Geraldine Faith Abracia Econg (born August 6,1967) is a Filipino jurist who currently serves as the Presiding Justice of the Sandiganbayan,the Philippines' anti-graft court. She was appointed to the post by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on January 7,2025,succeeding Amparo Cabotaje Tang.[1][2][3]
Prior to this,she served as Sandiganbayan Associate Justice from 2016 to 2025.[4]
Early career and education
Econg,a cum laude law graduate from the University of San Carlos,began her judicial career as presiding judge in Minglanilla,Cebu,from 2002 to 2004. She then served as presiding judge of the Regional Trial Court Branch 9 in Cebu City from 2004 to 2010.[5][6]
In 2010,she was appointed Judicial Reform Program Administrator of the Supreme Court's Program Management Office,where she oversaw the implementation of the Action Program for Judicial Reform until 2015. She then headed the Office of the Philippine Judicial Academy from 2015 to 2016.[5]
In January 2016,she was appointed associate justice of the Sandiganbayan,where she initially served in the First Division before later chairing the Second Division.[7]
Judicial appointments
In 2013,Econg was shortlisted by the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) for a seat in the Court of Appeals in Cebu,and in 2014,she was also shortlisted for Deputy Ombudsman for the Visayas.[7] In 2021,she was also nominated as one of the nine candidates for the position of Associate Justice of the Supreme Court.[8]
On January 20,2016,President Benigno Aquino III appointed her Associate Justice of the Sandiganbayan,where she chaired the Second Division before her promotion to Presiding Justice in 2025.[9]
She was appointed as Presiding Justice of the Sandiganbayan,succeeding retired Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang by President Bongbong Marcos on January 7,2025. Econg,although recently appointed as Presiding Justice with a term set to continue until 2037,is now pursuing the position of Ombudsman.[10][11]
Notable cases
Econg has participated in several high-profile cases,including:
Voting to acquit Senator Bong Revilla of plunder charges in connection with the pork barrel scam in 2018.[12]
Joining the special division that dismissed the plunder case against former senator Juan Ponce Enrile in 2024.[13]
Authoring the decision dismissing the last six coconut levy cases involving former president Ferdinand Marcos,former first lady Imelda Marcos,Enrile,and others.[14][15]
As a lower court judge,she also presided over the parricide case against former lawmaker Ruben Ecleo Jr. and disputes involving the Mactan Cebu International Airport.[16]
Controversies
In 2007,Econg underwent drug testing after an anonymous accusation,which yielded no adverse findings. She also faced an administrative case related to an alleged marriage scam in Cebu,which was dismissed for lack of evidence.[17]
References
Bolledo,Jairo (January 9,2025). "Marcos picks new chief of court that handles his family's ill-gotten wealth cases[18]". Rappler. Retrieved August 11,2025.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
