Marcos Jr. appoints 2 new CA associate justices

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. appointed Edilwasif Tapsiril Baddiri and Jeoffre Willkom Acebido as Associate Justices of the Court of Appeals (CA).

Their appointment papers, dated Feb. 24, 2025, fill vacancies left by retired CA Justices Edwin D. Sorongon and Victoria Isabel A. Paredes.

Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo administered their oaths of office on April 11 and April 14, 2025, at the Supreme Court in Manila.

Justice Baddiri, a Tausug from Indanan, Sulu, previously served as Presiding Judge and Executive Judge of the RTC in Pasay City and as a Commissioner of the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos from 2010 to 2015.

A graduate of Ateneo de Manila University Law School, Baddiri also holds a Master in Public Administration from Harvard University.

He is the interim president of the Philippine Muslim Judges Association and the fifth Tausug to serve as a Court of Appeals justice.

Justice Acebido, formerly Presiding Judge of Regional Trial Court Branch 41 in Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental, has over 16 years of judicial service.

He received the Chief Justice Cayetano Arellano Award for Judicial Excellence and has a background in prosecution, public defense, and human rights advocacy.