SENIOR Associate Justice Marvic Leonen will take over as acting chief justice as the judiciary awaits the successor to Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo.
Supreme Court spokesman Camille Sue Mae Ting said that under the Judiciary Act of 1948, the most senior associate justice shall exercise the duties and powers of the chief justice when the position is vacant.
”Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo is scheduled to retire on Nov. 6, 2026, upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70. Consequently, Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen will serve as acting chief justice until a permanent successor is officially appointed and qualified,” Ting said.
Ting added that the arrangement is pursuant to Section 12 of Republic Act 296, or the Judiciary Act of 1948, which specifically provides for the assumption of the chief justice’s duties by the most senior associate justice during a vacancy.
Under the Constitution, Supreme Court vacancies must be filled within 90 days, with the president selecting the chief justice from a Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) shortlist. The succession process is now under way, with the JBC inviting the five most senior associate justices to apply as candidates: Leonen, Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa, Ramon Paul Hernando, Henri Jean Paul Inting and Rodil Zalameda.
Leonen has served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court since 2012, after being appointed by then-president Benigno Aquino III. He has been the court’s senior associate justice and has remained active in judicial reform initiatives, including the work on the responsible use of artificial intelligence in the judiciary.
This comes as the Supreme Court faces another impending vacancy, with Associate Justice Amy Lazaro-Javier reportedly set to retire on Nov. 16.
