Capiceño judge appointed to CA post
ROXAS CITY – A dedicated, hardworking and achiever administrator of justice from Capiz is now appointed as Associate Justice of the Court of Appeals (CA).
Judge Manuel Barrios, a native of Roxas City, Capiz and the Presiding Judge of Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 54 was recently appointed by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as CA’s new Associate Justice.
According to Roxas City RTC Branch 19 Presiding Judge Esperanza Isabel Poco-Deslate, Justice Barrios deserves his new post.
Deslate described Barrios as a simple man but full of dedication, integrity and whose personality is beyond question.
She said that Barrios, during his stay in Capiz as trial judge both in the Municipal Circuit Trail Court in Cities and in the RTCs here, had been looked up to by his colleagues and practicing lawyers as a hard-working, diligent and fair judge.
On the other hand, Provincial Prosecutor Rudolfo Beluso said that Barrios had been a religious worker for justice being a very impartial person.
“When he was still a city prosecutor and after which, a trial judge, Barrios had been very observant of the proper protocol and decorum,” Beluso added.
Meanwhile, Barrios was nominated by the Supreme Court’s Judicial and Bar Council to fill in the vacancies at the appellate court this year.
Before his stint at the Manila RTC Branch 54, Barrios was Presiding Judge of Manila RTC Branch 55 where his branch ranked number 1 in terms of cases decided on the merits only three years after his designation.
Barrios began as Assistant Fiscal in Roxas City, Capiz where he was nominated for the Outstanding Criminal Justice Achiever’s Award.
Known for his speedy disposition of cases, Barrios was also chosen in the 2007 Judicial Excellence Awards, an annual recognition of judges and court employees who have displayed exemplary performance and ideal work ethic.
Barrios received the Chief Justice Cayetano Arellano Award, the top accolade bestowed to a second-level court judge, for his efficiency in disposing cases, depth of legal knowledge, and contribution to the law and administration of justice.
The Judicial Excellence Awards, described by Chief Justice Reynato Puno as the “Oscars” of the judiciary, was introduced in 1991 by the Foundation for Judicial Excellence (FJE) to eliminate public perception of inefficiency and corruption in the judiciary. (PIA/Jemin B. Guillermo)