Supreme Court Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo administered the oath of office to former Deputy Ombudsman Gerard Mosquera as the first Judicial Integrity Officer (JIO).

The JIO is tasked with investigating erring members of the judiciary, proposing sanctions and strengthening internal accountability to preserve public trust in the justice system.

Mosquera took his oath Friday following his appointment by the Court en banc. His appointment came after the reorganization that replaced the five-member Judicial Integrity Board with a single JIO.

He will serve a four-year term and may be reappointed for one additional term.

In 2019, Mosquera retired from the Office of the Ombudsman after more than three decades of public service, anti-corruption initiatives, accountability mechanisms and work in the administration of justice.

He served as officer in charge and undersecretary of the Department of Labor and Employment, concurrently heading the Offices of the Undersecretary for Labor Relations, Labor Policy, Legislative Liaison and Regional Operations before his appointment as JIO.

Previously, Mosquera was with the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, serving as general counsel and providing legal advice in high-profile legislative inquiries involving public accountability and governance.

From 2012 to 2019, Mosquera served as deputy ombudsman for Luzon and was also a former commissioner of the Presidential Commission on Good Government.

He served as dean of the Notre Dame of Marbel University College of Law and taught law at the Ateneo de Manila University School of Law and Notre Dame of Marbel University.

Mosquera earned his law degree from Ateneo de Manila University and placed second in the Bar examinations. He obtained a Master of Laws from King’s College, University of London, as a Chevening scholar, and a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, where he received the 2010 Littauer Award for Academic Excellence and Leadership.