The Honourable Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines is in Brunei Darussalam from 29 to 31 August 2026 for a working visit at the invitation of The Honourable Chief Justice Dato Seri Paduka Steven Chong, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Brunei Darussalam.
Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo is joined by a delegation from the Supreme Court of the Philippines and the Philippine Judicial Academy. The visit marked the Chief Justice’s first official visit to Brunei Darussalam and reflects the continued strengthening of cooperation and engagement between the Judiciaries of Brunei Darussalam and the Philippines.
The highlight of the visit was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Judicial Education and Training Unit (JET) of the Supreme Court of Brunei Darussalam and the Philippine Judicial Academy (PHILJA) on 30 August 2026. The MOU establishes a framework for cooperation in judicial education, professional exchange, capacity-building, the sharing of educational resources and the development of collaborative initiatives.
On 31 August 2026, Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo paid a courtesy call and held a bilateral meeting with Chief Justice Dato Seri Paduka Steven Chong. The discussions focused on the progress made since their meeting in Manila, Philippines in February 2026, particularly in formalising cooperation in judicial education and training.
The Chief Justices discussed the Working Proposal for the Implementation of the MOU, which sets out practical areas for cooperation and provides a basis for developing specific bilateral activities. As part of the implementation of the MOU, it was agreed that the respective focal points are expected to identify priority areas and conduct an initial bilateral roundtable or knowledge exchange.
Looking ahead, the two Judiciaries also discussed the possibility of broadening their cooperation beyond judicial education and training to a wider institutional partnership. In this regard, the Supreme Court of Brunei Darussalam has proposed working towards the development of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Supreme Court of Brunei Darussalam and the Supreme Court of the Philippines.
Following the courtesy call, Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo and the delegation visited the Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Faculty of Law at Sultan Sharif Ali Islamic University (UNISSA).
The working visit underscores the commitment of both Judiciaries to developing meaningful and substantive cooperation through the exchange of knowledge, experience and best practices. The engagement also builds on the progress achieved since the two Chief Justices’ meeting in Manila earlier this year, from the initial exploration of cooperation, to the signing of the JET–PHILJA MOU, and now towards its practical implementation and the development of a broader institutional partnership.
The Supreme Court of Brunei Darussalam looks forward to continuing its engagement with the Philippine Judiciary and to developing long-term cooperation that strengthens professional relationships among judges, judicial officers and court personnel of both countries.
SUPREME COURT OF BRUNEI DARUSSALAM / 31 AUGUST 2026