA Presiding Justice before Chief Justice Diosdado M. Peralta at the En Banc Session Hall. pic.twitter.com/0TMma8E9tQ

— Philippine Supreme Court Public Information Office (@SCPh_PIO) November 25, 2020

"We are confident that Presiding Justice Fernando would serve the CA with the same judicial excellence, dedication and integrity she demonstrated in her years of service at the CA," presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said.

"Good luck and we wish her all the best in her future undertakings."

Salazar-Fernando started her public career as a law clerk in the SC in 1978 and then went on to become the supervising presidential staff officer at the Presidential Management Staff of the Office of the President.

She became a municipal trial court judge in Pampanga in 1983. In 1987, she served as the chairperson of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board and concurrently as assistant secretary of the Land Transportation Office.

In 1992, she moved on to the Commission on Elections where she was a commissioner until 1998. She was appointed to the CA on May 25, 1999, according to the SC Public Information Office.

Salazar-Fernando studied psychology at the College of the Holy Spirit and earned her law degree at the Ateneo De Manila University. She passed the Bar exam and became a lawyer in 1977.

She also served as a Bar examiner in 2005 and now teaches at the Philippine Judicial Academy.— with Virgil Lopez/LDF/RSJ, GMA News