Former Education Undersecretary Debbie Jean Centeno-Dijamco and former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Director General Paolo Teston have been appointed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as the newest associate justices of the Court of Tax Appeals (CTA).
Their additions bring a mix of public sector administration and legal practice to assist CTA Presiding Justice Ma. Belen Ringpis-Liban with the court’s judicial and administrative responsibilities.
Centeno-Dijamco brings significant background in tax law and judicial service to the bench. Prior to her tenure as DepEd undersecretary, she served for 12 years as the head of judicial staff for former CTA Presiding Justice Roman Del Rosario and previously practiced as a corporate and tax attorney at SGV & Co.
She holds degrees from the University of Santo Tomas and San Beda College, and completed executive training at the Asian Institute of Management as well as the Philippine Judicial Academy’s appellate pre-judicature program.
Teston transitions to the bench after leading the FDA and briefly serving as a Department of Health undersecretary. A San Beda College law and economics graduate, he formerly practiced at MOST Law and currently teaches at the Manuel L. Quezon University College of Law.
The CTA operates as a specialized appellate-level court co-equal to the Court of Appeals, tasked with adjudicating disputes on tax assessments, customs duties, local tax matters, and revenue controversies involving state agencies.