Chief Justice Gesmundo Leads Ateneo Law Grand Alumni Homecoming
November 26, 2022
Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo led generations of legal professionals from the Ateneo de Manila University in celebrating the Grand Alumni Homecoming of the Ateneo Law School on Friday, November 25, 2022, at the Centennial Hall of the historic Manila Hotel.
The Chief Justice, who obtained his Bachelor of Laws degree from the Ateneo de Manila University in 1984, is among the seven incumbent Members of the Supreme Court who are from Ateneo Law.
The other Members are Associate Justice and 2022 Bar Examinations Chairperson Alfredo Benjamin S. Caguioa (Batch 1985); Associate Justice Henri Jean Paul B. Inting (Batch 1982); Associate Justice Rodil V. Zalameda (Batch 1987); Associate Justice Ricardo R. Rosario (Batch 1983); Associate Justice Jose Midas P. Marquez (Batch 1993); and Associate Justice Maria Filomena D. Singh (Batch 1991). Except for Justice Inting who is a graduate of Ateneo de Davao University, the rest of the Justices earned their law degree from the Ateneo de Manila University School of Law.
Joining the Chief Justice in the homecoming celebration were Justices Caguioa, Zalameda, and Singh.
Incidentally, Justice Zalameda was unanimously chosen by the Ateneo Law Alumni Association, Inc. (ALAAI) as among the recipients of this year’s Distinguished Alumni Award. The ALAAI presents the said award to the alumni “who have brought honor and distinction to the Ateneo Law School through
their laudable achievements and who have inspired others to value and respect the law as an instrument of truth, peace, order, and justice.”
Also present was Assistant Court Administrator and Public Information Office Chief Brian Keith F. Hosaka, Supreme Court Spokesperson, who belongs to the Ateneo Law School Class of 1998 which is the host of this year’s Grand Alumni Homecoming, dubbed as True Blue in ’22.
In his message, Chief Justice expressed his gratitude to the ALAAI for “the great honor and privilege” of nominating him as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court in 2017. “I was humbled to receive your nomination in 2017, and I most probably would not have been the Chief Justice today had I not started as an Associate Justice. Thank you for putting your trust and faith in me, your schoolmate from the Ateneo Law School,” said the 27th Chief Justice of the Philippines.
The Chief Justice also took the opportune time to share with his fellow Ateneans the Court’s Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations (SPJI) 2022-2027. The SPJI is a plan anchored on four guiding principles: Timely and Fair Justice, Transparent and Accountable Justice, Equal and Inclusive Justice, and Technologically Adaptive Management. These principles will propel the Court towards achieving three outcomes: Efficiency, Innovation, and Access.
The Chief Justice called on his fellow Ateneans to support the Court’s endeavors. He said: “Your support truly is essential. The effective administration of justice is only possible with the genuine support of all the stakeholders of the justice system, whether in the public or private sectors, the academe, or specialized fields. It is no exaggeration to say that the effectiveness of the Supreme Court and the entire judiciary is dependent on you, the members of the Philippine Bar. The Court cannot fulfill its constitutional mandate without your support. As officers of the Court, lawyers are responsible for maintaining the dignity of the profession, and by so doing, strengthen and fortify the trust of our people, not just in lawyers, but in the whole Filipino justice system. A trustworthy judiciary is a cornerstone of a functioning and healthy democracy, and a trustworthy judiciary can exist only if the members of the Bar are equally trustworthy and dedicated to the rule of law.”
Further, the Chief Justice paid tribute to his alma mater by stressing that “the Ateneo has always been at the forefront of social change, reform, and public service, and that it has a proud legacy of countless alumni choosing to serve in the public sector.”
“This is what the Ateneo has taught us: our excellence as lawyers is measured first and foremost by our service to the human family. To be “the best” is not the goal; to be the best we can for our communities, our country— that is the goal. This is what it means to be an Atenean lawyer: that we have a duty to do the best for our country, and in this regard, by supporting the rule of law and strengthening trust in our legal and judicial system,” Chief Justice Gesmundo said.
In closing, he expressed his gratitude and congratulations to the Ateneo de Manila Law School Class of 1998 for hosting the Grand Alumni Homecoming and joined them in honoring not only this year’s jubilarians composed of Class of 1962, 1972, 1982 and 1997, but more especially, the late Fr. Joaquin Bernas whom he described as “the epitome of the Atenean lawyer, whose lifelong contribution to the development of law and jurisprudence has made an imprint on the legal system of our country.”
Also present were former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and former First Gentleman Atty. Jose Miguel Arroyo; First Lady Atty. Liza Araneta-Marcos; Senator Francis Tolentino; Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos, Manila 4th District Rep. Edward Maceda, Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra, Commission on Elections Commissioner Ernesto Maceda, Jr.; retired Supreme Court Associate Justice and former Philippine Judicial Academy Chancellor Adolfo S. Azcuna; Court of Appeals Justices Manuel Barrios, Jose Lorenzo dela Rosa, and Raymond Lauigan; Sandiganbayan Justice Zaldy Trespeses, Energy Undersecretary Sharon Garin, Information and Technology Undersecretary Jose Vicente Salazar, and former Justice Secretary and Ombudsman Atty. Merceditas Gutierrez.”