SC Holds Baguio Summer Session
April 18, 2022
Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo (extreme right) leads his fellow Justices, officials, and employees during the flag-raising ceremony at the Supreme Court Baguio Compound in Baguio City on Monday, April 18, 2022. This marks the return of the annual Supreme Court summer sessions after a two-year break.
Also in photo are (second from right) Senior Associate Justice Estela M. Perlas-Bernabe, Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen, Justice Alfredo Benjamin S. Caguioa, Justice Ramon Paul L. Hernando, Justice Amy C. Lazaro-Javier, Justice Henri Jean Paul B. Inting, Justice Rodil V. Zalameda, Justice Mario V. Lopez, Justice Ricardo R. Rosario, Justice Japar B. Dimaampao, Justice Jose Midas P. Marquez, and Justice Antonio T. Kho, Jr. It is the first flag raising ceremony in the Supreme Court Compound in Baguio for Justice Zalameda, Justice Lopez, Justice Rosario, Justice Dimaampao, Justice Marquez, and Justice Kho, Jr. as Members of the Supreme Court.
“Baguio has always been our second home. It has provided us shelter from the elevating heat in Manila, but this time, it has given us a much-needed respite from our pandemic stress and weariness,” said Chief Justice Gesmundo shortly after the flag-raising. He added: “Resuming our summer session here signifies that the Court is already easing its way towards the new normal. But this is not to say that we can [let] our guards down. Let us continue to practice safety protocols so that when we go back to our home in Padre Faura and to our families, we return as safe and healthy as when we left them.”
The Chief Justice also took the occasion to congratulate Associate Justice Leonen on the conduct of the 2020/2021 Bar Examinations, saying, “With him we have blazed the trail of Bar reforms. And we congratulate, too, our Bar passers. May they embody and practice the ideals we envisioned for the legal profession.” Likewise, the Chief Justice also honored Senior Associate Justice Perlas-Bernabe, who is retiring next month. He expressed his gratitude “for the decades of devoted service to the Judiciary. I join the whole Supreme Court community in wishing her all the best as she begins a new chapter in her remarkable life. Hopefully taking on an active role in legal education and judicial reform programs. Truly, it is my privilege to have worked with her.” (Courtesy of the SC Public Information Office)