MANILA: Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has appointed Supreme Court Associate Justice Rodil V. Zalameda as the country's next chief justice, Presidential Communications Office Secretary Lino Cayetano announced on Thursday.
He will succeed Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo, who is set to retire on Nov 6.
“Justice Zalameda brings more than three decades of distinguished service to our justice system,” Cayetano said at a Palace briefing.
“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 added.
In selecting Zalameda, Cayetano said the president recognised the importance of experienced and principled leadership in preserving public confidence in the country's judicial institutions.
Marcos expressed confidence that Zalameda would discharge the responsibilities of chief justice with “integrity, impartiality and an unwavering commitment to the rule of law”, Cayetano said.
“We congratulate Justice Zalameda on his selection and wish him well as he prepares to assume this important responsibility to the Filipino people,” he said.
“We also extend our gratitude to Chief Justice Gesmundo for his dedicated service to the judiciary and our nation,” he added.
Zalameda authored the Supreme Court decision acquitting former first lady Imelda Marcos of seven counts of graft, reversing a November 2018 Sandiganbayan ruling that had sentenced her to prison terms totalling as much as 77 years.
When asked how the administration would respond to criticism of Zalameda's appointment, Cayetano said he had extensive judicial experience spanning several administrations.
“He [Zalameda] served during the time of multiple presidents, from the time of FVR to the time of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to the time of former President Pnoy. He was eventually appointed to the Supreme Court by former President Rodrigo Duterte,” Cayetano said.
“We believe in his impartiality, and we look forward to working with the new chief justice,” he added.
Appointed by Duterte in 2019, Zalameda served as an associate justice and chairperson of the 17th Division of the Court of Appeals from 2008 to 2019 before joining the Supreme Court.
He was also a public prosecutor from 1995 to 2002 and city prosecutor of Mandaluyong City from 2002 to 2008.
Zalameda studied at Ateneo de Manila Law School and earned his pre-law degree in political science from the University of the East.
The 63-year-old is the most senior Duterte appointee among the five shortlisted candidates.
He was also among the justices who dissented from the ruling on unprogrammed appropriations, arguing that Congress was not barred from proposing new programmes, activities and projects that were absent from the National Expenditure Programme submitted by the executive branch.- Inquirer/ANN
