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Supreme Court (SC) Deputy Justice Edgardo delos Santos has expressed his intention to retire early for health reasons, superior court spokesman Brian Keith Hosaka said on Friday.
Hosaka said delos Santos informed him that the magistrate was considering leaving the judiciary before his mandatory retirement on June 12, 2022 when he turns 70.
“That is the reason why he advised his staff already on March 19, 2021, through an even dated letter, to start looking for another job knowing the difficulty of finding a job during this pandemic,” said the official. of SC in a message. to reporters.
“Judge delos Santos added that he remains a titular member of the Supreme Court until after a specific retirement date, as indicated in a formal letter from him to En Banc, he is accepted and acted upon by the Court.”
Delos Santos told his staff that he was agonizing over his decision to hang up his judicial robes early, spending “sleepless nights” trying to think of the “best way” to inform them “in light of the difficult times we are currently going through.” .
He said it has been an honor for him to serve SC alongside his staff. Delos Santos thanked them for their “dedication, commitment, patience and especially their friendship.”
“I can truly say that I am blessed,” said the judge.
“In the short time we have together, it has comforted me to come to our office knowing that I am among trustworthy people. I saw and felt his enthusiasm in his work, which in turn encouraged me to do my best as his boss and mentor, ”he added.
A former judge of the Court of Appeals, delos Santos joined the SC in December 2019.
Apart from Delos Santos, the president of the Supreme Court Diosdado Peralta had also opted for early retirement. Peralta’s 34-year term in government ends on Friday.
South Carolina Judge Priscilla Baltazar-Padilla retired last November at age 62 after the Court approved her disability retirement application. She served on the Court for only three months.
According to the Constitution, the president has 90 days from the vacancy to elect a new magistrate or president of the Supreme Court. You have to choose your nominee from the short list provided by the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) screening body. —KBK, GMA News
