Senior Deputy Executive Secretary Michael Pastores Ong has been appointed by President Duterte as associate justice of the Court of Appeals (CA).
Justice Ong’s appointment papers were received by Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo late afternoon last Jan. 26 from Executive Secretary Salvador C. Medialdea.
He took the CA post vacated by Associate Justice Samuel H. Gaerlan who was promoted to the Supreme Court (SC) on Jan. 8, 2020.
Ong was assistant secretary in the Office of the Presidential Legal Counsel from 2010 to 2012. He was also with the Office of the Deputy Executive Secretary for Legal Affairs before he assumed the post of senior deputy executive secretary.
Ong is the second official in the Executive Department appointed to the CA this month of January
Last Jan. 21, Chief Justice Gesmundo received the appointment papers of Jennifer Joy Chua as CA associate justice. At the time of her appointment, she is an undersecretary in the Office of the Appointments Secretary of the OP.
Justice Chua, who took over the CA post vacated by retired Justice Ma. Luisa Q. Padilla, immediately took her oath of office before Gesmundo.