Could Cordillera soon have its second Chief Justice?

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — With Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen included in the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) shortlist, Cordillera may soon have its second Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (SC).

Leonen, 63, was born and raised in Baguio City. His father was a lawyer, while his mother served as chief pharmacist at the Baguio Health Center.

Academic background and positions held before joining the SC

Leonen was a consistent valedictorian from grade school through high school, which he completed at Saint Louis Boys’ High School.

At 16, he moved to Manila to pursue his college education. He graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman in 1983.

He earned his Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree from the same university in 1987, ranking fourth in his class.

That same year, he co-founded the Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center, Inc., which focused on providing legal services to upland rural communities and Indigenous peoples.

According to his profile on the SC website, he served as the center’s executive director for 15 years.

He joined the UP Diliman faculty in 1989 as a lecturer in Philippine Indigenous Law and later became an assistant professor before taking on academic administrative roles.

He was appointed University General Counsel in 2010, became the first Vice President for Legal Affairs in 2005, and assumed the position of Dean of the UP College of Law in 2008.

He also pursued a Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree at Columbia University in New York, which he obtained in 2004.

Youngest justice appointed

In 2010, then President Benigno Aquino III appointed Leonen as the government's chief negotiator with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). His role in the peace negotiations eventually led to the signing of the Framework Agreement on October 15, 2012.

On November 21, 2012, Aquino appointed Leonen, then 49, as an associate justice of the Supreme Court, making him the youngest person appointed to the country's highest court since 1938.

He filled the vacancy left by Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, who had earlier replaced the late Chief Justice Renato Corona following Corona's removal from office through impeachment.

Since joining the SC, Leonen has penned numerous landmark rulings and opinions on human rights, criminal law, constitutional interpretation, and the protection of marginalized sectors.

He has also written notable dissenting and separate opinions. Among these was his dissent against the burial of former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

Leonen argued that Marcos was “no hero” and that granting him a burial with military honors alongside the country's heroes would contribute to impunity for the widespread human rights violations and massive plunder committed during the martial law regime.

Set to serve as Acting Chief Justice

As the most senior associate justice, Leonen is expected to assume the duties and powers of the Chief Justice in an acting capacity upon the mandatory retirement of Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo on November 6, 2026.

He will serve in that capacity while awaiting the appointment of Gesmundo's successor by the President.

The JBC submitted its shortlist of nominees to the Office of the President on Thursday, October 29. Leonen was among those included in the list after facing the council's interview on October 22.

Former Vice President and now Naga City Mayor Leni Robredo endorsed Leonen last month, citing his integrity.

The other shortlisted nominees are Associate Justices Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa, Rodil Zalameda, and Japar Dimaampao, as well as Court Administrator Jose Midas Marquez.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has 90 days from the date of the vacancy to appoint the next Chief Justice from the list of nominees.

If appointed, Leonen would become the second Chief Justice from the Cordillera region, following Lucas P. Bersamin of Abra.