MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has appointed Commission on Audit (COA) Chairperson Gamaliel Cordoba as the Supreme Court’s newest associate justice, Malacañang announced Friday.

Cordoba will replace Associate Justice Amy Lazaro-Javier, who is scheduled to retire on November 16 upon reaching the judiciary’s mandatory retirement age of 70, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said.

Castro said the administration has yet to name Cordoba’s successor at the COA.

“Hindi pa naibibigay sa amin ang susunod na papalit sa COA chair,” she told reporters.

Cordoba joins the high tribunal after serving as head of the country’s independent constitutional audit body. According to Castro, he led a comprehensive fraud audit of flood control projects, submitting at least 50 reports to the Office of the Ombudsman and the Independent Commission for Infrastructure.

He also institutionalized GPS-based geotagging of government infrastructure projects to strengthen monitoring and verification.

Before his appointment to the COA, Cordoba served as commissioner of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) from 2009 to 2022, becoming its longest-serving commissioner across four administrations.

During his tenure, he helped open the telecommunications industry to a third major player and facilitated the entry of satellite internet provider Starlink into the Philippines.

He also led initiatives against text scams and online child sexual abuse materials.

On the international front, Cordoba served as an external auditor of the International Labour Organization and the World Trade Organization. He also chaired the ASEAN Supreme Audit Institutions in 2024 and 2025.

Cordoba earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics in 1992 and Juris Doctor degree in 1996 from Ateneo de Manila University. He passed the Bar examinations in 1997.

Before entering government service in 2001, he practiced law at Siguion Reyna, Montecillo and Ongsiako and worked as a tax lawyer at SyCip Gorres Velayo & Co.

In June 2026, he received the Gawad Gat Andres Bonifacio Award, the City of Manila’s highest distinction.