María Filomena Singh

Maria Filomena "Monette" Dumandan Singh (born June 25, 1966) is a Filipino judge who has served as associate justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines since 2022.

Early life and education Maria Filomena Singh was born on June 25, 1966. She is the eldest of six children born to barangay chairman and political strategist Harry Francisco Macalanda Singh (1940–2020) and lawyer Clara Dizon Dumandan-Singh (1934–2021), both residents of Marikina.

She graduated from the University of the Philippines Diliman, cum laude, with a Bachelor of Arts in English major in imaginative writing. She earned a Juris Doctor from the Ateneo Law School with second honors distinction. She studied at the Washington College of Law of the American University in Washington, D.C., for a Master of Laws in International Legal Studies.

Judicial career Singh joined the Philippine judiciary in October 2002 as presiding judge of the Metropolitan Trial Court, Branch 31, in Quezon City, and was promoted to the Regional Trial Court of the same city in June 2007, to Branch 85 thereof.

She then served as an associate justice of the Court of Appeals of the Philippines from 2014 to 2022, succeeding Justice Rosalinda Asuncion-Vicente who retired in November 2013. She previously served as the senior member in the 3rd Division of the Court of Appeals under the chairpersonship of Justice Fernanda Lampas-Peralta.

On May 18, 2022, Singh was appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines to fill the vacancy left by the retirement of Justice Estela Perlas-Bernabe. Singh is Duterte's last appointment to the Supreme Court.

Interpretation of the Anti-VAWC Act

Some controversies have focused on Singh's interpretation of Republic Act No. 9262, also known as the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act (Anti-VAWC Act). In her separate concurring opinions and public statements, Singh has argued that the statute should be understood as a compensatory, gender-specific measure, and that its interpretation should be grounded in addressing structural inequalities within intimate relationships. Within this framework, she has supported, in certain circumstances, a reduced emphasis on traditional criminal law requirements regarding mens rea, and has opposed gender-neutral interpretative approaches, arguing that such approaches may weaken the law's preferential protection for women.

These interpretative positions were met with direct opposition from members of the Supreme Court. Academic commentators have also engaged in discussions and critiques concerning these interpretative issues.

Personal life In 2026, Singh revealed that she had been undergoing treatment for cancer.