ASSOCIATE Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo on Monday took his oath as the country’s 27th Chief Justice following his appointment by President Duterte, replacing retired Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta.
Chief Justice Gesmundo will serve as chief magistrate for five years or until his mandatory retirement on November 6, 2026, when he turns 70.
The Supreme Court said it received the transmittal letter from the Office of the President on the appointment of Chief Justice Gesmundo only on Monday.
He immediately took his oath before Senior Associate Justice Estela M. Perlas-Bernabe at the En Banc Session Hall on Monday afternoon.
Associate Justice Marvic Leonen was also at the Session Hall while the rest of the Associate Justices and the Chief Justice’s immediate family witnessed the oath-taking via videoconferencing.
Gesmundo has been in public service for 36 years with more than a decade and a half served in the judiciary.
After passing the Bar Exams in 1985, he joined the government as trial attorney in the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) and was recognized as the Most Outstanding Solicitor in 1998.
After 20 years with the OSG, Gesmundo was appointed Associate Justice of the Sandiganbayan on October 15, 2005. On August 14, 2017, he was appointed to the SC as its 178th magistrate.
Image credits: SC-PIO
