| Teresita Leonardo-de Castro | |
|---|---|
| Associate Justice of the Philippine Supreme Court |
|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office December 3, 2007 |
|
| Appointed by | Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo |
| Preceded by | Cancio Garcia |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 8, 1948 Manila |
| Spouse(s) | Eduardo de Castro |
Teresita Jose Leonardo-de Castro (born October 8, 1948) is an Associate Justice of the Philippine Supreme Court. Prior to her appointment to the High Court by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo,[1] she had been the Presiding Justice of the Sandiganbayan.[2]
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De Castro's parents are Fortunato R. Leonardo and Maxima Jose of Parañaque. Justice Teresita Jose Leonardo De Castro resides at Merville, Parañaque, Metro Manila. De Castro is married to businessman Eduardo A. De Castro. They have three children: Maria Cherell, Christine Genevive, and Edouard Anthony. Her half-brother, Eduardo L. Leonardo works as Executive Assistant VI, Sandiganbayan).[3]
De Castro finished elementary (1960) and high school education (Valedictorian, 1964) at St. Paul College. De Castro earned her AB Political Science (cum laude, 1968) and Bachelor of Laws (1972) at the University of the Philippines (1979). She passed the Philippine Bar Examination of November, 1972 with bar rating of 80.9%.[4]
She started her judicial career as a law clerk, legal and judicial assistant in the Supreme Court of the Philippines,(1973–1978). She was appointed DOJ State Counsel I, II (1978–1985), and promoted to senior state counsel (1985–1987), supervising state counsel, and chief of legal staff (1988–1989). Before her Sandiganbayan appointment, De Castro was the state counsel V and chief of legal staff, DOJ (1989–1995).[5] De Castro is the incumbent Presiding Justice and Chairman, First Division, Sandiganbayan.[6]
(see also Trial of Joseph Estrada)
De Castro headed the anti-graft court’s special division on the perjury and plunder trial of former President Joseph Estrada. Estrada's son, Senator Jinggoy Estrada also faced charges. The long trial finished in September 2007. Estrada was acquitted of perjury charges but found guilty of plunder and sentenced to life imprisonment.[7] All the co-defendants, including Senator Jinggoy Estrada, were acquitted of all charges.
Estrada appealed the decision[8] and called the court (and De Castro, as head of it) "a kangaroo court," while President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said the court's decision must be accepted.[9]
De Castro was appointed to the Supreme Court soon after the end of this highly politicized trial. This led to some accusations of quid pro quo. People claimed that she had convicted former President Estrada in exchange for a seat on the Supreme Court.[10] She vigorously denied those rumors, claiming that she had been a candidate for a seat on the high court before her involvement in the case.
On October 16, 2007, the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) announced the final nominees to the Associate Justice Cancio Garcia's vacant Supreme Court of the Philippines Associate Justice post. Teresita De Castro, Justices Edgardo Cruz and Martin Villarama, got 7 out of 8 votes, while Associate Justices Francisco Villaruz and Edilberto G. Sandoval and Labor Secretary Arturo D. Brion got 5 votes each (from the JBC). Under Philippine law, the President has 90 days to choose from among the final nominees.[11]
Senator Jinggoy Estrada (son of Joseph), vowed to block the appointment to the Supreme Court of Sandiganbayan Justices Teresita De Castro and Francisco Villaruz, Jr. (who convicted his father - President Joseph Estrada). Jinggoy argued that: "Such a promotion would seem like a reward in exchange for the guilty verdict against the deposed President. We are convinced, then and now, that the special court created to exclusively try the case of President Estrada was established precisely to convict him, which is what exactly happened."[12]
Teresita de Castro was sworn before Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno on December 4, 2007, at the Dignitaries Lounge of the Supreme Court building in Manila City.[13] Teresita de Castro stated: "Everything happens in God's time. I believe that my 34 years of service in the judiciary and a good track record make me qualified for this position." Immediately after being sworn in, she participated in her first en banc session.[14]
| Preceded by Cancio Garcia |
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines 2007-12-03 – present |
Incumbent |
| The Corona Court | ||
|---|---|---|
| Renato C. Corona (2010-present) | ||
| August 16, 2011 to present: | A. Carpio | P. Velasco, Jr. | T. Leonardo-de Castro | A. Brion | D. Peralta | L. Bersamin | M. Del Castillo | R. Abad | M. Villarama, Jr. | J. Perez | J. Mendoza | M.L Sereno | B. Reyes | B. Perlas-Bernabe | |
| May 2010 to July 2011: | A. Carpio | C. Carpio-Morales | P. Velasco, Jr. | A. Nachura | T. Leonardo-de Castro | A. Brion | D. Peralta | L. Bersamin | M. Del Castillo | R. Abad | M. Villarama, Jr. | J. Perez | J. Mendoza | M.L Sereno | |
| The Puno Court | ||
|---|---|---|
| Reynato S. Puno (2006-2010) | ||
| January 4 to May 17, 2010: | A. Carpio | R. Corona | C. Carpio-Morales | P. Velasco, Jr. | A. Nachura | T. Leonardo-de Castro | A. Brion | D. Peralta | L. Bersamin | M. Del Castillo | R. Abad | M. Villarama, Jr. | J. Perez | J. Mendoza | |