Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justice Rodil Vaquilar Zalameda received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of the East (UE) in Manila on Tuesday.
According to the UE, Zalameda-who was also recognized twice before as one of the university’s outstanding alumni-is the 36th person the university has awarded the honorary degree to since 1957.
‘UE confers the distinction to exceptional individuals whose noteworthy accomplishments in their respective professions, public service and humanitarian endeavors have significantly contributed to the advancement of society, rule of law, and national development, embodying the core values and institutional mission of the university,’ the school said in a statement on Wednesday.
Zalameda was appointed to the SC in 2019. He is currently one of five contenders for the chief justice position, seeking to replace Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo, who is set to retire on Nov. 6.
Prior to his role at the high tribunal, he had served as an associate justice in the Court of Appeals for 11 years since 2008.
Zalameda obtained his secondary education from UE Caloocan in 1979 and his Bachelor of Arts major in political science from UE Manila in 1983. He then graduated with a Bachelor of Laws degree from Ateneo de Manila University in 1987 and passed the Philippine bar examinations in 1988.
He began his legal career as a branch clerk of court at the Regional Trial Court of Makati City and then entered private practice from 1990 to 1995.
Zalameda returned to government as a public prosecutor for the Office of the City Prosecutor in Mandaluyong City, which then led to his appointment as Chief City Prosecutor in 2002 at the age of 39, the UE noted.
Zalameda said the honorary distinction he received from the UE serves as a reminder for him of ‘the standards that this institution expects from its graduates-and its honorees-to uphold.’
His academic conferment came as part of the UE’s 80th founding anniversary this year.