Corona names Carpio-Morales as head of HRET

MANILA, Philippines - Associate Justice Conchita Carpio-Morales takes over as chair of the Supreme Court’s third division and the High Court’s contingent to the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET) after a reorganization by Chief Justice Renato Corona.

In one of his first administrative orders, Corona assumed his new post as chair of the first division of the SC with Associate Justice Presbitero Velasco Jr. as working chair and Associate Justices Teresita Leonardo-de Castro, Mariano del Castillo and Jose Perez as members.

SC spokesman and court administrator Jose Midas Marquez told reporters that the chief justice traditionally sits as chair of the first division.

“It is standard procedure that when a new chief justice is appointed, there will be changes in membership of divisions because he also replaces the former chief justice in the first division,” he said.

Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio keeps his post as chair of the second division, which is allotted to the second most senior justice.

His members are Associate Justices Antonio Eduardo Nachura, Diosdado Peralta, Roberto Abad and Jose Mendoza.

Carpio-Morales replaced Corona as chair of the third division. The third most senior justice of the SC heads the said division.

The members of the third division are Associate Justices Arturo Brion, Lucas Bersamin and Martin Villarama Jr. This division has a vacancy left by Corona’s appointment as chief justice.

In another special order, Corona also designated Justice Morales to replace him as chair of the SC’s contingent to the HRET. Nachura and Brion were assigned as members.

Carpio remains chair of the SC contingent to Senate Electoral Tribunal, with Velasco and De Castro as members.

The HRET and SET are constitutional bodies tapped to hear protests in the elections in House of Representatives and Senate, respectively.

“Their appointments are important considering that we just had elections. There might be protests filed before these tribunals (SET and HRET),” Marquez explained.