MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has appointed Commission on Audit (COA) Chairperson Gamaliel Cordoba as the newest Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, filling the vacancy left by the upcoming retirement of Associate Justice Amy Lazaro Javier.
Communications Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro announced the appointment during a press briefing on Friday, November 13, naming Cordoba as the 196th member of the High Tribunal. Cordoba will assume his post following Javier’s retirement on November 16.
Cordoba transitions to the judiciary after more than two decades in public administration. During his tenure leading the independent constitutional audit body, he spearheaded a major fraud audit targeting flood control projects, which resulted in at least 50 reports forwarded to the Office of the Ombudsman and the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI).
He also institutionalized nationwide GPS-based geotagging to track and verify the actual implementation status of government infrastructure projects.
Before heading the COA, Cordoba served for 13 years as commissioner of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) from 2009 to 2022, becoming its longest-serving commissioner under four presidential administrations.
His tenure at the NTC included opening the telecommunications sector to a third major player to end a long-standing duopoly, fast-tracking Starlink’s market entry in just 30 minutes to expand internet access to remote communities, and clamping down on text scams and online child sexual abuse material.
On the international front, Cordoba has served as External Auditor for the International Labour Organization and the World Trade Organization, alongside chairing the ASEAN Supreme Audit Institutions for 2024 and 2025. In June, he received the Gawad Gat Andres Bonifacio Award, the highest honor bestowed by the City of Manila.
A lawyer and economist, Cordoba earned his Bachelor of Arts in Economics in 1992 and his Juris Doctor degree in 1996 from the Ateneo de Manila University before passing the bar examinations in 1997. Prior to entering government service in 2001, he practiced law at Siguion Reyna, Montecillo & Ongsiako and worked as a tax lawyer at SyCip Gorres Velayo & Co.
Meanwhile, Castro stated that an announcement regarding Cordoba’s successor at the helm of the COA has not yet been made.