Diosdado "Dado" Madarang Peralta (born March 27, 1952) is a Filipino attorney and jurist who served as the

chief justice of the Philippines The chief justice of the Philippines ( fil, Punong Mahistrado ng Pilipinas) presides over the Supreme Court of the Philippines and is the highest judicial officer of the government of the Philippines. As of April 5, 2021, the position is curr ...

from 2019 to 2021. He previously served as an

associate justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines An associate justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines ( fil, Kasangguning Mahistrado ng Kataas-taasang Hukuman ng Pilipinas) is one of fifteen members of the Supreme Court of the Philippines, the highest court in the Philippines. The Ch ...

from January 13, 2009, to October 22, 2019. He is the third

Sandiganbayan The Sandiganbayan ( en, Support of the Nation) is a special appellate collegial court in the Philippines that has jurisdiction over criminal and civil cases involving graft and corrupt practices and other offenses committed by public office ...

presiding justice to be appointed to the high tribunal.

Personal life and education

Peralta finished his Bachelor of Science degree at the

Colegio de San Juan de Letran The Colegio de San Juan de Letran, (transl: College of San Juan de Letran) also referred to by its acronym CSJL, is a private Catholic coeducational basic and higher education institution owned and run by the friars of the Order of Preachers i ...

in 1974 before pursuing law at the University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Civil Law, where he graduated in 1979. He is married to Fernanda Lampas-Peralta, an associate justice of the

Philippine Court of Appeals The Court of Appeals ( fil, Hukuman ng Pag-aapela) is an appellate collegiate court in the Philippines. The Court of Appeals consists of one presiding justice and sixty-eight associate justices. Pursuant to the Constitution, the Court of Appe ...

Career

Legal career

Peralta worked in the private sector before joining government service as an assistant city prosecutor in

Laoag City Laoag, officially the City of Laoag ( ilo, Siudad ti Laoag; fil, Lungsod ng Laoag), is a 1st class component city and capital of the province of Ilocos Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 111,651 people. ...

and

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populated ...

Jurist

On September 22, 1994, Peralta was appointed judge of the Regional Trial Court, Branch 95, Quezon City, which was designated as Special Criminal Court on Heinous Crimes and, later, Drugs Cases, then named to the Sandiganbayan in 2002 by President

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal Arroyo (, born April 5, 1947), often referred to by her initials GMA, is a Filipino academic and politician serving as one of the House Deputy Speakers since 2022, and previously from 2016 to 2017. She previously ...

. He was designated presiding justice of the Sandiganbayan in March 2008, and served in that capacity until his appointment to the Supreme Court. Peralta is the chairperson of the High Court's Committee on the Revision of the Benchbook on the Application, Computation, and Graduation of Penalties. He previously sat as a member of the House of Representative Electoral Tribunal (HET). Peralta was the chairman of the 2014

Philippine Bar Examination The Philippine Bar Examination is the professional licensure examination for lawyers in the Philippines. The exam is exclusively administered by the Supreme Court of the Philippines through the Supreme Court Bar Examination Committee. Brief hist ...

committee.

Chief Justice

On October 23, 2019, Peralta was appointed by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Rodrigo Duterte Rodrigo Roa Duterte (, ; born March 28, 1945), also known as Digong, Rody, and by the initials DU30 and PRRD, is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the chairperson ...

as the

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines The chief justice of the Philippines ( fil, Punong Mahistrado ng Pilipinas) presides over the Supreme Court of the Philippines and is the highest judicial officer of the government of the Philippines. As of April 5, 2021, the position is cu ...

, succeeding

Lucas Bersamin Lucas Purugganan Bersamin (born October 18, 1949) is a Filipino lawyer and jurist who currently serves as the Executive Secretary of the Philippines. Bersamin previously served on the Supreme Court of the Philippines for 10 years, first as an ...

. In December 2020, he announced that he would retire on March 27, 2021; a year earlier than his required mandatory retirement, of which he was succeeded as chief justice by

Alexander Gesmundo Alexander Gahon Gesmundo (born November 6, 1956) is serving as the chief justice of the Philippines since April 5, 2021. He replaced Diosdado Peralta, who retired early on March 27, 2021. He previously served as an associate justice of the Supre ...

on April 5, 2021.

Awards

Peralta was the recipient of several commendations, two of which were the Special Centennial Awards in the Field of

Criminal Law Criminal law is the body of law that relates to crime. It prescribes conduct perceived as threatening, harmful, or otherwise endangering to the property, health, safety, and moral welfare of people inclusive of one's self. Most criminal law ...

, given by the Integrated Bar of the Philippines and the Supreme Court during its centennial celebration on June 6, 2001, and the Judicial Excellence Awards 2002 (Chief Justice Ramon Avanceña Award for Outstanding Regional Trial Court Judge). In recognition of his vast contribution in the field of law, he was also the recipient of the Outstanding Thomasian Alumni Awards for Law (TOTAL Awardee in Law/Justice) on August 2, 2008, which was the highest award bestowed by the

University of Santo Tomas The University of Santo Tomas (also known as UST and officially as the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, Manila) is a private, Catholic research university in Manila, Philippines. Founded on April 28, 1611, by Spanish friar Migue ...

to an alumnus.

References

External links

Supreme Court Website
!-- Succession table --> {{DEFAULTSORT:Peralta, Diosdado M. 1952 births Living people Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the Philippines Chief justices of the Supreme Court of the Philippines Colegio de San Juan de Letran alumni 20th-century Filipino judges People from Laoag University of Santo Tomas alumni Justices of the Sandiganbayan 21st-century Filipino judges