COA chair named SC justice

The photo of the Commission on Audit's office in Quezon City.

The STAR / Michael Varcas

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos has appointed Commission on Audit (COA) chair Gamaliel Cordoba as associate justice of the Supreme Court, succeeding Amy Lazaro Javier, who will retire on Nov. 16 upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70.

Palace press officer Claire Castro announced Cordoba’s appointment as the 196th associate justice of the high court during a press conference in Pasay City yesterday.

At the COA, Cordoba led a comprehensive fraud audit of flood control projects, submitting at least 50 fraud audit reports to the Office of the Ombudsman and the Independent Commission for Infrastructure, Castro said.

He also institutionalized GPS-based geotagging of all government infrastructure projects nationwide to ensure proper verification of project status, she added.

Before heading the COA, Cordoba served as commissioner of the National Telecommunications Commission from 2009 to 2022 under four administrations, making him its longest-serving commissioner.

“He opened the industry to a third major telecommunications player, ending a decade’s old duopoly; approved Starlink’s entry in a record 30 minutes to bring satellite internet to isolated communities and cracked down on text scams and online child sexual abuse material,” Castro said.

Cordoba also served as external auditor of the International Labor Organization and the World Trade Organization, and as chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Audit Institutions in 2024 and 2025.

In June this year, he received the Gawad Gat Andres Bonifacio Award, the City of Manila’s highest honor.

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

Malacañang has yet to announce Cordoba’s replacement at the COA.