CJ Gesmundo receives U.S. State Department’s Office of International Narcotics and Law

Supreme Court Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo emphasizing the long-standing partnership between the Supreme Court (SC) and the United States (U.S.) State Department’s Office of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), welcomed new INL Director Navarro Moore and his delegation during a courtesy call on 6 October 2026, at the SC En Banc Conference Room in Ermita, Manila.

Gesmundo and Moore were joined by SC Associate Justice Jose Midas P. Marquez, Deputy Clerk of Court and Chief Technology Officer Atty. Jed Sherwin G. Uy, Office of the Chief Justice Deputy Judicial Staff Head Atty. Antonio Ceasar R. Manila, INL Deputy Director Sam Hargadine, and INL Legal Specialist Atty. Chudney Ngo.

During the visit, Chief Justice Gesmundo thanked the INL for its sustained support of the Philippine Judiciary through various judicial education and training programs conducted in collaboration with the SC. Over the years, INL has helped equip judges and court personnel with specialized knowledge and skills in key areas that respond to the evolving demands of justice administration, including digital evidence, artificial intelligence, cybercrime, transnational organized crime, and other emerging legal and technological issues.

These initiatives, said Gesmundo complement the Judiciary’s reform and modernization agenda under the Strategic Plan for Judicial

Innovations 2022-2027 (SPJI), which seeks to build a more efficient, innovative, and accessible justice system through the adoption of technology and continuous institutional development.

For his part, Director Moore expressed the INL’s commitment to deepening its cooperation with the Philippine Judiciary and continuing programs that enhance the capacity of judges and court personnel to address increasingly complex legal issues arising from technological advancements and cross-border criminal activities.

Gesmundo and Moore also discussed future opportunities for collaboration, particularly in areas involving emerging technologies, cybersecurity, and judicial education.

The two underscored that the strong partnership between the SC and the INL is institutional in nature and will continue beyond the retirement of Chief Justice Gesmundo in November 2026.

They recognized that the Judiciary’s reform agenda under the SPJI was deliberately designed as a long-term program that transcends changes in leadership and remains a shared commitment of the SC and its development partners.

As a symbol of the enduring relationship between the Philippines and the United States, Director Moore presented Chief Justice Gesmundo with a customized commemorative watch created for the 80th anniversary of Philippines-United States relations.

The commemorative timepiece highlights eight decades of bilateral cooperation and partnership between the two nations.

The SC looks forward to sustaining its productive engagement with the INL

in promoting judicial excellence and enhancing access to justice for all.