RODANTE D. MARCOLETA
20th Congress
(Member, 26 August 2025 - Present)
Embedded Files
OCT
01
2025
Seconding speech for the confirmation of the ad interim appointments and for the consent of the appointments of thirty-nine (39) Generals/Flag Officers and Senior Officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines
Plenary Session No. 04, First Regular Session
Ginoong Pangulo, ako po ay tumatayo ngayon upang magbigay magbigay pugay sa ating mga magigiting na sundalo at suportahan ang kanilang kompirmasyon sa bulwagang ito.
Our soldiers are like true -- are the true embodiments of sacrifice. They dedicate their talents, their time, their love, and sometimes even their lives. Like retired Master Sergeant Orly Guteza for the sake of this country.
Katulad nga ng sinabi ko noong nagdaang pagdinig, ang promosyon ay ang pagkilala sa kanilang bukod tanging katapatan at sakripisyo para sa bansang ito.
Mr. President, my support for the confirmation of the appointment of these 39 Generals/Flag Officers and Senior Officers stands as an expression of my support and admiration for the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
May you stand tall and unwavering as our flag remain firm in your honor and duty. And may you continue to make us proud as a nation. My snappy salute to all of them, Mr. President.
DEC
10
2025
Sponsorship speech for JOSE CATRAL MENDOZA for the confirmation of his ad interim appointment as Member, Representing the Retired Justices of the Supreme Court, Judicial and Bar Council, Supreme Court of the Philippines, for a term expiring on 09 July 2029
Plenary Session No. 06, First Regular Session
Mr. President, it is my honor to present to the Body today a man of judicial humility, whose legal acumen, impeccable work ethic, and outstanding career in the judiciary far precede him.
Retired Supreme Court Justice Jose Catral Mendoza, fondly called Bambit by his friends and Joe or Jojo by his contemporaries, hails from the historic City of Lipa in Batangas. He is the eldest of the 8 children of the late Colonel Ibarra S. Mendoza, a retired Philippine Air Force officer, and Teresa C. Mendoza, a businesswoman.
Instead of following the footsteps of his father into the military or heeding the call of faith like many of his brothers, the humble Bambit chose a different path: the path of the law, carved by the mighty pen and paper, and forged by the fire of debate and deliberation.
After earning his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science at the University of the Philippines, he continued with his Bachelor of Laws at the San Beda College of Law and eventually started his career as a legal officer in several private companies before finally entering the service to the Judiciary in 1977–first as a Research Attorney for the Court of Appeals, and later as a Confidential Attorney under the offices of Supreme Court Justices Alampay and Bidin.
It was in 1989 when he finally donned the robes of a magistrate and became the Presiding Judge of Branch 26 of the Regional Trial Court of Sta. Cruz, Laguna, before eventually becoming its Executive Judge from 1992 to 1994.
In 1994, he was appointed as Presiding Judge of Branch 219 of the Regional Trial Court of Quezon City, which was then designated as a special court for heinous crimes. Undaunted, Jojo Mendoza rose up to the challenge, and in 2002 he was awarded the Outstanding Judge Award by the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC). He was likewise commended by VACC and the Crusade Against Violence for his fair and impartial dispensation of justice, and was also nominated for the Judicial Excellence Award by the IBP-Quezon City Chapter.
In 2003, he was appointed Executive Judge of RTC Quezon City. And shortly thereafter, he was appointed Associate Justice of the Court of Appeals.
Finally, in 2010, he was inducted to the highest echelons of the Judiciary as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines. In his seven years as Justice of the High Court, he penned several landmark decisions that left an indelible mark in our legal landscape, such as the unconstitutionality of the Philippine Truth Commission in 2010; the legality of Republic Act No.10354 or the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012; and the rightful Congressional representation in the Judicial and Bar Council.
Throughout his long and distinguished career, the appointee has shown not only his unquestionable mastery of the law, but also his indisputable probity, unyielding integrity, and outstanding dispensation of justice. And even as a Member of the Judicial and Bar Council for more than seven years, his formidable and challenging stance on applicants only shows the highest standards to which he holds the judicial nominees - the very same
standards that he held himself accountable to for his past 45 years of service.
It bears emphasis, Mr. President, that this is not Justice Mendoza's first encounter in the Commission on Appointments. He has faced the microscopic scrutiny of this Commission several times now, including today, and has responded to each probing questions with grace and wisdom befitting of a legal luminary.
His repeated appointment and confirmation as a regular member of the JBC is not only a recognition of his past service but also a testament of our confidence that Justice Mendoza will continue to serve with the same dedication, impartiality, and vision that have defined his career.
It is thus my privilege, Mr. President, as Chair of the Committee on Justice and Judicial and Bar Council to sponsor the approval and confirmation of the ad interim appointment of Retired Justice Jose Catral Mendoza as Member of the Judicial and Bar Council, representing the retired Justices of the Supreme Court, for a term expiring on July 09, 2029.
Thank you, Mr. President.
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