Who Is Rodil Zalameda, the Philippines’ New Chief Justice?

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has appointed Supreme Court Associate Justice Rodil V. Zalameda as the next Chief Justice of the Philippines. He will succeed Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo, who is scheduled to retire on November 6, 2026, upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70. Zalameda will become the 28th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

Born in Caloocan City on August 2, 1963, Zalameda attended public schools before transferring to the University of the East High School, where he graduated in 1979. He studied Political Science at the University of the East in Manila, earning his bachelor’s degree in 1983. He then studied law at the Ateneo de Manila University, graduating in 1987.

At Ateneo, Zalameda was an academic scholar and dean’s lister. He served as an associate editor of the Ateneo Law Journal and was a member of the Fraternal Order of Utopia. He took the Bar in 1988 and passed at the age of 24.

After passing the Bar, Zalameda joined the judiciary as a branch clerk of the Makati Regional Trial Court. He entered private law practice from 1990 to 1995, after which he returned to government service as a public prosecutor at the Mandaluyong City Prosecutor’s Office.

He rose through the ranks and was appointed Mandaluyong City Prosecutor in 2002. In 2006, he received the Ten Outstanding Pillars of Justice award from the Rotary Club of Diliman. The Mandaluyong City government named him an Ulirang Mandaleño in 2010.

On September 11, 2008, Zalameda was appointed Associate Justice of the Court of Appeals where he served for 11 years, chairing its 17th Division. He also chaired the court’s Committee on Employees’ Welfare and Development and served as vice chair of its Committee on Rules. He contributed articles to the Court of Appeals Journal on subjects including election law, criminal procedure, and the Supreme Court’s administrative supervision of the judiciary.

By May 2019, he was among four justices at the Court of Appeals’ Manila station with zero case backlog, according to a profile published by the Philippine Judicial Academy. President Rodrigo Duterte appointed Zalameda Associate Justice of the Supreme Court on August 6, 2019. He was the first former city prosecutor to be appointed to the High Court. His appointment followed the first-ever written examinations for applicants to the Supreme Court.

During his tenure at the Supreme Court, Zalameda participated in decisions involving constitutional, criminal, and administrative law. Among the rulings attributed to him in recent reports are the 2024 decision in Deduro v. Vinoya, which recognized that red-tagging may be a basis for seeking protection through a writ of amparo, and a 2026 ruling acquitting former First Lady Imelda Marcos in a graft case.

Zalameda was among five candidates shortlisted by the Judicial and Bar Council for the position of Chief Justice. The council conducted public interviews with the candidates in October 2026 before submitting its shortlist to the President on October 29.

During his JBC interview, Zalameda presented a phased approach to judicial reform. He proposed establishing baselines and priorities, testing and refining initiatives, and expanding and institutionalizing those that demonstrate results. He said the success of reforms should be measured by their impact on the public rather than by the number of projects introduced.

Outside the courtroom, Zalameda has interests in reading and the visual arts. The Philippine Judicial Academy has also noted his involvement in sketching, drawing, and painting, as well as his interest in collecting artworks and restoring old automobiles with his in-laws. He also has taught Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure.

Zalameda is married to Ma. Vilma A. Zalameda. They have one son, Jasper Rodil.