Duterte named Alexander Gesmundo as 27th Chief Justice Panelo By VIRGIL LOPEZ, GMA News
Published April 2, 2021 1:49pm President Rodrigo Duterte has appointed Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justice Alexander Gesmundo as Chief Justice, a Malacañang official said Friday. “Yes,” Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo said in a text message when asked to confirm Gesmundo’s appointment. Panelo added that Gesmundo was Duterte’s “personal choice” to succeed Diosdado Peralta, who left the judiciary on March 27, one year ahead of his compulsory retirement. Duterte’s spokesperson Harry Roque neither confirmed nor denied Gesmundo s appointment. “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),” Roque said.
Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justice Alexander Gesmundo said Tuesday the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 clearly excluded protest, advocacy, and other exercises of civil and political rights from the definition of terrorism.