• CHERYL G. CRUZ
Fifteen regional trial court (RTC) judges in Negros Island Region, including four in Bacolod City, are among the 80 new magistrates named by the Supreme Court Aug. 30, following receipt of their appointment papers from Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin.
In Bacolod, the new judges are Jose Manuel Lopez for RTC Branch 50, Enrico Voltaire Almeda – Branch 54, Candice Bacabac – Branch 78, and Joan Lumawag – Branch 7-Family Court (FC).
The others are judges Liewellyn Bonghanoy, Branch 9-FC, and Irene Joyce Teves-Valleser, Branch 62, both in Bago City; Conrado Estreller Jr. – Branch 13-FC, and Gina Valencia – Branch 56 in Himamaylan; Ma. Jezzel Rasimo – Branch 12-FC Silay; and Jose Meno Ruiz – Branch 10-FC in Cadiz.
In Negros Oriental, the newly-appointed RTC judges are Angela Charina Cortes-Garces, Branch 33; Richelle Alistado-Noblefranca, Branch 44; and Chloe Hope Trinidad-Abastillas, Branch 30, all of Dumaguete City; and Rowena Fely Dumalagan, Branch 18-FC in Bais City; as well as Geovanni Omega for Branch 20-FC in Siquijor.
The new Municipal Circuit Trial Court (MCTC) judges in the island are June Ann Bernal-Sevilla, for 4th MCTC of Valladolid-San Enrique-Pulupandan in Negros Occidental; and Terrence Anton Callao, 5th MCTC, Zamboanguita-Dauin; Andre Stephen Jacobo, 7th MCTC, Valencia-Bacong; Jo Ann Marie Munoz-Abada, 1st MCTC Pamplona-Amlan-San Jose; and Manolito Tiuseco 3rd MTCT, Tayasan-Jimalalud, all in Negros Oriental.
The SC said that aside from the 80 new RTC judges, there are also 19 Municipal Trial Court judges, 24 Municipal Trial Court in Cities, and 30 new judges to the MCTCs.
The four new justices to the Court of Appeals, on the other hand, are associate justices Ferdinand Baylon, Marietta Brawner-Cualing, Mary Josephine Lazaro, and Emilio Rodolfo Legaspi III, the SC Public Information Office said.
The SC also said that, from Sept. 1 to Dec. 1, 2024, first-level and second-level courts all over the country will slowly transition to the electronic filing for civil cases.
“By Sept. 1, all civil filings must include electronic versions of hard copies, or else the courts will not act on them,” the SC said in its advisory. For more details, click https://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/electronic-filing. | CGC
