Maria Filomena Singh appointed newest Supreme Court justice

Court of Appeals Justice Maria Filomena Singh has been appointed the newest justice of the Supreme Court.

Singh replaced former Senior Associate Justice Estela Perlas-Bernabe, who retired on May 14. Her appointment completed the 15-member roster of the SC.

According to the high tribunal, Singh took her oath as the 194th magistrate of the SC before Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo on Wednesday.

Singh earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of the Philippines and graduated with second honors distinction from the Ateneo de Manila University School of Law.

The magistrate studied at the Washington College of Law of the American University in the US for a Master of Laws in International Legal Studies.

She practiced law for 10 years before joining the judiciary in October 2002 as the Presiding Judge of Branch 31 of the Metropolitan Trial Court of Quezon City.

She also served two terms as Executive Judge of the MeTC-Quezon City. 

In 2007, she became the Presiding Judge of Branch 85 of the Regional Trial Court of Quezon City. She was promoted to the Court of Appeals in 2014.

Born in 1966, Singh was admitted as a member of the Philippine Bar in 1992 and received the Don Antonio Madrigal Award as Most Outstanding First Level Court Judge of 2007. She has four children. — BM/VBL, GMA News