Zalameda takes oath; becomes 28th Chief Justice

Rodil V. Zalameda officially assumed office as the 28th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. administered his ceremonial oath of office at Malacañang on Monday.

Marcos selected Zalameda from a five-member shortlist submitted by the Judicial and Bar Council to succeed Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo, who reached the mandatory retirement age.

Zalameda formally took his initial oath before Senior Associate Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen at the Supreme Court En Banc Session Hall last Friday.

During the ceremonial oath-taking, Marcos expressed confidence in Zalameda's leadership and reiterated the administration's commitment to maintaining an independent judiciary focused on eliminating case backlogs and accelerating the delivery of justice.

"The President expresses his confidence that Justice Zalameda will discharge the responsibilities of Chief Justice with integrity, impartiality, and an unwavering commitment to the rule of law," the Presidential Communications Office said in a statement.

Zalameda brings more than three decades of legal and judicial experience to the post. After passing the 1988 Bar examinations, he began his public career as a branch clerk of court at the Makati City Regional Trial Court.

Following a brief period in private practice from 1990 to 1995, he returned to government service as a public prosecutor, eventually serving as City Prosecutor of Mandaluyong in 2002.

He was appointed to the Court of Appeals in 2008, where he chaired its 17th Division, before being elevated to the Supreme Court as an associate justice in August 2019.

Zalameda earned his law degree under an academic scholarship from the Ateneo de Manila University, where he served as associate editor of the Ateneo Law Journal and senior staff member of the Ateneo Law Bulletin.