MALATE, Manila — Following the Supreme Court's approval of the design for the long-delayed Manila Hall of Justice, Associate Justice Jose Midas Marquez announced that bidding for its construction has been set to begin in the first quarter of next year or after the midterm elections scheduled on May 12, 2025.

Marquez made the announcement during the Supreme Court’s year-end press briefing earlier this month.
“So finally, we’re beginning to see some movements. In the last en banc session of the Court, the justices just approved the concept design of the new Manila Hall of Justice,” he cited.

The associate justice disclosed that the new Manila Hall of Justice would be constructed on the old site of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) office at the corner of Antonio J. Villegas and Concepcion Aguila streets, across the Bonifacio Monument Park and SM City Manila.

The project was first conceived in 1982 to accommodate over 80 regional trial courts and about 30 first-level courts in the City of Manila. However, it ran into obstacles over the next 42 years.

Retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, incumbent Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo and Marquez have been involved, in one way or another, in the decades-long process since the high tribunal acquired the 10,818-square-meter GSIS property in 2012.

Prior to this, the hall of justice was supposed to be located on the site of the old Jai Alai Building on Taft Avenue fronting T. M. Kalaw Street after the historic art-deco landmark was demolished in 2000 to make way for the project.

The Manila Hall of Justice was meant to bring together all the courts in the city that are currently in three locations: Manila City Hall, the Old Ombudsman Building and the former site of the Jai Alai Building.

Meanwhile, it was learned that the Department of Transportation (DoTr) had allocated 25 hectares out of the 100 hectares of land donated by San Miguel Corporation (SMC) in Bulacan to the judiciary.

The Supreme Court intends to develop the allocated area into a judicial complex that will house the High Tribunal, the Court of Appeals currently situated on Maria Orosa Street in Ermita and the Sandiganbayan located now on Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City.