Court of Appeals Associate Justice Japar Dimaampao, a well-known Muslim jurist, is the latest appointee of President Rodrigo Duterte to the Supreme Court (SC).
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque confirmed Dimaampao’s appointment in a press statement issued Tuesday night.
“The Palace confirms that President Rodrigo Roa Duterte signed the appointment of Mr. Japar Dimaampao as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court,” he said.
Roque welcomed Dimaampao as “a welcome addition to the SC.”
“We are confident that he will continue to uphold the supremacy of the Constitution and the rule of law. We wish the newest magistrate of the SC all the best in all his future endeavors,” he added.
The SC Public Information Office confirmed Duterte’s appointment of Dimaampao earlier in the day.
Dimaampao has been a CA justice for 17 years.
He is only the second magistrate with known Muslim heritage appointed to the high court in recent history.
The last Muslim justice occupied a seat in the Supreme Court was in 1987, when President Corazon Aquino appointed Abdulwahid Bidin to the high tribunal.
Dimaampao has consistently been included in the shortlists for SC justices in the past years.
The newest SC justice hails from Marawi City, Lanao del Sur.
He is an accountant and earned his law degree from the University of the East College of Law.
He is a former state prosecutor and a Regional Trial Court judge in Mandaluyong City before he became the youngest CA justice at 40.
Dimaampao, 57, will serve the High Court until 2033, when he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 70.
SoKor fines Google $177-M over alleged abuse of market dominanceC
South Korea’s antitrust regulator has imposed a USD177 million fine on global tech giant Google for its alleged abuse of the market dominance in the mobile operating system and app markets, local media reported.
“Since 2016, the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) has been looking into Google over allegations it obstructed local smartphone makers, such as Samsung Electronics Co., from using operating systems developed by rivals,” according to Yonhap News Agency.
The regulator said the global tech giant hampered market competition by requiring smartphone makers to clinch an “anti-fragmentation agreement (AFA)” when they sign key contracts with Google over app store licenses and early access to OS.
Under the AFA agreement, the device makers are not permitted to install modified versions of Android OS, known as “Android forks” on their products. They are also not allowed to develop their own Android forks, Yonhap said.
The regulator has also ordered Google to end its practice of forcing Android device manufacturers to sign the AFA agreement.
“We expect the latest measures will help set the stage for competition to revive in the mobile OS and app markets. This is also expected to help the launch of innovative goods and services in smart device markets,” the news agency cited KFTC statement as saying.
Reacted to the decision, Google said it plans to appeal the regulator’s decision.
In April this year, Turkish authorities fined Google 296 million Turkish liras (USD36.6 million) for violating the country’s competition law.
In 2019, the European Commission also slapped a USD1.69 billion fine on Google for breaking the EU’s anti-trust rules on online advertising.
Source: Philippines News Agency