Malacañang confirmed on Wednesday the appointment of Lucas Bersamin as the 25th chief justice of the Supreme Court.

In a statement, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said Rosmari Carandang was named as Associate Justice.

The 69-year old Bersamin has replaced former Chief Justice Teresita de Castro who retired last month.

"We are confident that CJ Bersamin and AJ Carandang will continue to uphold judicial excellence, assert its independence and stand firm against erring members of the bench, the bar and court personnel as they lead the third branch of the government, together with the rest of the Supreme Court Justices, in remaining steadfast in its role as the guardian of the rule of law," Panelo said.

He said Bersamin is the most senior justice in the Supreme Court in terms of services rendered under the judicial branch in various capacities.

But in terms of seniority at the high court, Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio is the most senior.

Carpio, however, has been critical of the Duterte administration regarding its "soft stance" with China on the South China Sea issue.

Panelo said Bersamin served nearly 17 years as the presiding judge of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court, over six years as associate justice at the Court of Appeals, and close to 10 years as the 163rd magistrate of the Supreme Court.

Carandang, meanwhile, has been an Associate Justice of the Court of Appeals since March 2003, he said.

Prior to her stint at the Court of Appeals, she also served as the presiding judge of the Manila Regional Trial Court.

Both justices belong to what Duterte calls “the best and the brightest” as Bersamin placed 9th in the 1973 Bar examinations while Carandang also claimed the same spot in the 1975 Bar examinations, Panelo said. Celerina Monte/DMS