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The island Senate on Monday confirmed two nominees for the Puerto Rico Supreme Court, Judges Camille Rivera Pérez and Raúl Candelario López.
Rivera Pérez received unanimous approval.
“After conducting an evaluation and analysis, this Committee recognizes that the academic and professional record of the nominee demonstrated her ability, dedication and commitment to her work in the Judicial Branch,” states the report on Rivera Pérez. “The examination of her personal, academic and professional qualifications reflects that the nominee meets all the constitutional, academic and moral requirements to hold the position to which she is appointed and has full commitment and responsibility to the Judicial Branch.”
Candelario López, on the other hand, faced opposition from members of the Popular Democratic Party (PDP), the Puerto Rican Independence Party, the Dignity Project, and independent Sen. Eliezer Molina Pérez. The appointment of Candelario López has been criticized by legislative minorities and opposition parties because he ruled in favor of the New Progressive Party (NPP) in most of the cases that were before him during the most recent electoral cycle.
The Senate also confirmed five agency heads nominated by Gov. Jenniffer González Colón. They were Eliezer Ramos Parés as secretary of the Department of Education, Edwin González Montalvo as secretary of the Department of Transportation and Public Works, Ángel L. Pantoja Rodríguez as secretary of the Treasury Department, Sebastián Negrón Reichard as secretary of the Department of Economic Development and Commerce, and María del Mar Mateu Meléndez as administrator of the Minors Support Administration.
Ramos Parés was approved unanimously, while González Montalvo received one dissenting vote from former Senate President José Luis Dalmau Santiago of the PDP.
According to the report of the Appointments Committee, Ramos Parés, who previously served as education secretary under former Gov. Pedro Pierluisi Urrutia, demonstrated ability, commitment and responsibility with the functions of the position.
Sen. Migdalia Padilla Alvelo, who chairs the Finance Committee in the upper chamber, meanwhile highlighted the career experience of Pantoja Rodríguez as suitable preparation for overseeing the island treasury.
“I have been able to collaborate with Mr. Pantoja for the past seven years,” she said. “He has been a fundamental part of the changes in the Treasury Department. His duties as Assistant Secretary of Internal Revenue and Tax Policy have allowed him to acquire the necessary experience to lead such an important department for Puerto Rico.
