GMA NEWS: OCT. 29, 2013 Pinay scholar in NZ to become Albays youngest trial court judge No less than Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno will administer the oath to Albays youngest trial court judge, 37-year-old Joan Mosatalla, next month. Mosatalla, a recipient of the New Zealand governments ASEAN Scholarship Award, is currently pursuing a masters degree in law with a specialization in public law at the University of Auckland (UOA). Joan Mosatalla will take her oath before Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno in November. Photo courtesy of The University of Auckland. I didn’t really expect to be appointed a judge [because] such an appointment is very political in the Philippines and I didn’t know anyone who could back up my nomination, she said in a statement released by UOA. Mosatalla said she asked Warren Brookbanks, a renowned criminal lawyer and law professor at UOA, to write her a recommendation letter to President Benigno Aquino III after finding out she was on the shortlist of applicants to be a municipal trial court judge. Brookbanks was one of the first people Mosatalla told about her appointment after being informed about it on Facebook. Joan is a bright and very able student and she will make an excellent judge, he said. Mosatalla said her success was a result of her diligence and of her parents constantly reminding her and her siblings to work hard. “Some people say I am bright, but I say I am diligent... My parents are both retired government employees and I come from an average, normal family. My three sisters and I were sent to good schools and taught to work hard – one is an executive producer/writer, one is a doctor and the other is a nutritionist/dietician– so we have all done well, she said. Mosatalla was the second assistant provincial prosecutor in Catanduanes prior to her appointment as a trial court judge. -- Xianne Arcangel/JDS, GMA News
Posted on: Tue, 29 Oct 2013 13:16:58 +0000
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