GESMUNDO BAGONG CHIEF JUSTICE – PANELO

Itinalaga ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte si Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justice Alexander Gesmundo bilang bagong Chief Justice.

Kinumpirma ito ni Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo sa mga mamamahayag nang matanong kaugnay sa kumalat na appointment ni Gesmundo.

Sinabi ni Sec. Panelo, si Gesmundo ay personal choice ni Pangulong Duterte na papalit kay dating Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta na na nagretiro noong Marso 27.

Pero tumanggi naman si Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque na itanggi o kumpirmahin ang nasabing appointment ni Gesmundo.

“As a matter of SOP (standard operating procedure), judicial appointments are confirmed by my office only after they have been received by the Supreme Court. Given the long holiday, the earliest a judicial appointment can be received by the Court would be this Monday (April 5),” ani Sec. Roque.

Ang 64-anyos na mahistrado ay ikaapat na chief justice appointee ni Pangulong Duterte sa loob lamang ng halos tatlong taon kasunod nina Teresita Leonardo-De Castro, Lucas Bersamin at Peralta.

Si Gesmundo ay tapos ng law degree sa Ateneo de Manila University noong 1984 at pumasa sa Bar sa sumunod na taon.

Pumasok ito sa government service noong 1985 bilang trial attorney sa Office of the Solicitor General sa OSG.

Nagsilbi na rin ito bilang assistant solicitor general at commissioner ng Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) at nagturo sa iba’t ibang law schools.