Supreme Court lauds Gesmundo’s legacy
The Manila Times · 11/7/2026, 12:02:00 AM Philippine time
Excerpt from The Manila Times. Read the original report below for the complete story.THE Supreme Court said the reforms initiated by Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo resulted in improved access to justice, as the head magistrate retired on Friday.In a special en banc ceremony on Thursday, Gesmundo was presented the Judicial Medal of Distinction and The Chief Justice Jose Abad Santos Award.The Supreme Court said that the Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations (SPJI) 2022–2027, which was drafted under Gesmundo, will serve as the blueprint for modernizing the judiciary.”The SPJI was a plan. You were the reason it became a reality,” Gesmundo said in his farewell message.Reminiscing his beginning as a young boy in San Pablo City, Laguna, to the highest post in the judiciary, Gesmundo said he never sought the position and attributed his rise to “God’s grace and providence.”“The Court endures; its members are only temporary stewards. We are entrusted with its care, not its ownership,” Gesmundo said.He thanked the Filipino people for the opportunity to serve them, noting the judiciary’s work did…