Women comprise more than half the number of local court judges in the Philippines, data from the Supreme Court show.
At least 56% of sitting judges in trial courts are women, Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo said during the High Court’s kickoff of its women’s month celebration earlier this week. Trial courts include Regional, Metropolitan, and Municipal Trial Courts, among others.
At the higher level courts, only the Court of Tax Appeals (CTA) is dominated by women, given their 77% overall percentage. Seven out of nine justices of the court mandated to handle tax cases and review appeals on tax-related decisions are women.
These include Associate Justice Ma. Belen Ringpis Liban, chairperson of the CTA’s Second Division, and Associate Justice Catherine Manahan, head of the Third Division.
Justices are usually divided into divisions, led by a chairperson, and handle cases among themselves. All of the justices together, convening as one body, are referred to as the en banc.
Nearly there
Almost half of Court of Appeals (CA) justices are women at 45%. This court is mandated to review appeals on cases not falling within the “original and exclusive” jurisdiction of the Supreme Court (SC).
Led by a woman, Presiding Justice Fernanda Lampas Peralta, the appellate court has a total of 31 women out of 69 associate justices (there are three vacancies as of writing). Peralta included, 12 out of 23 CA divisions are headed by women justices.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. made his first major appointment to the judiciary when he picked Lampas Peralta as the new CA presiding justice in November 2024, replacing retired presiding justice Remedios Salazar Fernando. Peralta has been the appellate court’s acting chief since Salazar Fernando’s retirement in September 2023.
The new CA presiding justice is also the wife of retired chief justice Diosdado Peralta.
Meanwhile, at the Sandiganbayan, 35% of associate justices are women. This court, mandated to handle corruption cases, including the Marcoses’ ill-gotten wealth cases, is currently led by Presiding Justice Geraldine Faith Econg, who concurrently leads the Second Division.
Marcos’ other major judicial appointee was Econg in January, who replaced retired presiding justice Amparo Cabotaje Tang. The new Sandiganbayan chief is among the justices who acquitted Senator Bong Revilla and chief presidential Juan Ponce Enrile in their pork barrel cases. Enrile is Marcos’ chief presidential legal counsel, while Revilla is seeking reelection under the President’s Alyansa slate.
In total, seven out of 20 anti-graft justices are women.
Three women justices also sit as Sandiganbayan division chairpersons: Associate Justice Maria Theresa Mendoza Arcega (First Division), Associate Justice Sarah Jane Fernandez (Sixth Division), and Associate Justice Ma. Theresa Dolores Gomez Estoesta (Seventh Division).
Supreme Court in focus
Only Associate Justice Amy Lazaro Javier and Associate Justice Maria Filomena Singh are the women in the SC en banc. This means only two out of 15 sitting justices in the High Court are women, or only around 13%.
Marcos may change this composition if he appoints a woman justice once Associate Justice Mario Lopez retires this year. This will also be Marcos’ first SC appointment in his three-year term so far.
In total, there have been 194 associate justices appointed from 1901 to the present — 27 chief justices included. Males have dominated the SC as there have been only 18 female justices appointed to the High Court. Among the chief justices, only one is a woman: former chief justice Teresita de Castro, since former chief justice Maria Lourdes Sereno was removed via quo warranto.
As to notable women SC justices, Cecilia Muñoz Palma made history in 1973 as the first woman SC justice. She served for over five years.
Although she was appointed by the late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos, she did not stand by the late tyrant and even called for a return of the rule of law at the height of the dictatorship. She was honored as a Martial Law hero by the Bantayog ng mga Bayani Foundation.
The second female justice was Ameurfina Melencio Herrera, also a Ferdinand E. Marcos appointee. She made history as one of the only two justices to have been reappointed as SC justice, along with Hugo Gutierrez Jr. She served under the late tyrant from January 1979, up to the return of democracy in February 1986.
When the late Corazon Aquino became president, she reappointed Melencio Herrera, who served for another term from 1986, until her retirement in May 1992.
SC on representation
Chief Justice Gesmundo said that true empowerment was not just about increasing the number of representation, but also about “fostering a system where women’s leadership, insights, and expertise are valued and fully integrated into shaping the nation’s institutional and cultural fabric.”
“Women are indispensable to the progress of our nation…[They] are present in every sector, every space, and every field — building businesses, leading institutions, shaping policies, and strengthening families and communities. A nation that truly values and supports women’s contributions is a nation that prospers,” Gesmundo noted.
“Across the judiciary, women also serve as attorneys, judicial officers, and administrative personnel who uphold the integrity and efficiency of our justice system. Their growing presence in all levels and aspects of the judiciary shows the ongoing transformation of our legal institutions, ensuring that women’s voices and perspectives are represented and heard at every level,” he added.
According to Associate Justice Lazaro Javier, women empowerment should mean that there are endless possibilities that women create when they embrace their abilities to lead the world. She said that power flows within women and radiates outward.
“It [empowerment] should not be defined as a ‘process’ of ‘becoming stronger’ — because we already are… Women are no longer just striving to gain power; they have become the very source of power itself. Women have now become the symbol of strength, courage, and resilience. Women are no longer fighting for empowerment; they are embodying it,” the justice added.
Lastly, Associate Justice Inting, SC committee on gender responsiveness in the judiciary co-chairperson, acknowledged that attaining gender equality is not a responsibility only of women, but rather should be a collective duty.
“Empowering women requires more than providing opportunity; it means ensuring that they, too, have the voice, resources, and support they need to succeed,” Inting added. – Rappler.com