Justice Gomez-Estoesta sworn in as new Court Administrator

Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Ma. Theresa Dolores Gomez-Estoesta has been appointed by the Supreme Court as the new Court Administrator. She took her oath of office on Monday before Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo at the Supreme Court Session Hall in Manila.

Justice Gomez-Estoesta succeeds former Court Administrator Raul Villanueva, who was recently appointed as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court.

The new OCA chief brings with her 34 years of government service, beginning her legal career as a Solicitor at the Office of the Solicitor General in 1991.

In 2002, she joined the judiciary as Presiding Judge of Branch 6 of the Metropolitan Trial Court in Manila and, in 2006, was promoted to Presiding Judge of Branch 7 of the Manila Regional Trial Court, a position she held until her appointment to the Sandiganbayan in 2014, where she chaired the Seventh Division.

A multi-awarded jurist, Gomez-Estoesta received the Judicial Excellence Award for Most Outstanding Judge for First-Level Courts and Best Decision in Criminal Cases in 2005. In 2012, she was honored with the Chief Justice Cayetano Arellano Award as Most Outstanding Judge for Second-Level Courts.

Beyond the bench, she has contributed significantly to legal education as a faculty member at the Ateneo de Manila School of Law since 2015 and as a Professorial Lecturer at the Philippine Judicial Academy. She also served as a Bar Examiner for Remedial Law and Legal Ethics in the 2024 Bar Examinations.

Gomez-Estoesta earned her law degree from Ateneo de Manila University and passed the Bar in 1991. She also holds a cum laude degree in Political Science from De La Salle University, where she received the Gold Medal for Excellence in Political Science.

The Office of the Court Administrator (OCA), created under Presidential Decree No. 828 (as amended by PD 842), assists the Supreme Court in supervising all lower courts nationwide.

As part of the Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022–2027 (SPJI), the OCA is currently undergoing modernization to enhance efficiency, regional support, and service delivery. Under this new structure, the Court Administrator will lead a Central OCA Leadership Team responsible for setting overall strategy and policy direction for trial courts.