Ruben Reyes
Encyclopedia
Ruben T. Reyes is a Filipino jurist who served as an Associate Justice
of the Supreme Court of the Philippines
from 2007 to 2009.
, Bulacan, and is married to lawyer Ellie Cruz-Reyes, of Baliuag, Bulacan (head of screening and evaluation, Ombudsman
office, 2001) and have four children with initial WRIT: Pastor Winston, Dr. Roselin, IT consultant Jason Immanuel and lawyer Tammy Ann. Tammy Ann (valedictorian
of San Beda college of law) is a division clerk of court in the Court of Appeals.
Reyes earned his law degree from the Manuel L. Quezon University
in 1962. He engaged in private practice for several years before becoming a city fiscal in Manila
. Reyes won the 1981 Best Resolution Contest.
Reyes was then appointed as a trial court judge, assigned first in Batangas
, then in Manila
where he received an Outstanding RTC award and became RTC Judges Association president. He also edited the Philippine Judges Association Newsletter and Bench Bulletin.
Reyes studied 8 summer courses in the U.S., including the 1st Harvard Law School Workshop for Law Teachers and Scholars, the 35th Academy of American and International Law, Appellate Judges Seminar, California Judicial College and National Judicial College. He was also president of the Philippine Association of Law Professors, trustee and lecturer of the Philippine Judicial Academy. In 2002, he was a Bar examiner in Legal Ethics and authored the Bar Reviewer on Special Penal Laws. He was a lecturer on Mandatory Continuing Legal Education, co-chair of the Supreme Court sub-committee on MCLE Draft Rules, member of the Supreme Court committee on legal education & Bar matters and resource person in Criminal and Remedial Laws at the UP Law Center. He received the following awards - the CUP Outstanding Justice of the Court of Appeals, Bulacan Dangal ng Lipi, YMCA Presidential awards, and two Supreme Court awards on judicial reforms.
In 1994, he was appointed by President
Fidel V. Ramos
to sit on the Court of Appeals
. Reyes sat on the appellate court for 13 years, and was eventually named as its Presiding Justice in January 2006.
He was appointed to the Court on August 2, 2007 by President
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
. Following Associate Justices Alicia Austria-Martinez
and Cancio Garcia
, Reyes became the third former Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeals to sit in the Puno Court. He had been nominated to the Supreme Court four previous times by the Judicial and Bar Council
before he was finally appointed to fill the vacancy left with the retirement of Romeo J. Callejo, Sr..
Two retired justices had warned against Reyes’ appointment, since he had exceeded the age limit. Reyes was due to retire on January 2009, when he reached the age of 70. Under the rules of the Judicial and Bar Council
, only those career officials who are able to serve for at least one and a half years will be considered. Meanwhile, the High Tribunal asked Reyes to comment on the allegations of corruption in Cebu CA substations during his time in the CA that were raised by a Manila-based newspaper columnist, a litigant who lost a civil case, and an anti-crime crusader in the Visayas. The Court of Appeals stations in the Visayas and Mindanao are facing possible reorganization or temporary transfer to Manila in the wake of allegations of corruption in the Cebu judiciary that has worried the Supreme Court. These options were recommended by Reyes.
Reyes retired from the Court in January 2009 upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70.
On August 14, 2009, Reyes was found guilty by the Supreme Court of leaking a draft decision that he had penned in the election disqualification case against Negros Oriental Rep. Jocelyn Limkaichong. Because of his culpability he was indefinitely barred from practicing law and perpetual disqualification from holding government position.
s, lawyers and court
officials to follow the example set by 3 Bulacan
court salas (Branches 6, 80 and 81) using Filipino
in proceedings (at the program commemorating the 157th birth anniversary of Marcelo H. del Pilar
at the Bulacan State University
. Reyes noted that the use of Filipino in Del Pilar’s Dyaryong Tagalog played a major role in enlightening Filipinos about the oppression during the Spanish regime.
(the "businessman" and "golfing buddy" of Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman Benjamin Abalos). Reyes stated: "The guy must be one of several namesakes [but] to erase all doubts in mind of the public, let it be put on record that I categorically deny any relation to the 'Ruben Reyes' linked to the NBN-ZTE controversy.”
2. People v. Glino
3. Gordon vs. Payumo
4. A.M. No. 07-09-13-SC: "In re - the column ‘Business Circuit,’ of Amado Macasaet in the September 18, 19, 20, and 21, 2007 issues of Malaya," Indirect Contempt, 49 pages-judgment.
