Midas goes to SC; Nograles named acting Palace spokesman

MANILA, Philippines — Court administrator Jose Midas Marquez has been appointed Supreme Court associate justice.

With his appointment, Marquez became the high court’s 192nd associate justice, replacing Edgardo delos Santos who retired on June 30.

SC spokesman Brian Keith Hosaka said the 55-year-old Marquez was scheduled to take his oath at 3 p.m. yesterday.

Marquez’s appointment paper signed by President Duterte was dated Sept. 27. A letter from Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea informing Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo of Marquez’s appointment was also dated Sept. 27.

On Monday, President Duterte announced his appointment of Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles as his acting spokesman, replacing Harry Roque who resigned to run for senator in next year’s elections.

Marquez had been applying for the post of associate justice since 2017, and even made it to the Judicial and Bar Council’s shortlist.

In 2018, presidential daughter Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio formally filed her opposition to Marquez’s bid for the post of associate justice after he allegedly tried to have a disbarment case against her withdrawn purportedly to obtain favor in the SC appointment.

The disbarment case stemmed from an incident in 2011 where she punched a sheriff during a demolition operation in Davao.

But Marquez denied that he had tried to convince the sheriff to withdraw the case against Duterte-Carpio.

The Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) congratulated Marquez, who still has 15 years to serve as a magistrate before reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70.

“His appointment to the High Court is an acknowledgement of his long-standing service to the SC, having started as a summer apprentice doing legal research in the office of an associate justice while still in law school, later on serving as concurrent Court Administrator, spokesperson and chief-of-staff of the chief justice under the late former Chief Justice Renato Corona,” the IBP said.

Rep. Alfredo Garbin Jr. said Marquez’s SC appointment “can be seen as a blessing because the years have enriched his already deep wealth of experience, perspectives and evolution of law and jurisprudence.”

“Justice Marquez himself has evolved as few other jurists have, particularly because of his many years as Court Administrator of the Supreme Court – a vantage point from which he sees how the administration of justice, continuing reform of the courts and legal ethics can progress to the next higher levels,” the Ako Bicol party-list congressman said.

The newly appointed SC associate justice obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics in 1987 and his juris doctor degree in 1993 both from the Ateneo de Manila University. He became a member of the Philippine Bar in 1994. He is a member of the Utopia Fraternity.

He started his career in the SC in 1991 as a law clerk for several justices, including retired Associate Justice Abraham Sarmiento, Senior Justice and former Philippine Judicial Academy (PJA) Chancellor Ameurfina Melencio-Herrera and retired Senior Justice Josue Bellosillo.

He served as SC’s spokesman during the term of the late chief justice Corona.  He was named court administrator in 2010.

Meanwhile, Duterte announced his appointment of Nograles during his weekly public address aired Monday night.

“If possible, you can be the acting presidential spokesperson for now until we find a replacement,” the President told Nograles, who also heads the government’s Task Force on Zero Hunger.

“Beginning today, I have been tasked to take on the responsibilities of acting presidential spokesperson on top of my duties as Cabinet Secretary,” Nograles said at a press briefing yesterday.

Nograles thanked Roque for his service and urged Filipinos to support his predecessor’s senatorial bid.

“We thank Sec. Harry for his service and for being the voice and the face of government during one of the most challenging periods of our country’s recent history. We wish him well, and we hope that our people take into consideration his work as presidential spokesperson when they elect their senators six months from now,” he said. – Helen Flores, Delon Porcalla