President Duterte has appointed Makati City Regional Trial Court Judge Ronald Moreno as new Associate Justice in the Sandiganbayan, Malacañang announced Wednesday.
Moreno will assume the post vacated by Associate Justice Alexander Gesmundo based on the appointment paper signed by the President.
His appointment paper was signed on June 8, 2018 but was only released by Malacañang Wednesday.
Moreno, a law graduate from the University of Santo Tomas in Sampaloc, Manila, was appointed as presiding judge of the Makati RTC Branch 147 by then President Benigno S. Aquino III in 2012. He previously served as executive judge of the Makati Metropolitan Trial Court since 2009.
He was included in the list of four candidates recommended by the Judicial and Bar Council to the President last year.
He got five votes from the seven members of the JBC, beating the frontrunner, Makati Regional Trial Court Judge Gina Bibat-Palamos who had six votes. Sta. Cruz, Laguna RTC Judge Divinagracia Bustos-Ongkeko and Ligao, Albay RTC Judge Edwin Ma-alat, who were also vying for the post, got four votes each. (Genalyn D. Kabiling)
