The Spanish Government and the Philippine Judicial Academy both paid posthumous tributes to civil law expert Professor Ruben F. Balane, former Chairperson Emeritus of the Philippine Judicial Academy (PhilJA) Civil Law Department, during the opening ceremonies of the four-day Knowledge Sharing on the Modernization of Criminal Law Seminar-Workshop on Monday at the Judicial Academy Philippines in Tagaytay City.
H.E. Jorge Moragas Sánchez, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Spain to the Philippines, led the posthumous awarding of the decoration of the Encomienda de la Orden de Isabel la Católica (“Commander of the Order of Isabella the Catholic”), as approved by the Spanish Government and the King Felipe VI of Spain, to Professor Balane, who passed away on October 11, 2021.
“Ruben Balane had been an example of university vocation, a master of civil law who had guided Philippine Law for the past four decades. The
Ambassador also said that Professor Balane had been a prolific writer “not only of legal books and texts, but also of narrative works of great literary quality.”
The Ambassador shared that the late professor was also very knowledgable of Spanish culture and reality, and that he was a fervent admirer of all that was Spanish. “Not in vain, he repeatedly said that Spain was his second homeland. And that his life was guided by the maxim of maintaining and taking care of the Spanish legacy that is Philippine Civil Law,” said Ambassador Moragas, adding that Professor Balane’s love for Spain gave meaning to his life.
“That is why this recognition is made today on behalf of the Spanish people in favor of Professor Ruben Figueroa Balane—a recognition that is an act of both justice and gratitude,” said Ambassador Moragas. “Together we honor his legacy and take care that his dream of re-establishing legal ties between Spain and the Philippines ceases to be a dream, to become a solid and enduring reality.”
The PhilJA likewise honored the legacy of the late professor through Academic Council Resolution No. 9-2021, dated October 13, 2021, entitled Resolution of Respect in Loving Memory of Professor Ruben F. Balane PhilJA Civil Law Chairman Emeritus, through which the Council recognized “with great admiration the remarkable achievements of Professor Ruben F. Balane.”
The PhilJA acknowledged Professor Balane’s service to the Academy “for an exceptional period of twenty (20) years as Chairperson of the PhilJA Civil Law Department from 2002 to July 12, 2021 and, therefore, became PhilJA Civil Law Chairperson Emeritus.” It also noted that the Academic Council benefitted from the professor’s “immense contributions to the development of Civil-Law-related academic offerings during its judicial education trainings.”
“[T]he Academic Council appreciates Professor Balane as a principled and visionary educator whose masterful authorship of Jottings and Jurisprudence in Civil Law (Succession and Obligations and Contracts) gained international recognition resulting in PhilJA’s present participation in the ERASMUS + Capacity Building of Legal and Social Advancement in the Philippines (CALESA) with European and Philippine academic institutions
In his message to the seminar-workshop participants, Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo also paid tribute to Professor Balane. “It is indeed a great pride for us in the legal profession that one of our own, Professor Ruben
F. Balane, has been recognized for his contributions to the development of his chosen field of law and granted by the Spanish government the distinction of Encomienda de la Orden de Isabel la Catolica. His eloquent discourses in civil law have given us greater awareness and understanding of a tradition shared by our two countries,” said the Chief Justice.
Atty. Josephine G. Uranza, a niece of the late Professor Balane, accepted the decoration of the Encomienda de la Orden de Isabel la Católica and the PhilJA Academic Council Resolution on behalf of the family.
The Knowledge Sharing on Modernization of Criminal Law is a hybrid seminar-workshop organized by the Supreme Court of the Philippines, through the PhilJA, in partnership with the ERASMUS+ Capacity Building for Legal and Social Advancement in the Philippines (CALESA Project) and the University of Malaga in Spain. It brings together face-to-face and in an online virtual platform, legal experts, law makers, law enforcers, members of the judiciary and the academe to exchange best practices on the development of Criminal Law from the Spanish and Philippine perspectives. ###