Castillo named Court of Appeals presiding justice

ASSOCIATE Justice Mariflor Punzalan Castillo has been appointed as presiding justice of the Court of Appeals (CA).

Castillo, the second most senior associate justice, took her oath of office before Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo on Wednesday.

She began her legal career as an investigator at the Office of the Tanodbayan in 1979, a position she served until 1985 when she was appointed prosecutor.

In 1989, she was promoted to Special Prosecution Officer III in the Office of the Special Prosecutor under the Office of the Ombudsman, where she served for four years.

Castillo served as presiding judge of the Metropolitan Trial Court, Branch 42 in Quezon City from 1993 to 1999, and later, as presiding judge of the Regional Trial Court (RTC), Branch 84 of Quezon City, from 1999 to 2004.

As RTC judge, she acted as Special Court Judge for cases involving drugs from 2002 to 2001, and as a Family Court Judge of the same court from 2001 to 2004.

On March 9, 2004, she was appointed CA Associate Justice.

She finished her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Bachelor of Laws degrees in 1974 and 1978, respectively, at the University of the Philippines.