Leonen assuming acting Chief justice role
With Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo set to retire in November, Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen is expected to serve as acting chief justice until the next chief justice is appointed.
Supreme Court spokesperson Atty. Camille Sue Mae Ting confirmed that Leonen would assume the role once Gesmundo steps down.
“There will be an acting chief justice, which is usually the senior associate justice,” Ting said.
Gesmundo, the Court’s 27th chief justice, will retire on 6 November 2026 upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70.
His retirement will trigger the constitutional process for selecting the next head of the judiciary.
Under the 1987 Constitution, the president has 90 days from the vacancy to appoint the next chief justice. The Judicial and Bar Council will submit at least three nominees to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for consideration.
Associate Justice Amy C. Lazaro-Javier is also set to retire on 16 November 2026, creating another vacancy in the 15-member tribunal.
Gesmundo was appointed as an associate justice in 2017 and became chief justice in 2021.
During his tenure, he pushed judicial modernization through initiatives such as the Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations, a five-year program covering digital technology, electronic filing and efforts to streamline court processes.
