Supreme Court Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo administer the oath of office of 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.

The appointment of Mosquera came after the reorganization that replaced the five-member Judicial Integrity Board with a single JIO.

Mosquera 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 experience in public service, anti-corruption initiatives, accountability mechanisms, and the administration of justice.

He served as Officer-in-Charge 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 issues of public accountability and governance.

From 2012 to 2019, Mosquera held the position of 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 both the Ateneo de Manila University School of Law and the Notre Dame of Marbel University.

Mosquera earned his law degree from Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) and placed second in the Bar exams, while, he obtained a Masters of Laws from King’s College, University of London as a Chevening scholar and has 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.

To recall, the high bench reorganized the JIB into the Judicial Integrity Office as part of its reform initiatives to strengthen judicial accountability and preserve public confidence in the judiciary.