Monday, March 17, 2008
Labor chief named as new SC justice (2:39 p.m.)
MANILA - President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo appointed on Monday Labor Secretary Arturo Brion as the new Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justice.
Brion, the 12th SC appointee of Arroyo, took his oath Monday morning as he replaced SC Associate Justice Angelina Sandoval-Gutierrez who retired on February 27.
Gutierrez retired last February 27 upon reaching the mandatory age of 70. Brion's appointment came on the heels of the SC deliberations on the petition filed by Higher Education commissioner Romulo Neri about the controversial ZTE contract, which was subject of the Senate's inquiry.
Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye, for his part, said: "Supreme Court Justice Arturo Brion brings with him a wealth of experience as a public servant and legal luminary. He is a man of proven integrity and independence, having served in the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Court of Appeals (CA) and Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) with probity, patriotism, and competence."
Bunye also welcomes the addition of the labor chief to the high tribunal as he said that Brion in his previous posts "has acted fairly and with an eye towards defending the rights and welfare of migrant workers and Filipino labor."
Brion's other contenders for the posts include: Court of Appeals Justices Martin Villarama and Portia Hormachuellos, and Sandiganbayan Justices Francisco Villaruz and Edilberto Sandoval.
Brion was a former CA justice before he shifted gears and tried his hands at the executive branch after accepting the labor portfolio in July 2006.
He was also undersecretary for labor relations at the Dole from March 2001 to July 2002 before becoming an undersecretary for special projects at the DFA from August 2002 to June 2003.
He also served as deputy minister of labor from 1985 to '86, and as consultant at the Civil Service Commission in 1996.
Prior to his public service, he was a senior partner engaged mostly in labor law practice at the Siguion Reyna, Montecillo, and Ongsiako Law offices, then he became one of the founders of the Natividad, Delos Reyes, Maambong and Brion Law.
Graduating cum laude and class valedictorian from the Ateneo de Manila University, Brion was a topnotcher in the 1974 Philippine Bar Examinations with a grade of 91.65 percent. (ECV/Sunnex) |
