MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte appointed Court of Appeals justice Jose Reyes Jr. as an associate justice of Supreme Court, according to Special Assistant to the President Bong Go.
The 67-year-old Reyes will take his oath on Monday, making him the fifth Duterte appointee at SC.
He will replace Presbitero Velasco Jr. who retired as an SC magistrate on Aug. 8 at the age of 70.
Reyes, who graduated at San Beda College of Law like the President, has served the CA for 15 years.
He also served as judge at the Metropolitan Trial Court in Pasig and Regional Trial Court in Rizal.
As a CA justice, among the decisions that Reyes penned is the verdict that led to the return of the Rufino-Prieto-managed Mile Long Makati Property to the government.
The Rufino-Prietos are the former owners of Philippine Daily Inquirer.
In 2015, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV accused Reyes of accepting bribery from the Binays to stop the implementation of the suspension order against former Makati mayor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay Jr./PN
