Zalameda is new chief justice
Supreme Court Associate Justice Rodil V. Zalameda shares a light moment with the Integrated Bar of the Philippines – Capiz Chapter members at the Chapter’s Induction of New Members and Installation of Officers and Fellowship Night, held on August 18, 2023 at Kapis Mansions in Banica, Roxas City. Courtesy of the Supreme Court Public Information Office/FileMANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has appointed Supreme Court Associate Justice Rodil Zalameda as country’s 28th chief justice, Malacanang said Thursday.
Zalameda, 63, replaces Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo who will reach the mandatory retirement age of 70 on Friday.
Communications Secretary Lino Cayetano cited Zalameda’s over three decades of “distinguished service” to the country’s justice system.
“From his early years as a court official and public prosecutor to his service in the Court of Appeals and ultimately the Supreme Court, he has devoted his professional life to the administration of justice,” he said in a briefing.
“His experience across the different levels of our judicial system gives him a comprehensive understanding of the courts and the people they serve,” Cayetano added.
Marcos also “recognizes the importance of experienced and principled leadership in preserving public confidence in our judicial institutions” in selecting Zalameda, according to Cayetano.
“The President expresses his confidence that Justice Zalameda will discharge the responsibilities of Chief Justice with integrity, impartiality, and an unwavering commitment to the rule of law,” Cayetano said.
Zalameda was appointed to the Supreme Court on August 6, 2019. According to his profile on the SC website, he served for 11 years as an associate justice of the Court of Appeals, where he later chaired its 17th Division, before joining the High Court.
He finished high school at the University of the East (UE) Caloocan in 1979 and obtained a political science degree from UE Manila in 1983. He earned his law degree from ADMU in 1987 under an academic scholarship, graduating as a dean’s lister.
After passing the Bar in the following year, he entered government service as a branch clerk of the Makati City Regional Trial Court. He later practiced law privately from 1990 to 1995 before rejoining the government as a public prosecutor. In 2002, he was appointed city prosecutor of Mandaluyong City.
Zalameda wrote the Supreme Court decision acquitting former First Lady Imelda Marcos of seven counts of graft after the Court ruled that the prosecution failed to prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
Zalameda also authored the landmark ruling in Deduro v. Maj. Gen. Vinoya, where the Supreme Court held that “red-tagging, vilification, labeling, and guilt by association may threaten a person’s right to life, liberty, or security and may justify the issuance of a writ of amparo.”
Under the 1987 Philippine Constitution, the chief justice is the highest-ranking official in the judiciary and leads the Supreme Court, the country’s highest court. The chief justice also chairs the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) and designates three Supreme Court Justices to each Electoral Tribunal of the House of Representatives and Senate.
According to the Constitution, any member of the Supreme Court must be a natural-born Filipino citizen, at least 40 years old, and must have been a judge of a lower court or practiced law in the Philippines for at least 15 years.
Before Zalameda’s appointment, the JBC shortlisted four other nominees for the chief justice post, namely, Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen, Associate Justice Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa, Associate Justice Japar Dimaampao, and Associate Justice Jose Midas Marquez.