Maria Filomena Dumandan Singh (born June 25, 1966) is a Filipino judge who serves as associate justice of the

Supreme Court of the Philippines The Supreme Court ( fil, Kataas-taasang Hukuman; colloquially referred to as the ''Korte Suprema'' lso used in formal writing is the highest court in the Philippines. The Supreme Court was established by the Second Philippine Commission on J ...

since 2022.

Early life and education

Singh was born on June 25, 1966. She graduated from the

University of the Philippines The University of the Philippines (UP; fil, Pamantasan ng Pilipinas Unibersidad ng Pilipinas) is a state university system in the Philippines. It is the country's national university, as mandated by Republic Act No. 9500 (UP Charter of 200 ...

, ''

cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some So ...

'', with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

in English major in imaginative writing. She earned a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice l ...

from the

Ateneo Law School , mottoeng = Light in the Lord , type = Private, research, non-profit, coeducational basic and higher education institution , established = December 10, 1859 , religious_affiliation = Roman Catholic (Jesuits) , academic_aff ...

with second honors distinction. She studied at the

Washington College of Law The American University Washington College of Law (AUWCL or WCL) is the law school of American University, a private research university in Washington, D.C. It is located on the western side of Tenley Circle in the Tenleytown section of no ...

of the American University in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, for a

Master of Laws A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...

in International Legal Studies.

Judicial career

Singh served as an associate justice of the

Court of Appeals of the Philippines The Court of Appeals ( fil, Hukuman ng Pag-aapela) is an appellate collegiate court in the Philippines. The Court of Appeals consists of one presiding justice and sixty-eight associate justices. Pursuant to the Constitution, the Court of Appe ...

from 2014 to 2022, succeeding Justice Rosalinda Asuncion-Vicente who retired in November 2013. She previously served as the senior member in the 3rd Division of the Court of Appeals under the chairpersonship of Justice Fernanda Lampas-Peralta. On May 18, 2022, Singh was appointed by President

Rodrigo Duterte Rodrigo Roa Duterte (, ; born March 28, 1945), also known as Digong, Rody, and by the initials DU30 and PRRD, is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the chairperson ...

as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines to fill the vacancy left by the retirement of Justice

Estela Perlas-Bernabe Estela Marcelino Perlas-Bernabe (born Estela Marcelino Perlas; May 14, 1952) is a former associate justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines, serving from 2011 to 2022. She was the third appointee to the Supreme Court by President Benigno A ...

. Singh is Duterte's last appointment to the Supreme Court.

References

1966 births Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the Philippines Ateneo de Manila University alumni Filipino women judges Filipino women lawyers Justices of the Court of Appeals of the Philippines Washington College of Law alumni 21st-century women judges {{Philippines-law-bio-stub