The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) has officially opened the application and nomination process for the position of Chief Justice, following the impending mandatory retirement of Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo, who reaches the mandatory retirement age of 70 on November 6.
Interested candidates have until 4:30 p.m. on October 13 to submit the required documentation. Detailed guidelines and procedural instructions are available on the JBC’s official web portal.
By JBC rules, the Supreme Court’s five most senior associate justices—currently Justices Marvic Leonen, Benjamin Caguioa, Ramon Paul Hernando, Amy Lazaro-Javier, and Henri Jean Paul Inting—are automatically nominated for the top judicial office, subject to individual acceptance.
However, Justice Lazaro-Javier is also set to reach the compulsory retirement age of 70 on November 16. Her forthcoming departure opens the possibility for Justice Rodil Zalameda to join the five most senior magistrates automatically considered for the post.
Under Article VII, Section 7 of the 1987 Constitution, appointees to the High Court must be natural-born Filipino citizens, at least 40 years of age, and possess a minimum of 15 years of experience as a judge of a lower court or in the practice of law within the country. Candidates must additionally demonstrate proven competence, integrity, probity, and independence.
As the constitutional body tasked with vetting candidates for the judiciary, the Office of the Ombudsman and its deputies, and the Legal Education Board, the JBC must submit a shortlist of at least three nominees to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for final selection.
Gesmundo was appointed as an associate justice of the Supreme Court on August 14, 2017, before being elevated to Chief Justice on April 5, 2021. He earned his law degree from the Ateneo de Manila University in 1984 and passed the bar examinations the following year.
His public service career began at the Office of the Solicitor General, where he earned the Most Outstanding Solicitor award in 1998. During his tenure at the OSG, he concurrently served as a commissioner for the Presidential Commission on Good Government until February 15, 2001.
He later advanced to Assistant Solicitor General before being named an Associate Justice of the Sandiganbayan on October 15, 2005.
In 2022, Gesmundo spearheaded the launch of the five-year Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations, designed to modernize court infrastructure, overhaul internal operations, and implement advanced information and communications technology across the judicial branch. The initiative centers on four core pillars: timely and fair justice, transparent and accountable justice, equal and inclusive justice, and technologically adaptive management.
Four years into its execution, the framework has produced measurable advancements in operational efficiency, innovation, and public access.
Throughout his tenure, Gesmundo has received honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from the Centro Escolar University School of Law and Jurisprudence (July 8, 2021), Manuel L. Quezon University (March 26, 2022), Philippine Christian University (August 31, 2022), and Lyceum of the Philippines University (October 12, 2023). He was conferred the rank of Knight Grand Cross of Rizal on December 1, 2021, and became the first non-American recipient of the Chief Justice Richard Holmes Award of Merit from the American Judges Association on September 11, 2023.
Prior to entering public office, Gesmundo worked as a research analyst and contributor for Business Day Corporation and served as market research officer and marketing officer for the Office of the Australian Trade Commissioner until 1985.