Cecilia Muñoz-Palma was a Filipino jurist and the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court of the Philippines. She was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Ferdinand Marcos on October 29, 1973, and served until she reached the then-mandatory retirement age of 65.
After her retirement from the Court, Muñoz-Palma emerged as a prominent figure in the anti-Marcos political opposition. In 1984, she was elected under the UNIDO banner to the Regular Batasang Pambansa as an Assemblywoman, representing Quezon City.
She headed for a time a National Unification Council that sought to unify all anti-Marcos opposition groups. She also became an early supporter of the attempt to draft the then-reluctant Corazon Aquino to run for the presidency against Marcos.
Following the ratification of the 1987 Constitution, Muñoz-Palma faded from the public eye. However, in 1998, she supported Vice-President Joseph Estrada for the presidency. After his election, President Estrada appointed the 85-year-old Muñoz-Palma as Chairperson of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.
She served in this capacity until 2000. Muñoz-Palma strongly denounced the circumstances that led to Estrada’s vacation from the presidency and the assumption into office of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
The first Woman Appointed to the Supreme Court of the Philippines Muñoz-Palma died on January 2, 2006, at the age of 92.
SOURCE: Justices of the Supreme Court of the Philippines Book by Sevilla, Victor J. (1985) Volume 3 and New Day Publishers. pp. 93–95. ISBN 971-10-0139-X.