Carpio retires from high court with no case backlog
RETIRING SENIOR Associate Justice Antonio T. Carpio on Monday took pride in having a zero backlog record as he leaves the Supreme Court (SC). Mr. Carpio will be retiring on Oct. 26 upon reaching the age of 70. In his 18 years of service in the high court, Mr. Carpio said his “long journey” allowed him to write “935 full-blown long decisions, 79 dissenting opinions, 30 concurring opinions, 13 separate opinions and four concurring and dissenting opinions, leaving no backlog.” The retiring justice, appointed by former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2001, also said that as he leaves the court, he is “both happy and sad” for having done his best to serve the country and having to bid farewell “to my family of the last 18 years.” “I dare say that my colleagues in the en banc and my co-workers in the SC family have always shown the utmost dedication and professionalism in their work and service to the Filipino people,” he added.
CJ PRIVILEGES
Former chief justice Artemio V. Panganiban on Friday said the court, without Mr. Carpio taking part, passed a resolution granting him the retirement privileges of a chief justice. “I think this is the least the court could do for its esteemed member who faithfully served the longest term, 18 years, as associate justice,” he said in the testimonial lunch for the retiring justice. Mr. Panganiban also said that although Mr. Carpio was never appointed as top magistrate, he acted as chief justice “intermittently” for a period of more than eight months, longer than some the chief justices. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas
