Composition
The Court traces its lineage to Act No. 136 of the Philippine Commission, which established it on June 11, 1901. The Spanish-era Real Audiencia de Manila and the short-lived Audiencia Territorial de Manila under American military governor Elwell Otis are commonly cited as historical backdrop rather than direct predecessors, since neither institution has an unbroken legal continuity with the present-day Court.
Chief Justice
Presides over the Court, both en banc and administratively over the entire judiciary. Also swears in the President by tradition.
Associate Justices
Sit alongside the Chief Justice. The Court may sit en banc, or at its own discretion, in divisions of three, five, or seven members.
Powers of the Supreme Court
Defined under Article VIII of the 1987 Constitution.
Judicial Review
Can declare a law passed by Congress or an act of the President unconstitutional and therefore void.
Grave Abuse of Discretion Review
Added under the 1987 Constitution, this lets the Court rule on whether any branch or instrumentality of government acted with grave abuse of discretion, even outside a strictly constitutional question.
Administrative Supervision
The Chief Justice and the Court exercise administrative supervision over all lower courts and judicial personnel nationwide, carried out through the Office of the Court Administrator (OCA).
Bar Admission & Discipline
Has sole authority to admit persons to the practice of law and to discipline or disbar lawyers, a power no other branch shares.
Rule-Making Power
Promulgates rules on pleading, practice, and procedure in all courts, admission to the practice of law, the integrated bar, and legal assistance to the underprivileged. These rules must provide a simplified, inexpensive procedure, stay uniform across courts of the same grade, and cannot diminish, increase, or modify substantive rights.
Rule-Making Power
Promulgates rules on pleading, practice, and procedure in all courts, admission to the practice of law, the integrated bar, and legal assistance to the underprivileged. Notable examples include the 1997 Rules of Civil Procedure, the 1989 Revised Rules on Evidence, the Judicial Affidavit Rule, and the Rule on the Writ of Amparo (A.M. No. 07-7-12-SC). These rules must provide a simplified, inexpensive procedure, stay uniform across courts of the same grade, and cannot diminish, increase, or modify substantive rights.
Original and Appellate Jurisdiction
Original jurisdiction means a case is filed directly with the Supreme Court without first passing through a lower court. Appellate jurisdiction means the Court is reviewing a lower court's final judgment.
Original Jurisdiction
- • Cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers, and consuls
- • Petitions for certiorari, prohibition, mandamus, quo warranto, and habeas corpus
- • The writ of amparo (protection against threats to life, liberty, or security)
- • The writ of habeas data (protection of a person's informational privacy)
- • The writ of kalikasan (a Philippine-specific environmental remedy for large-scale ecological harm)
Appellate Jurisdiction
- • Cases questioning the constitutionality or validity of any treaty, executive agreement, law, or presidential issuance
- • Cases involving the legality of any tax, impost, assessment, or toll
- • Cases where the jurisdiction of a lower court itself is in question
- • Criminal cases where the penalty imposed is reclusion perpetua or higher
- • Cases involving only an error or question of law
The Court exercises administrative supervision over all courts and personnel through the Office of the Court Administrator (OCA), a body distinct from the Court's adjudicative functions.
Key Procedural Rules Promulgated by the Court
Concrete examples of the Court's rule-making power, distinct from case law or constitutional interpretation.
1997 Rules of Civil Procedure
Amended in 2019, governs how civil cases are filed and litigated in Philippine courts.
Rules of Criminal Procedure
Governs the conduct of criminal prosecutions.
1989 Revised Rules on Evidence
Amended in 2019, governs what evidence courts can admit and how.
Rule on the Writ of Amparo (A.M. No. 07-7-12-SC)
The specific administrative matter number under which the writ of amparo was formally adopted in 2007.
Judicial Affidavit Rule
Requires witness testimony to be submitted as a sworn written affidavit in advance, speeding up trials by replacing lengthy oral direct examination.
Landmark Supreme Court Decisions
Rulings where the Court used its rule-making power to create legal remedies that didn't previously exist.
Oposa v. Factoran
1993Recognized the legal standing of future generations to sue over environmental harm, an internationally cited ruling on intergenerational rights.
Writ of Amparo & Writ of Habeas Data
2007Approved by the Court to give victims of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances, and violations of informational privacy, a direct legal remedy.
Writ of Kalikasan
2010A Philippine-specific environmental remedy for large-scale ecological harm. The accompanying 2010 Rules of Procedure for Environmental Cases were the first of their kind adopted by any country.
Resident Marine Mammals v. Reyes (Tañon Strait case)
2015The Court recognized the legal standing of cetaceans (whales, dolphins, porpoises) in a case against oil exploration in the Tañon Strait, represented by Filipino citizens acting on their behalf.
Electoral Tribunals
Supreme Court justices also sit on the bodies that resolve disputed elections for president, senators, and representatives, a role separate from the Court's ordinary docket.
Presidential Electoral Tribunal
Composed entirely of the sitting Justices of the Supreme Court.
