Proposed Resolution No. 828
AdoptedA Resolution Endorsing the Appointment of Honorable Associate Justice Japar B. Dimaampao as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines
Filed
Adopted as Resolution No. 579Now
Voted on and adopted by Parliament.
What this measure does
Parliament would endorse Supreme Court Associate Justice Japar B. Dimaampao for appointment as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Copies would go to the Judicial and Bar Council and the Office of the President.
Filed on 30 September 2026 by MP Sha Elijah B. Dumama-Alba and 15 other principal authors, with 41 co-authors. It was adopted on 5 October 2026 as Resolution No. 579, without referral to a committee.
Why it was proposed
The resolution says Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo retires on 6 November 2026 on reaching 70, and that the Judicial and Bar Council opened nominations on 28 August 2026. It cites the Constitution's rules on appointment from at least 3 JBC nominees and on qualifications. It recounts Justice Dimaampao's career: a native of Marawi City, a CPA in 1983 and lawyer in 1987, House staff, Court of Appeals attorney, senior state prosecutor, Mandaluyong trial judge, appointed to the Court of Appeals on 2 April 2004 as its youngest member, more than 17 years there, then the 191st Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. It lists his work as bar examiner in civil law, taxation and Shari'ah, his roles in the Philippine Judicial Academy and the Shari'ah courts, and his professorial chairs, and says he would be the first Filipino Muslim Chief Justice.
Who it affects
- Associate Justice Japar B. Dimaampao.
Funding
No appropriation. The resolution appropriates nothing.
What changes if it becomes law
- Adopted as Resolution No. 579 on 5 October 2026, 5 days after filing.
- An endorsement; the appointment is the President's, from the JBC's list.
Raised during deliberations
No published record of the debate on this measure. Parliament’s journals cover sittings up to March 2023 only, and no committee report on it has been published.
What to notice
Parliament has backed Justice Dimaampao before: Resolution No. 20 (29 July 2019) endorsed him for the Supreme Court, and Resolutions No. 157 to 161 (September 2021) celebrated his appointment. The text does not name the other applicants. The adopted Resolution No. 579 was not yet in Parliament's adopted index when this was read.
Sources