The 63-year-old magistrate succeeds retiring Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo and can lead the Supreme Court until August 2033
MALACAÑANG (November 5, 2026) – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has chosen Associate Justice Rodil Zalameda as the next chief justice of the Supreme Court, making him the 28th head of the Philippine judiciary and the first chief justice appointed by Marcos.
Presidential Communications Office Secretary Lino Cayetano announced the pick at a Palace briefing on Thursday afternoon, a day before Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo bows out upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70 on Friday, November 6.
“The selection of a Chief Justice is among the most consequential responsibilities entrusted to the President under our Constitution,” Cayetano said. “Today, I am pleased to announce that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has chosen Supreme Court Associate Justice Rodil V. Zalameda to serve as the next Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines.”
Cayetano said the President is confident that Zalameda will carry out his new role “with integrity, impartiality, and an unwavering commitment to the rule of law.” He added that Zalameda “brings more than three decades of distinguished service to our justice system.”
Seniority set aside
Zalameda was one of five magistrates on the Judicial and Bar Council shortlist that reached Malacañang last month. As we reported earlier today, the list included Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen and Associate Justices Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa, Japar Dimaampao and Jose Midas Marquez.
In choosing Zalameda, the third most senior among the nominees, the President passed over Leonen and Caguioa, both appointed by the late President Benigno Aquino III. Zalameda himself was named to the high court by former President Rodrigo Duterte on August 6, 2019.
Now 63, Zalameda can serve as chief justice for about seven years, until he turns 70 in August 2033. That is well beyond the end of Marcos’ term in 2028.
From branch clerk to top magistrate
Zalameda earned his law degree from the Ateneo de Manila University in 1987 and passed the Bar a year later. He started in the judiciary as branch clerk of court at a Makati Regional Trial Court, went into private practice from 1990 to 1995, then returned to government as a public prosecutor. At 39, he became Mandaluyong City Prosecutor in 2002.
He later spent 11 years as an associate justice of the Court of Appeals, where he chaired its 17th Division, before moving up to the Supreme Court.
Among the rulings he penned as a justice is the decision that acquitted former First Lady Imelda Marcos, the President’s mother, of seven counts of graft tied to Swiss foundations. He also wrote the 2024 ruling that recognized red-tagging as a threat to a person’s right to life, liberty and security.
During his interviews before the Judicial and Bar Council, Zalameda said he would prioritize building more courthouses to cut case delays, investing in court technology and improving benefits for judiciary employees.
Cases waiting on his desk
The new chief justice inherits a docket with several politically charged cases, including the plea of Senators Robin Padilla and Bong Go on the number of votes needed to convict in an impeachment trial. The high court has ordered the Senate and the House to answer that petition, while the trial of Vice President Sara Duterte continues at the Senate.