HEADLINES

Petitions beset new CJ Zalameda

Alvin Murcia · Nov 7, 2026, 1:07 AM

NEWLY appointed Chief Justice Rodil V. Zalameda (right) takes his oath as the 28th head of the Supreme Court before Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen during a ceremony at the High Court. Zalameda succeeds outgoing Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo, who witnessed the ceremonial turnover of the Chief Justice’s gavel. — Photograph by Zedrich Xylak Madrid for DAILY TRIBUNE

Some groups, including the political opposition led by PDP Laban, have called on the newly installed Supreme Court Chief Justice Rodil Zalameda to resolve key constitutional questions involving the International Criminal Court (ICC) more quickly and remove uncertainties about the surrender of political figures.

The main cases pending resolution include the habeas corpus petitions filed by former President Rodrigo Duterte’s children seeking his release from ICC custody. Duterte remains detained in The Hague following his March 2025 arrest, with his trial set for 30 November.

Separate petitions from Duterte and Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa challenged Philippine cooperation with the ICC and sought to block local enforcement of the international warrant.

Dela Rosa’s motion for reconsideration, filed on 27 October 2026 following the Supreme Court’s 9–5–1 vote in May 2026 denying his request for a temporary restraining order (TRO), also awaits resolution.

As an associate justice, Zalameda joined the majority that rejected Dela Rosa’s initial TRO request. In a concurrent opinion, he reasoned that Republic Act 9851 permits cooperation with international courts, while noting that the judiciary must respect executive prerogatives in foreign policy.

Members of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP Laban) and supporters of former president Duterte and Dela Rosa held an indignation rally outside the Supreme Court in Manila on Tuesday, calling for the immediate resolution of pending petitions involving the two political figures.

Zalameda officially assumed office yesterday as the 28th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, following an oath-taking administered by Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen at the Supreme Court Session Hall.

Appointed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on 5 November, Zalameda succeeded Alexander G. Gesmundo, who reached the mandatory retirement age. At 63, Zalameda will lead the judiciary for a seven-year term until his mandatory retirement in 2033.

Attend to labor cases, too

“Workers earn their pay every day; hopefully, justice doesn’t need decades to reach,” said Federation of Free Workers (FFW) president Jose Sonny Matula.

Among these cases is the pending petition before the SC challenging the Pasig Regional Trial Court (RTC) order that stopped the implementation of the P85 daily wage increase in Metro Manila under Wage Order 27. The FFW is one of the petitioners.

In this regard, the FFW asked Zalameda to review aging labor cases pending before the Court of Appeals and the SC, strengthen the monitoring of delays, and implement measures to prevent repetitive or plainly dilatory motions from frustrating case resolutions and the enforcement of final judgments, consistent with due process.

The federation also called for clearer procedural guidance and coordination among RTCs, labor arbiters, and the National Labor Relations Commission on workers’ claims affected by rehabilitation, insolvency and liquidation proceedings, particularly concerning jurisdiction, stay orders and the determination and payment of labor claims.