SC lauds women’s ‘growing presence’ in judiciary
Women now make up more than half or 56 percent of sitting judges in trial courts, according to Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo.
Speaking at the Supreme Court’s (SC) Women’s Month kick-off event earlier this week, Gesmundo said that women justices comprise 77 percent of the Court of Tax Appeals, 45 percent of the Court of Appeals and 35 percent of the Sandiganbayan.
“Women are indispensable to the progress of our nation … [They] are present in every sector, every space and every field—building business, leading institutions, shaping policies and strengthening families and communities,” he said, as quoted by the Supreme Court Office of the Spokesperson in a news release on Wednesday.
Gesmundo noted that across the judiciary, women also serve as lawyers, judicial officers and administrative personnel, whose “growing presence” in all levels of the judiciary reflects the ongoing transformation of legal institutions.
But at the same time, he cautioned that true empowerment was not just about increasing representation but also about building a system where women’s leadership, insights and expertise were fully valued and integrated into shaping the country’s institutional and cultural fabric.
Associate Justice Jhosep Lopez also underscored women’s growing dominance in the legal profession, noting that they have been outnumbering successful male bar passers since 2013.
In the 2024 Shari’ah bar exams, women made up 62.3 percent of the passers, accounting for nine of the 11 topnotchers.
Rightful place
Lopez said these figures were “proof of women’s resilience, brilliance and rightful place in the judiciary.”
“Our courts, once dominated by men, are now shaped by women’s leadership, wisdom and strength,” he said.
Associate Justice Amy Lazaro-Javier, one of the two sitting female Supreme Court justices, emphasized the need to redefine “women empowerment,” saying that today’s women “are no longer mere participants in the narrative of some man’s success.”
“Women are no longer fighting for empowerment; they are embodying it,” she said.
She further proposed a new definition of the term: “the endless possibilities women create when they embrace their innate abilities to lead and change the world.”
“And as women continue to rise, it becomes clear: Power is no longer something women should ‘attain’—it is something that flows from within and radiates outward,” Lazaro-Javier said.