Senate Electoral Tribunal
3 Supreme Court Associate Justices and 6 Senators.
House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal
3 Supreme Court Associate Justices and 6 Representatives.
Qualifications to Become a Justice
- • Natural-born citizen of the Philippines
- • At least 40 years old
- • A judge of a lower court, or engaged in the practice of law in the Philippines, for at least 15 years
- • A person of proven competence, integrity, probity, and independence
How a Justice Is Appointed
A deliberately more insulated process than Cabinet or ambassadorial appointments.
JBC Screens Candidates
The Judicial and Bar Council, chaired by the Chief Justice, screens applicants and prepares a shortlist of at least three nominees per vacancy.
President Selects
The President appoints a justice from the JBC shortlist. Unlike Cabinet secretaries, the President cannot appoint someone outside this list.
No CoA Confirmation Needed
Unlike Cabinet appointments, Supreme Court appointments do not require confirmation by the Commission on Appointments, a deliberate insulation from political horse-trading.
Serves Until Mandatory Retirement
A justice serves until age 70, with no fixed term and no re-appointment process, removable only through impeachment or, in rare cases, a quo warranto proceeding.
List of Chief Justices of the Philippines
The Supreme Court's own records cite Gesmundo as the 27th Chief Justice; a full chronological listing here runs slightly higher depending on how brief acting tenures are counted.
| # | Name | Term | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cayetano Arellano | 1901 to 1920 | First Chief Justice. Longest tenure of any Chief Justice, at nearly 19 years. |
| 2 | Victorino Mapa | 1920 to 1921 | |
| 3 | Manuel Araullo | 1921 to 1924 | |
| 4 | Ramón Avanceña | 1925 to 1941 | |
| 5 | José Abad Santos | 1941 to 1942 | Executed by Japanese occupation forces in 1942 after refusing to cooperate. |
| 6 | José Yulo | 1942 to 1945 | Served during the Japanese occupation period. |
| 7 | Manuel Moran | 1945 to 1951 | |
| 8 | Ricardo Paras | 1951 to 1961 | |
| 9 | Cesar Bengzon | 1961 to 1966 | |
| 10 | Roberto Concepcion | 1966 to 1973 | Retired early ahead of mandatory retirement age, reportedly in protest of the Court's ruling upholding the 1973 Constitution's validity. |
| 11 | Querube Makalintal | 1973 to 1976 | |
| 12 | Fred Ruiz Castro | 1976 to 1979 | |
| 13 | Enrique Fernando | 1979 to 1985 | |
| 14 | Felix Makasiar | 1985 | |
| 15 | Ramon Aquino | 1985 to 1986 | |
| 16 | Claudio Teehankee | 1986 to 1988 | Swore in Corazon Aquino as President in a separate ceremony during the 1986 transition. |
| 17 | Pedro Yap | 1988 | |
| 18 | Marcelo Fernan | 1988 to 1991 | The only Filipino to have served as both Chief Justice and Senate President. |
| 19 | Andres Narvasa | 1991 to 1998 | |
| 20 | Hilario Davide Jr. | 1998 to 2005 | Presided over the Senate impeachment trial of President Joseph Estrada in 2000 and 2001. |
| 21 | Artemio Panganiban | 2005 to 2006 | |
| 22 | Reynato Puno | 2006 to 2010 | |
| 23 | Renato Corona | 2010 to 2012 | Impeached by the House and convicted by the Senate in 2012, the first Chief Justice removed this way. |
| 24 | Maria Lourdes Sereno | 2012 to 2018 | First female Chief Justice. Removed via a quo warranto petition in 2018 rather than impeachment. |
| 25 | Teresita Leonardo-De Castro | 2018 | Brief tenure following Sereno's removal. |
| 26 | Lucas Bersamin | 2018 to 2019 | |
| 27 | Diosdado Peralta | 2019 to 2021 | Took early retirement in 2021. |
| 28 | Alexander Gesmundo Current | 2021 to present | Leading the Court's Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations (2022 to 2027). |
People Also Ask About the Supreme Court
Who is the current Chief Justice of the Philippines?
Alexander Gesmundo, appointed in 2021.
How many justices sit on the Supreme Court?
15 total: 1 Chief Justice and 14 Associate Justices. The Court may sit en banc or in divisions of three, five, or seven.
Does the Commission on Appointments confirm Supreme Court justices?
No. Unlike Cabinet secretaries, Supreme Court appointments do not require Commission on Appointments confirmation, and the President must choose from a shortlist prepared by the Judicial and Bar Council.
Why is the Chief Justice considered the oldest government office in the Philippines?
The position was first held in 1901, predating the presidency and vice presidency (established in 1935), making it the oldest continuously held major government office in the country.
What is the writ of kalikasan?
A Philippine-specific legal remedy available directly from the Supreme Court, addressing violations of the constitutional right to a balanced and healthful ecology when the harm affects a large area or multiple cities or provinces.
Has a Chief Justice ever been removed from office?
Yes. Renato Corona was impeached and convicted by the Senate in 2012, and Maria Lourdes Sereno was removed via a quo warranto proceeding in 2018, a different legal mechanism from impeachment.
Last updated: September 15, 2026. Sources: 1987 Philippine Constitution (Article VIII), Supreme Court of the Philippines (sc.judiciary.gov.ph), Supreme Court E-Library. About azifind.com →