President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has appointed Supreme Court Associate Justice Rodil V. Zalameda as the country’s next chief justice, replacing Alexander Gesmundo, who is scheduled to retire on Nov. 6.
Presidential Communications Office Secretary Lino Cayetano confirmed the appointment, saying Marcos is confident Zalameda will perform his duties with integrity, fairness and a strong commitment to the rule of law.
Cayetano said Zalameda’s extensive judicial experience under several administrations, from former President Fidel V. Ramos to former President Rodrigo Duterte, was a major consideration in the selection.
Zalameda previously served as a clerk of court, prosecutor and Court of Appeals justice before Duterte appointed him to the Supreme Court in 2019.
Questions were raised about his independence, including allegations by former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque that Zalameda had served as ponente in Supreme Court decisions favorable to the Marcos family.
Cayetano maintained that the cited rulings were issued by an SC division and expressed confidence in Zalameda’s impartiality.
Zalameda’s appointment will take effect after Gesmundo officially retires. He was among five nominees shortlisted by the Judicial and Bar Council and submitted to Marcos on Oct. 29. He will be the first chief justice appointed by Marcos since assuming office in 2022.
During his JBC public interview, Zalameda proposed creating a monitoring group for high-profile corruption and fraud cases to track proceedings from arraignment to final judgment.
He also backed stricter enforcement of continuous trial guidelines, which set a 100-day target for completing trials. He suggested modular, asynchronous judicial seminars to prevent training schedules from disrupting court hearings.
Meanwhile, Malacañang thanked Gesmundo for his 41 years of government service. Marcos awarded him the Order of Lakandula, Grand Cross (Bayani), on Nov. 4, in recognition of his contributions to the judiciary.
