From prosecutor to top magistrate: Who is new Chief Justice Rodil Zalameda?

NEW CJ. Who is new Chief Justice Rodil Zalameda? Supreme Court of the Philippines Zalameda is the country's 28th chief justice and will serve for seven years, or until his retirement in 2033 President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. appointed Rodil Zalameda as the new chief justice of the Supreme Court, succeeding Alexander Gesmundo, who retires on November 6. He is known for notable rulings, including decisions on red-tagging and the acquittal of Imelda Marcos, and has consistently voted in favor of significant legal issues before the Supreme Court. This is AI-generated. Read the article for full context. Report any errors. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. appointed Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justice Rodil Zalameda as the next chief justice, replacing incumbent Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo who will retire on Friday, November 6. Zalameda bested four other contenders, including two more senior justices appointed by former president Benigno Aquino III: Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen and Associate Justice Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa. The 63-year-old incoming chief justice will serve until 2033, or until he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 70. Barring quo warranto or impeachment, Zalameda’s seven-year term will be one of the longest terms among the recent chief justices post-Corona and Sereno ousters. He is the country’s 28th chief justice. As associate justice, Zalameda was in the middle of the bench and held Seat No. 7. Zalameda continues the streak of male chief justices in the country. Apart from ousted former chief justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, the SC only recognizes former chief justice Teresita de Castro as the only female top magistrate of the country. Who is Zalameda and what are things the public should know about him? From prosecutor to chief justice Born on August 2, 1963, Zalameda is a native of Caloocan City. According to his past profile at the Court of Appeals (CA), he was a product of the public school system during his primary and secondary education. He obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of the East, then his law degree from Ateneo de Manila University. In law school, Zalameda was an academic scholar and dean’s lister, and served as associate editor of the Ateneo Law Journal and senior staff member of the Ateneo Law Bulletin. He finished law school in 1987 and passed the Bar examinations the following year. He belongs to the same class as Cabinet secretary Benhur Abalos. After passing the Bar, he worked as a branch clerk at the Makati City Regional Trial Court. He then ventured into private practice from 1990 to 1995. He became a public prosecutor in 1995. Seven years later, in 2002, he became Mandaluyong’s city prosecutor. Mandaluyong is the Abalos family’s home turf. In September 2008, Zalameda was appointed CA associate justice. Eleven years later, then-president Rodrigo Duterte appointed him associate justice on August 6, 2019. Zalameda and his predecessor are both members of the Fraternal Order of Utopia. Notable cases Zalameda is the ponente or author of the SC 1st Division’s decision that cleared the President’s mother, Imelda Marcos, of seven counts of graft related to Swiss foundations. The 50-page decision, which had the concurrence of 1st Division members, overturned the Sandiganbayan’s November 2018 decision that convicted the 97-year-old former first lady of seven counts of graft. In 2024, Zalameda penned the Deduro v. Vinoya ruling that finally defined red-tagging as an act that threatens a person’s right to life, liberty, and security. Though it was far from justice, activists said the ruling gave them a fighting chance against state attacks because the High Court acknowledged red-tagging as a likely “precursor to abduction or extrajudicial killing,” and being associated with communists makes a person a “target of vigilantes, paramilitary groups, or even state agents.” (READ: Not yet justice, but SC ruling gives activists fighting chance vs red-tagging) In the CA, Zalameda upheld the dismissal of administrative cases against former deputy ombudsman Orlando Casimiro. This case stemmed from delays in a 15-year-old case related to allegedly anomalous transactions of the Philippine Air Force. He also penned in 2015 the CA decision that denied the plea of Tanduay Distillers Incorporated in the trademark case involving Ginebra San Miguel Incorporated. In the case, Tanduay was found liable for unfair competition and infringement for using the “Ginebra Kapitan” trademark of Ginebra. Zalameda was also part of the CA’s Special 11th division that flip-flopped on the ruling involving the payment of fees to lawyers hired by the government for the Piatco [Philippine International Air Terminals Company Incorporated] case. The decision said that the hiring of foreign and local lawyers was “irregular, unnecessary, excessive, extravagant and unconscionable.” Zalameda in SC This is Zalameda’s voting history in some of the major cases before the High Court: Junking of same-sex marriage petition: Concurring; voting was unanimous. Philippines still obliged to cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC): Concurring; voting was unanimous. Declare Vice President Sara Duterte’s 2025 impeachment complaint unconstitutional: Concurring; voting was unanimous. Deny Senator Bato dela Rosa’s request for temporary restraining order against his ICC warrant: Concurring. SC compelling Congress to pass anti-dynasty bill: Concurring. Return P60-billion PhilHealth funds to national treasury: Concurring. He said that the transfer was unconstitutional, but the government may nonetheless be considered to have acted in good faith. – Rappler.com How does this make you feel? Loading