FIRING LINE: Utang na loob well played?

FIRING LINE: Utang na loob well played?

By Robert B. Roque Jr.  | November 10, 2026

Kudos to new Chief Justice Rodil Zalameda. The 63-year-old Caloocan-born Ateneo scholar and Utopian brod, like fraternal brothers and former CJs Renato Corona and Alexander Gesmundo, began his legal career as Mandaluyong city prosecutor. He served 11 years at the Court of Appeals before President Rodrigo Duterte appointed him to the Supreme Court in 2019, marked by their now-circulated fist-bump photo.

But some quarters believe his impressive résumé was not the decisive factor in his elevation to Chief Justice, a position he will hold until 2033. What allegedly weighed heavily with President Bongbong Marcos was Zalameda’s authorship of the ruling that reversed his mother Imelda Marcos’s seven graft convictions.

Does that smell of utang na loob — well paid, or well played? The implications extend beyond the present. Marcos leaves office in 2028, but possible charges could follow. How convenient to have a Chief Justice whose supposed debt of gratitude might run until 2033. Speculation, certainly. Yet the bypassing of two more senior justices, Marvic Leonen and Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa, only fuels suspicions.

A future Duterte presidency, meanwhile, may not find this Court entirely friendly. By then, only six Marcos-appointed justices would remain. Netizens, ever observant, have also resurrected Zalameda’s old fist-bump photo with Duterte, suggesting a justice adept at navigating administrations. Left-leaning groups remember his Duterte-era record, particularly allegations of red-tagging, and some rights advocates question whether delicadeza should have kept him from the post.

Marcos will soon appoint two more justices: Zalameda’s replacement and Amy Lazaro-Javier’s successor, whose vacancy opens November 16. Both appointments must be completed by February 2027. Of 19 contenders considered in October, 11 remain viable before the Judicial and Bar Council.

Eight reportedly figure prominently: CA Presiding Justice Fernanda Peralta, Solicitor General Darlene Berberabe, COA Chair Gamaliel Cordoba, Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Geraldine Econg, CTA Justice Maria Rowena San Pedro, Comelec’s Ernesto Maceda Jr., and CA Justices Ramon Bato Jr. and Ramon Cruz.

My take: this is another opportunity for political seeding. Marcos could appoint six justices before leaving office, potentially shaping a Court that may eventually confront his administration’s controversies — from the flood-control scandal to the ₱449.5-billion unprogrammed appropriations controversy, where Zalameda dissented from the ruling striking it down.

Amid the social-media noise, one point deserves emphasis: the public is watching. Senator Francis Pangilinan has outlined practical judicial reforms — faster case resolution with measurable targets, more courts, manageable caseloads, filled vacancies, a direct assault on corruption, and the convening of JELACC to finance reforms.

After years of dysfunction and political fragmentation in the executive and Congress, the judiciary must not become another casualty. If government fails elsewhere, the courts must still deliver justice and enforce accountability. That is not a favor owed to any President. It is a duty owed to the Filipino people.

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