Zalameda takes oath as 28th Chief Justice

MANILA — Newly appointed Chief Justice Rodil Zalameda took his oath of office on Friday at the Supreme Court (SC) En Banc Session Hall in Manila.

Zalameda is the country’s 28th chief justice, succeeding Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo, who retired on Friday upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70.

He took his oath before SC Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen, in the presence of his wife and son.

Also present at the ceremony were incumbent and retired Supreme Court associate justices, court officials and employees, as well as incumbent justices of the Court of Appeals, Court of Tax Appeals and Sandiganbayan.

In a social media post, Sen. Kiko Pangilinan said he hopes Zalameda will prioritize addressing the massive backlog of cases in the country’s courts.

“Clear and measurable targets are needed in the coming years: faster case resolutions, additional courts in underserved and overcrowded areas, reduction in the number of cases handled by each judge, and a significant decrease in judicial vacancies,” Pangilinan wrote.

“The corruption within the justice system itself must also be confronted. There can be no compromise when it comes to the integrity of the judiciary,” he added.

Sen. Robin Padilla, who appeared before the Department of Justice on Friday for the preliminary investigation into the obstruction of justice complaint against him, also congratulated Zalameda on his appointment.

Zalameda entered private practice from 1990 to 1995 before returning to government service as a public prosecutor.

He was appointed city prosecutor of Mandaluyong at the age of 39 and later served as an associate justice of the Court of Appeals for 11 years.

He joined the high court in 2019. During his tenure as an associate justice, he chaired the Sub-Committee on the Revision of the Rules of Criminal Procedure, the Sub-Committee on Special Rules on Extradition, the Committee on Security, and the Technical Working Group for the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Judiciary Marshals Act.

He also served as chairperson of the 2027 Judiciary Budget Committee.

Some of the landmark decisions penned by Zalameda was the ruling in Deduro v. Vinoya, in which the high court recognized red-tagging as a threat to a person’s rights to life, liberty and security.

He also penned the ruling dismissing petitions challenging the constitutionality of the No Contact Apprehension Policy.

He also authored the ruling that reversed the conviction on seven counts of graft of former first lady Imelda Marcos.