5. G.R. No. 167707 and G.R. No. 173775, The Secretary of DENR vs. Mayor Jose Yap, Dr. Orlando Sacay vs. The Secretary of DENR, October 8, 2008
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines
An Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines is one of 15 members of the Philippine Supreme Court, the highest court in the Philippines. The Chief Justice presides over the High Court, but carries only 1 of the 15 votes in the court...
of the Supreme Court of the Philippines
Supreme Court of the Philippines
The Supreme Court of the Philippines is the Philippines' highest judicial court, as well as the court of last resort. The court consists of 14 Associate Justices and 1 Chief Justice...
from 2007 to 2009.
Profile
Reyes was born in HagonoyHagonoy
Hagonoy is the name of two places in the Philippines:*Hagonoy, Bulacan*Hagonoy, Davao del SurIt is also the Filipino common name of a plant:*Chromolaena odorata, the common floss flower....
, Bulacan, and is married to lawyer Ellie Cruz-Reyes, of Baliuag, Bulacan (head of screening and evaluation, Ombudsman
Ombudsman
An ombudsman is a person who acts as a trusted intermediary between an organization and some internal or external constituency while representing not only but mostly the broad scope of constituent interests...
office, 2001) and have four children with initial WRIT: Pastor Winston, Dr. Roselin, IT consultant Jason Immanuel and lawyer Tammy Ann. Tammy Ann (valedictorian
Valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title conferred upon the student who delivers the closing or farewell statement at a graduation ceremony. Usually, the valedictorian is the highest ranked student among those graduating from an educational institution...
of San Beda college of law) is a division clerk of court in the Court of Appeals.
Reyes earned his law degree from the Manuel L. Quezon University
Manuel L. Quezon University
The Manuel L. Quezon University is a private university in Quiapo, Manila, Philippines. It is a member of the Colleges and Universities Sports Association . It offers academic programs at the pre-school, elementary, high school, tertiary, and graduate levels. It is named for Philippine president...
in 1962. He engaged in private practice for several years before becoming a city fiscal in Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
. Reyes won the 1981 Best Resolution Contest.
Reyes was then appointed as a trial court judge, assigned first in Batangas
Batangas
Batangas is a first class province of the Philippines located on the southwestern part of Luzon in the CALABARZON region. Its capital is Batangas City and it is bordered by the provinces of Cavite and Laguna to the north and Quezon to the east. Across the Verde Island Passages to the south is the...
, then in Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
where he received an Outstanding RTC award and became RTC Judges Association president. He also edited the Philippine Judges Association Newsletter and Bench Bulletin.
Reyes studied 8 summer courses in the U.S., including the 1st Harvard Law School Workshop for Law Teachers and Scholars, the 35th Academy of American and International Law, Appellate Judges Seminar, California Judicial College and National Judicial College. He was also president of the Philippine Association of Law Professors, trustee and lecturer of the Philippine Judicial Academy. In 2002, he was a Bar examiner in Legal Ethics and authored the Bar Reviewer on Special Penal Laws. He was a lecturer on Mandatory Continuing Legal Education, co-chair of the Supreme Court sub-committee on MCLE Draft Rules, member of the Supreme Court committee on legal education & Bar matters and resource person in Criminal and Remedial Laws at the UP Law Center. He received the following awards - the CUP Outstanding Justice of the Court of Appeals, Bulacan Dangal ng Lipi, YMCA Presidential awards, and two Supreme Court awards on judicial reforms.
In 1994, he was appointed by President
President of the Philippines
The President of the Philippines is the head of state and head of government of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines...
Fidel V. Ramos
Fidel V. Ramos
Fidel "Eddie" Valdez Ramos , popularly known as FVR, was the 12th President of the Philippines from 1992 to 1998. During his six years in office, Ramos was widely credited and admired by many for revitalizing and renewing international confidence in the Philippine economy.Prior to his election as...
to sit on the Court of Appeals
Philippine Court of Appeals
The Court of Appeals of the Philippines is the Philippines' second highest judicial court, just after the Supreme Court. The court consists of 68 Associate Justices and 1 Presiding Justice...
. Reyes sat on the appellate court for 13 years, and was eventually named as its Presiding Justice in January 2006.
He was appointed to the Court on August 2, 2007 by President
President of the Philippines
The President of the Philippines is the head of state and head of government of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines...
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is a Filipino politician who served as the 14th President of the Philippines from 2001 to 2010, as the 12th Vice President of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, and is currently a member of the House of Representatives representing the 2nd District of Pampanga...
