PNoy names former colleague as new SC justice

President Benigno Aquino III has appointed a former colleague in a security agency as the new associate justice of the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court received the appointment papers of Court of Appeals (CA) Associate Justice Bienvenido Reyes on Friday morning.

Justice Bienvenido Reyes

Reyes fills up 1 of 2 vacancies following the retirement last June of Associate Justices Conchita Carpio Morales and Antonio Eduardo Nachura. Reyes and the President worked together in Best Security Agency Inc. (BSA), a security agency business Aquino put up with his uncle Antolin Oreta.
Reyes had disclosed to the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) that he served as BSA finance manager from 1987 to 1990 during the term of Aquino's mother, former President Corazon Aquino.

Palace exec: Let's wait for PNoy announcement on new Ombudsman

Malacañang kept mum Monday on reports that President Benigno Aquino III has chosen retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Conchita Carpio-Morales as the next Ombudsman.

In a radio interview, Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office Secretary Ramon Carandang asked the public instead to wait for Aquino to make his formal announcement.

"Tingnan na rin natin. Sabi nga ni Pangulong Aquino sa media noong nakaraang linggo [na] malapit nang ianunsyo ang bagong Ombudsman. I'm sure in the next few days, meron din tayong marinig tungkol diyan," Carandang said in an interview on dzXL radio.

Duterte guilty of misconduct: Local Government

The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) found Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte guilty of misconduct for punching a court sheriff during a demolition of illegal settlers' shanties last July 1.

However, the DILG could not file administrative charges against the mayor due to some legal actions earlier filed by the Sheriffs Confederation of the Philippines (Scophil) at the Office of the Ombudsman.

Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo said Scophil's complaint precluded the DILG from filing its own administrative case against the mayor because "this will violate the principle of forum-shopping."