Associate Justice Rodil Zalameda Picked by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to Become the 28th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has chosen Supreme Court Associate Justice Rodil Zalameda as the country’s next chief justice, Malacañang announced on Thursday, November 5.
Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Lino Cayetano made the announcement during a Palace press briefing, saying Zalameda will succeed Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo, who is set to retire on Friday, November 6. Zalameda will be the 28th chief justice of the country, according to The Manila Times.
Cayetano said the President recognized the importance of “experienced and principled leadership” in preserving public confidence in the country’s judicial institutions. He added that Marcos is confident Zalameda will carry out the job “with integrity, impartiality, and an unwavering commitment to the rule of law,” based on a report by the Philippine News Agency.
The PCO chief also congratulated Zalameda and thanked Gesmundo for his service to the judiciary and the nation, as also noted by INQUIRER.net. Gesmundo is reportedly stepping down upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70.
Zalameda was first appointed to the high court as an associate justice by then President Rodrigo Duterte on August 6, 2019. Before that, he reportedly served for 11 years as an associate justice of the Court of Appeals, where he chaired its 17th Division, according to GMA News.
Born in Caloocan City on August 2, 1963, he earned his law degree from the Ateneo de Manila University in 1987 and passed the Bar examinations in 1988. He began as a branch clerk of the Makati Regional Trial Court, went into private practice from 1990 to 1995, then returned to government as a public prosecutor before becoming Mandaluyong City Prosecutor in 2002 at the age of 39.
Among the decisions he penned, ABS-CBN News noted, were this year’s ruling acquitting former First Lady Imelda Marcos in her graft case and the 2024 landmark decision in Deduro vs. Vinoya, which held that red-tagging may justify the issuance of a writ of amparo.
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