After
the President’s decision was announced this morning, Executive Secretary Eduardo
Ermita summoned Dean Abad to Malacañang to receive his appointment papers,
after which, he was directed to immediately appear before the Chief Justice to
take his oath of office. He was proudly accompanied by his family. Photo
courtesy of Brod Mel Miel ’99.
After
months of speculation on who the President will select to replace Supreme Court
Associate Justice Dante Tinga who retired last May, President Arroyo appointed Dean
Roberto A. Abad ’65 of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) School of Law on 7 August 2009. Brod Robert’s appointment comes a day after
another Atenean was selected by the President to fill the first vacancy in the
high court brought about by the retirement of Justice Alicia Austria-Martinez
in April of this year. Justice Abad joins fellow Utopians, Justice Renato C. Corona ’70
and Justice
Arturo D. Brion ’70 in the Supreme Court.
Justice Manual M. Barrios ’71 takes his oath before Chief
Justice Reynato S. Puno on 15 July 2009, a day after his appointment by Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Justice Barrios bested 15
other candidates to replace Justice Edgardo F. Sundiam ’68, who
passed away last February. (Photo courtesy of Brod Mel Miel ’99) - RDR
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has appointed Presiding Judge Manuel Barrios (Utopia Batch ’71) of the Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 54 as Associate Justice of the Court of Appeals (CA).
Another Utopian makes the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) shortlist
to fill the two vacancies in the Supreme Court in the person of UST Law Dean Roberto
A. Abad ’65. Receiving 7 votes, Dean Abad was unanimously nominated
along with Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Francisco Villaruz, Jr., and Court
of Appeals Associate Justice Martin Villarama, the husband of incumbent Supreme
Court Clerk Ma. Luisa Villarama. Under
the Constitution, any vacancy in the Supreme Court should be filled within 90
days from the occurrence thereof. The
vacancies were caused by the optional retirement of Justice Austria-Martinez on
April 30 and the compulsory retirement of Justice Tinga on May 11 of this year.The nominations were submitted 22
June 2009.
Last June 10 marked the five-year death anniversary of
Judge Voltaire Antonio Y. Rosales ’77, who was ruthlessly
assassinated by a drug syndicate. Brod Butch was gunned down by two men in a
motorcycle as he was leaving the Hall of Justice of Tanauan, Batangas. Two
years previously, he sentenced to death a well-connected drug dealer despite
attempts to bribe him. Unconfirmed stories tell that emissaries tried to
prevail upon him to acquit the drug dealer, among them a close associate and lost
Atenean.
Unwilling to sell his integrity, Brod Butch convicted the
accused and evidently signaled the cause against his life. After receiving
death threats, Brod Butch consulted with his fraternity batchmates for support,
among them, Gen. Marcelo S. Ele, Jr. ‘77 of the Philppine National Police,
who offered Brod Butch a security detail. Brod Butch declined and instead asked
Brod Jun to facilitate the issuance to him of a licensed firearm. According to
his son Vic Rosales, Brod Butch would always say, “as long as you do what is
right, do what God wants for yourself, your family and your country, you will
be protected by God.” “That is why he never bothered bringing along a
bodyguard,” the son explains.
