NEWS
[Men & Women in Government] (7th of a series) Two new RTC judges in Partido

Judge PAULITE	Judge ARROYO

Two new judges have just been appointed to the two Regional Trial Courts in the Partido area based at San Jose town, finally allaying public apprehension that scores of pending cases in the two salas would gather cobwebs because of the absence of full-time and permanent judges for nearly two years.

The new appointments were thus received with exultation by residents in the Partido and Caramoan Peninsula towns.
RTC Branch 30 last occupied by Judge Alfredo Cabral had been vacant for more than a year following his retirement, although Judge Jose Sarcilla spent two days a week at the sala aside from his being presiding judge at RTC Branch 31 in the Provincial Capitol Complex pending appointment of a new judge.

Judge Noel de Guzman Paulite now presides at RTC Branch 30.

RTC Branch 58, also at San Jose, used to be presided over by Judge Ernesto K. Maristela who retired more than a year ago. Judge Ma. Angela Acompañado Arroyo who was appointed only last September now occupies the position. Judge Jaime Contreras of RTC Branch 25 in Naga had presided at the sala in concurrent capacity prior to the appointment of Judge Arroyo.

Judge Paulite, 48, is an epitome of a self-made man, determined to surmount adversities to achieve his aspiration in life. At 18 years old, he was already a working student at the municipal government of Tigaon where he comes from. He had to commute daily from Tigaon. to Naga City where he was first pursuing his BSBA course at the University of Nueva Caceres. After finishing his BSBA in 1981 he went on in 1982 to enroll at the UNC College of Law and finished his Bachelor of Laws in 1986, still an employee of LGU Tigaon. He passed the bar in June, 1987.

From his last position as Municipal Budget Officer of Tigaon, he had worked as RTC Research Attorney at RTC Branch 30 where he is now presiding judge. He had also worked at DENR, Region V, at the CHR, Region V, the Public Attorney’s Office and the City Prosecution Office in Naga City. He was 1st Assistant City Prosecutor before he was appointed RTC Judge. He is married to Ma. Dina Vergara-Paulite with whom he has six children, five boys and a girl.

Judge Arroyo, 42, was Municipal Trial Court Judge at Calabanga, Camarines Sur before his appointment as presiding judge at RTC Branch 58. She has been in government service for 18 years now starting in 1989 as Legal Officer at the Clerk of Court V at RTC Manila, as Legislative Counsellor at the House of Representatives and as Public Attorney at the PAO until 2001 when she was appointed MTC judge at Calabanga.

Judge Arroyo took up her elementary and high school at the Universidad de Sta. Isabel here in Naga City and her AB Political Science at the University of Nueva Caceres where she graduated Magna Cum Laude. She took up her law at the San Beda College from 1984 to 1988 and passed the bar examinations on the same year she graduated.

She is married to Francisco D. Arroyo, a physician, with whom she has four children, three girls and a boy- Alyssa Andrea, 11; Ana Ysabela, 8, Alaina Mae, 7; and Brian Franco, 6.