Associate Justice Edgardo Delos Santos, a so-called “habal-habal judge,” officially retired from his post as one of the Supreme Court justices on Tuesday.
Justice Delos Santos, also known by his fellow magistrates as “Justice EDSA,” was given a special retirement ceremony.
Delos Santos was born on June 12, 1952, or independence day in Palompon, Leyte. Although he would have reached the mandatory retirement age of 70 in a year for a Supreme Court justice, he decided to retire earlier in seat effective June 30, 2021.
President Rodrigo Duterte appointed Delos Santos to the Supreme Court in December 2019 as the 186th SC magistrate.
He is also known as the habal-habal judge of Dumaguete because he only rode a motorcycle to take his wife and children to school.
The Supreme Court ensured that all health protocols were followed throughout the retirement ceremony, such as wearing a face mask, face shield, and proper physical distancing.
During the ceremony, Justice Edgardo Delos Santos was presented with appropriate tokens and usually given to a retired SC magistrate.
Justice Edgardo Delos Santos retires from Supreme Court
His working magistrates described him as a very simple and cheerful Supreme Court justice.
“As colleagues both here at the Supreme Court and in the Court of Appeals where we came from, I have found him to be an advocate for strong equal opportunity for all,” said Associate Justice Ricardo Rosario.
“I chose letter ‘F’ in describing our beloved retiring justice. F as in alam ‘nyo na funny of course. Ganda magbihis ng amerikana ni EDSA unlike others…parang natutulog lang. There is always the funny, joyful, and playful side of him that is always itchy to come out,” he added.
For Associate Justice Samuel Gaerlan, although the word EDSA is often associated with heavy traffic and the People Power Revolution, EDSA to him was Justice Edgardo Delos Santos, who was one of those who gave him a warm welcome in the Court of Appeals and when he sat down in the Supreme Court last year.
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