MANILA – Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio will still be receiving retirement privileges of a Chief Justice despite missing five chances to be one.
Carpio’s fellow magistrates have unanimously passed a resolution granting the outgoing Supreme Court (SC) Senior Associate Justice the retirement privileges of a Chief Justice in acknowledging his service to the Judiciary.
“His peers unanimously granted him the retirement privileges of a Chief Justice. I think this is the least the Court could do for its esteemed member who faithfully served the longest term as Associate Justice,” retired Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban said.
Carpio, who is now the acting SC Chief Justice following the retirement of Lucas Bersamin on Friday, will retire at the mandatory age of 70 on Oct. 26 after serving as associate justice for 18 years.
Being the most senior magistrate, Carpio was always automatically nominated for the Chief Justice position but his junior always gets the post. He have also several times declined automatic nomination.
“Regardless of the unceremonious way he was deprived of the official and legal title of chief justice, the Filipino nation represented by all of us gathered in this hall, hereby proclaim and acclaim as our esteemed and beloved CJ,” Panganiban said.
Carpio will be the last magistrate to retire this year. His replacement will be President Rodrigo Duterte’s 12th appointee to the SC./PN
