The Supreme Court (Filipino:Kataas-taasang Hukuman;colloquially referred to as the Korte Suprema is the highest court in the Philippines. The Supreme Court was established by the Second Philippine Commission on June 11,1901 through the enactment of its Act No. 136,an Act which abolished the Real Audiencia de Manila,the predecessor of the Supreme Court.
The Department of Justice is under the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for upholding the rule of law in the Philippines. It is the government's principal law agency,serving as its legal counsel and prosecution arm. It has its headquarters at the DOJ Building in Padre Faura Street,Ermita,Manila.
Renato Tereso Antonio Coronado Corona was a Filipino judge who was the 23rd chief justice of the Philippines from 2010 to 2012. He served as an associate justice after being appointed by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on April 9,2002,and later as Chief Justice on May 12,2010,upon the retirement of Chief Justice Reynato Puno.
Roberto Reyes Concepcion was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines from June 17,1966,until April 18,1973. He is remembered in the history of the Philippine Supreme Court for protecting the independence of court,and for having fought decisions which would have legitimized the dictatorship of President Ferdinand Marcos. In recognition of his efforts against authoritarian rule,Concepcion's name was inscribed on the Wall of Remembrance at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani in 1994.
San Beda College of Law is the law school college under the San Beda University,a private,Roman Catholic university run by the Benedictine monks in the Philippines.
The Philippine Bar Examination is the professional licensure examination for lawyers in the Philippines. The exam is exclusively administered by the Supreme Court of the Philippines through the Supreme Court Bar Examination Committee.
Arturo Dizon Brion is a former associate justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines. He took his oath as a member of the Supreme Court on March 17,2008. From 2006 until his appointment to the Supreme Court,Brion served in the cabinet of President Macapagal-Arroyo as the Secretary of the Department of Labor and Employment.
The University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Arts and Letters,popularly known as "UST Artlets" or "UST AB",is the liberal arts school of the University of Santo Tomas,the oldest and the largest Catholic university in Manila,Philippines.
Alfredo Logronio Benipayo is the former Dean of the University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Civil Law,the oldest law school in the Philippines. He is a former magistrate and a respected law professor and bar reviewer in the country.
Agnes Vicenta Salayo Torres-Devanadera,also known as Agnes VST Devanadera,is a Filipina lawyer and politician who is currently the president and CEO of Clark Development Corporation since her appointment by Bongbong Marcos in 2022. She previously served as the chairperson of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) from 2017 to 2022 during the Duterte administration. During the Arroyo administration,she served as the Solicitor General of the Philippines,the first woman to hold the post. She was also the acting Secretary of Justice on two short stints.
The Office of the Solicitor General of the Philippines,formerly known as the Bureau of Justice,is an independent and autonomous office attached to the Department of Justice. The OSG is headed by Menardo Guevarra.
The Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012,officially recorded as Republic Act No. 10175,is a law in the Philippines that was approved on September 12,2012. It aims to address legal issues concerning online interactions and the Internet in the Philippines. Among the cybercrime offenses included in the bill are cybersquatting,cybersex,child pornography,identity theft,illegal access to data and libel.
Florin "Pilo" Ternal Hilbay is a Filipino lawyer who served as the Solicitor General of the Philippines from 2014 to 2016,serving the Philippine agent in the international case,Philippines v. China,which nullified all historical claims of China in the West Philippine Sea. He ranked first place in the 1999 Philippine Bar Examination.
Alfredo Benjamin Sabater Caguioa is a Filipino lawyer who is an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines. Prior to his appointment as associate justice,he served as acting secretary of the Department of Justice and chief presidential legal counsel under the presidency of Benigno Aquino III.
Emmanuel Leido Caparas is a Filipino lawyer who served as acting Secretary of Justice under the presidency of Benigno Aquino III. Prior to his appointment as acting secretary he worked as undersecretary and spokesperson of the Department of Justice. He also worked as Acting Chief of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System Regulatory Office.
Alexander Gahon Gesmundo is serving as the chief justice of the Philippines since April 5,2021. He replaced Diosdado Peralta,who retired early on March 27,2021. He previously served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court from 2017 to 2021.
Tranquil Gervacio S. Salvador III is a Filipino lawyer,educator,and civic leader. He has served as spokesperson and member of the defense panel for the impeachment of the then-Chief Justice Renato Corona and handled other notable cases of Filipino personalities and corporations.
Menardo "Boy" Ilasco Guevarra is a Filipino lawyer and public servant who is the incumbent Solicitor General of the Philippines under the Marcos administration since 2022. He previously served as the Secretary of Justice and deputy executive secretary under the Duterte and Aquino administrations. Prior to his government stint,he was involved in private litigation practice as a founding partner of the Medialdea Ata Bello Guevarra &Suarez law firm since 1990. He was also an active faculty member at his alma mater Ateneo de Manila University,where he graduated in 1974. Guevarra's appointment to the Justice portfolio was confirmed by the Commission on Appointments on May 30,2018.
Nilo Divina is a Filipino lawyer,professor,author,and educational administrator. He is the founding and managing partner of Divina Law,a law firm in the Philippines based in Makati. He is a former President of the Philippine Association of Law Schools.
Disini v. Secretary of Justice is a landmark ruling of the Supreme Court of the Philippines handed down on February 18,2014. When the Congress of the Philippines passed the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 the bill was immediately controversial,especially its strict penalties for the new crime of "cyberlibel",an upgraded form of the already existing criminal libel charge found in the Revised Penal Code of the Philippines.
