Regional trial court (RTC) Judge Maximo Mercado De Leon who was promoted associate justice of the Court of Appeals (CA) took his oath of office this afternoon, Jan. 28, before Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo at the Supreme Court’s (SC) session hall.
Justice De Leon and RTC Judge Jacinto Gavino Fajardo Jr. have been appointed CA justices by President Duterte. Their appointment papers were sent to Chief Justice Gesmundo today, Jan. 28.
Justice De Leon took over the post vacated in the CA by then Associate Justice Jane Aurora C. Lantion. Justice Fajardo, on the other hand, assumed the post vacated by Associate Justice Rodil V. Zalameda who was promoted to the SC in 2019.
Four CA associate justices have so far been appointed by the President this month of January.
Earlier appointed were CA Associate Justices Jennifer Joy Chua Ong and Michael P. Ong.
Justice Chua Ong used to be an undersecretary in the Office of the Appointments Secretary of the Office of the President while Justice Ong was the senior deputy executive secretary. Both have taken their oaths of office before Chief Justice Gesmundo.
The SC’s public information office (PIO) said that Justice De Leon was born in Taal, Batangas. He obtained his law degree from the University of Nueva Caceres and holds a Master’s Degree in Law from the San Beda Graduate School of Law. He passed the bar examinations in 1996.
Before his appointment to the CA, Justice De Leon has been RTC judge in Makati City since 2013.