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President Marcos picks Muntinlupa City Judge Gener Gito and J. Ermin Louie Ramirez as new members of the anti-graft court
MANILA, Philippines – Muntinlupa City Judge Gener Gito, the magistrate who freed former senator Leila de Lima, has been appointed as Sandiganbayan associate justice, the Supreme Court (SC) announced on Thursday, October 10.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. selected Gito and J. Ermin Ernest Louie Ramirez Miguel as new members of the anti-graft court that handles corruption cases, including the Marcos family’s ill-gotten wealth cases. The SC said Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin transmitted the two’s appointment papers to Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo on Wednesday, October 9.
Gito is best known as the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court (RTC) judge who granted De Lima’s bail in November 2023, which paved the way for the former senator’s freedom after almost seven years. In granting De Lima’s bail, Gito said the testimonies were unable to clearly establish that conspiracy exists among the accused to commit illegal drug trading.
Months later, in June 2024, Gito also acquitted De Lima in her third and last drug case. Gito said the testimonies used against De Lima “are marred with incredulities and inconsistencies which affect not only their credibility, but also the credulity of their own testimonial stories.”
Aside from acquitting De Lima, Gito also handled other matters related to De Lima’s cases. He gave the former senator minor victories in the course of her detention such as when Gito allowed De Lima to visit her ailing mother. In 2022, he also junked the prosecutors’ request to hold De Lima and her lawyer Filibon Tacardon in contempt for statements made before the media.
Who is Gito?
Gito’s wife, Associate Justice Emily San Gaspar-Gito, is a sitting justice at the Court of Appeals (CA). San Gaspar-Gito was the ponente of the CA ruling that voided the shutdown order against Rappler issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Meanwhile, the newly appointed Sandiganbayan justice was appointed in the Muntinlupa City RTC in December 2019. Prior to this, he was an RTC judge in Balanga City, Bataan, and Malolos City, Bulacan. He also worked in the Senate as director at the Chief of the Legal and Legislative Affairs Service between October 2008 and July 2014.
Prior to his Sandiganbayan bid, Gito among the 27 shortlisted nominees for CA justice in 2023.
Gito is a product of the University of Batangas, where he earned his political science degree in 1992. He finished his law degree from San Sebastian College-Recoletos in Manila, earned his Masters of Laws degree in Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila in 2012, and his Doctor of Civil Law degree, summa cum laude, from the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in 2016.
The new Sandiganbayan justice teaches constitutional law and remedial law in several universities such as UST, the University of the East, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, San Sebastian College-Recoletos, University of Asia and the Pacific, Bulacan State University, Tarlac State University, and University of Perpetual Help.
He was awarded by the Society for Judicial Excellence the prestigious Chief Justice Cayetano Arellano Award for being an outstanding regional trial court judge in the country. – Rappler.com