. Following Associate Justices Alicia Austria-Martinez
Alicia Austria-Martinez
Ma. Alicia Austria-Martinez is a Filipino jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines from 2002 to 2009...
and Cancio Garcia
Cancio Garcia
Cancio C. Garcia is a former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines. He was appointed to the Court on October 6, 2004 by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and retired on October 19, 2007.- Profile :...
, Reyes became the third former Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeals to sit in the Puno Court. He had been nominated to the Supreme Court four previous times by the Judicial and Bar Council
Judicial and Bar Council
The Judicial and Bar Council of the Philippines is a constitutionally-created body that recommends appointees for vacancies that may arise in the composition of the Supreme Court and other lower courts.-Composition:...
before he was finally appointed to fill the vacancy left with the retirement of Romeo J. Callejo, Sr..
Two retired justices had warned against Reyes’ appointment, since he had exceeded the age limit. Reyes was due to retire on January 2009, when he reached the age of 70. Under the rules of the Judicial and Bar Council
Judicial and Bar Council
The Judicial and Bar Council of the Philippines is a constitutionally-created body that recommends appointees for vacancies that may arise in the composition of the Supreme Court and other lower courts.-Composition:...
, only those career officials who are able to serve for at least one and a half years will be considered. Meanwhile, the High Tribunal asked Reyes to comment on the allegations of corruption in Cebu CA substations during his time in the CA that were raised by a Manila-based newspaper columnist, a litigant who lost a civil case, and an anti-crime crusader in the Visayas. The Court of Appeals stations in the Visayas and Mindanao are facing possible reorganization or temporary transfer to Manila in the wake of allegations of corruption in the Cebu judiciary that has worried the Supreme Court. These options were recommended by Reyes.
Reyes retired from the Court in January 2009 upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70.
On August 14, 2009, Reyes was found guilty by the Supreme Court of leaking a draft decision that he had penned in the election disqualification case against Negros Oriental Rep. Jocelyn Limkaichong. Because of his culpability he was indefinitely barred from practicing law and perpetual disqualification from holding government position.
Filipino in Court proceedings
On August 30, 2007, Reyes urged judgeJudge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
s, lawyers and court
Court
A court is a form of tribunal, often a governmental institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance with the rule of law...
officials to follow the example set by 3 Bulacan
Bulacan
Bulacan , officially called the Province of Bulacan or simply Bulacan Province, is a first class province of the Republic of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon Region in the island of Luzon, north of Manila , and part of the Metro...
court salas (Branches 6, 80 and 81) using Filipino
Filipino language
This move has drawn much criticism from other regional groups.In 1987, a new constitution introduced many provisions for the language.Article XIV, Section 6, omits any mention of Tagalog as the basis for Filipino, and states that:...
in proceedings (at the program commemorating the 157th birth anniversary of Marcelo H. del Pilar
Marcelo H. del Pilar
Marcelo Hilario del Pilar y Gatmaitán , better known by his nom-de-plume Plaridel, was a celebrated figure in the Philippine Revolution and a leading propagandist for reforms in the Philippines A master polemicist in both the Tagalog and Spanish languages, he helped the Propaganda Movement through...
at the Bulacan State University
Bulacan State University
Bulacan State University is a state-funded institution of higher learning established in 1904, by the virtue of ACT 74 of the Philippine Commission in 1901, as an intermediate school established by the American regime, and converted into a chartered state university in 1993 by virtue of Republic...
. Reyes noted that the use of Filipino in Del Pilar’s Dyaryong Tagalog played a major role in enlightening Filipinos about the oppression during the Spanish regime.
NBN controversy
On September 28, 2007, Ruben Reyes clarified that he is not the "Ruben Reyes" mentioned in the network (NBN) deal scandalScandal
A scandal is a widely publicized allegation or set of allegations that damages the reputation of an institution, individual or creed...
(the "businessman" and "golfing buddy" of Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman Benjamin Abalos). Reyes stated: "The guy must be one of several namesakes [but] to erase all doubts in mind of the public, let it be put on record that I categorically deny any relation to the 'Ruben Reyes' linked to the NBN-ZTE controversy.”
Notable Decisions
1. Cosmos v. Nagrama2. People v. Glino
3. Gordon vs. Payumo
4. A.M. No. 07-09-13-SC: "In re - the column ‘Business Circuit,’ of Amado Macasaet in the September 18, 19, 20, and 21, 2007 issues of Malaya," Indirect Contempt, 49 pages-judgment.
5. G.R. No. 167707 and G.R. No. 173775, The Secretary of DENR vs. Mayor Jose Yap, Dr. Orlando Sacay vs. The Secretary of DENR, October 8, 2008