About

Ageless Passion

Good news, bad news; God always knows. This familiar adage sums up the message of “Ageless Passion”, a musical tribute to retired Chief Justice Artemio V. Panganiban. Penned by Kristian Jeff Agustin, a promising lyricist and poet, with original music masterfully composed by the internationally-acclaimed maestro Ryan Cayabyab, a national artist of the Philippines.

Chief Justice Panganiban was once acclaimed by the Supreme Court of the Philippines in a unanimous resolution dated December 6, 2006 as the “Renaissance Jurist of the 21st Century.” He is now much respected and sought after as a director or adviser by many publicly listed companies, top corporations and philanthropic foundations in the country. Thus, Ageless Passion is premised upon his indefatigable acuity and spirit — not to mention his charisma.

His is a life story replete with successes and defeats, from his humble beginnings as a young newsboy in the streets of post-war Manila to his prevailing eleven-year stint in the Supreme Court of the Philippines. Watch the full television coverage of the 2021 musical staging here:

Awards

On April 26, 2007, after his retirement, he was conferred an Award of Honor by the Philippine Bar Association, applauding him as “a principled and visionary leader by example; a prolific writer of the Supreme Court, bar none; a renaissance man and a nobly-souled and gifted jurist; a much sought-after speaker; a recipient of over 250 awards and citations from national and international entities and organizations, including several honorary doctoral degrees; an eminent lawyer, law professor, Catholic lay worker, civic leader and businessman; a scholar imbued with mental dexterity; and, an exemplary family man.”

Recently, Dr. Raul C. Pangalangan, Judge of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands (now retired), lauded him, “As Chief Justice, he distinguished himself in that he strove to have as much unanimity as possible when the Court faced historic cases, painfully conscious that ‘the least dangerous branch’ speaks loudest when it judges wisely and in one voice.”

Diverse Subjects

IMG_9348.JPG_595The retired Chief Justice was also known for his pro-poor opinions notably those concerning workers, the representation of the disadvantaged and marginalized sectors in matters affecting their welfare, and the protection of the accused against unwarranted delays in the prosecution of their cases. Nonetheless, he has spoken on a wide range of legal controversies concerning diverse subjects, like mathematics, economics, business, accounting, and even canon law. A syllabi of all his decisions and opinion, compiled by Emma C. Matammu, now a Judge of the Regional Trial Court of Valenzuela City, are contained in one book titled Summa (2006).

A much sought-after speaker, he has addressed audiences around the world on various subjects, including five lectures on the biosciences in two international fora held in Chile in 2004. Of his “mental dexterity,” former Chief Justice Hilario G. Davide Jr. explains that former Chief Justice Panganiban “extricates the possible from the hypothetical, the emerging from the established, the literature in science and the law in art.”

Prior to his appointment to the Supreme Court on October 10, 1995, retired Chief Justice Panganiban had already distinguished himself as a practicing lawyer, law professor, Catholic lay worker, civic leader, and businessman. After three years as an assistant in the law office of his mentor, former Senate President Jovito R. Salonga, he formed his own law firm (Panganiban, Benitez, Parlade, Africa and Barinaga), which he headed until he joined the Court in 1995. (The law firm was dissolved when he joined the Court.) He also taught law in three schools. He has been, among others, vice-president of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry; governor of the Management Association of the Philippines; president of the Philippine Daily Inquirer; and president of the Rotary Club of Manila. On November 16, 2023, the Club honored him as “The Only Philippine Rotary President To Become Chief Justice of the Philippines”. He was the only Filipino appointed by the late Pope John Paul II to the Pontifical Council for the Laity for the 1996-2001 term.

Books

While a member of the Supreme Court, Chief Justice Panganiban espoused and exhibited transparency in the conduct of his duties and functions. Thus, he wrote one book a year to report on his magistracy. He had authored the following: Love God Serve Man (1994); Justice and Faith (1997); Battles in the Supreme Court (1998); Leadership by Example (1999); Transparency, Unanimity & Diversity (2000); A Centenary of Justice (2001); Reforming the Judiciary (2002); The Bio Age Dawns on the Judiciary (2003); Leveling the Playing Field (2004); Judicial Renaissance (2005); and Liberty and Prosperity (2006).

HOMILY TRANSCRIPT | Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice Award to Retired Chief Justice Artemio V. Panganiban, Manila Cathedral, September 18, 2024  

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Your Excellencies; dear Brother Priests concelebrating in this Mass; Reverend Deacons; persons in consecrated life; to our awardee, Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban; to his family, relatives, and distinguished guests; my dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

We are gathered this afternoon for a momentous occasion, the celebration of the Eucharist and the conferral of the prestigious Papal Award Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice to our esteemed brother, retired Chief Justice Artemio V. Panganiban. We express our profound gratitude to the Holy Father, Pope Francis, for this significant honor bestowed upon him in recognition of his outstanding services to the Church. He is an exemplary layperson, living out his Catholic faith as a faithful husband, loving father, caring grandfather, honest and just servant of the judiciary, a wise adviser in the many corporations and foundations he is part of, a charitable and caring brother to all, especially to those in need, and a truly Filipino Catholic.

My dear brothers and sisters, our readings in this Mass help us further understand the significance of what we are doing today.

Our first reading is one of the famous writings of St. Paul.  It is his beautiful hymn of love.  St. Paul tells us that love is the key virtue in a Christian’s life.  Love must permeate all aspects of our life.  He says, we may have many gifts, the gift of tongue, speaking, prophecy, knowledge, and faith, but if we do not have love, they will all be empty.  We may be good at many things, but these are useless if we do not treat people with love.  Gifts are temporary.  Talents fade away.  What remains is love.

My dear brothers and sisters, God has given each one of us gifts and talents.  There is surely something that you are good at.  There are things that only you can do.  But the question is, do you use your gifts to love others?  Do you treat other people with love?  St. Paul encourages us to always use our gifts to love.  Let us use our gifts to serve people with love.  And even though we will not be able to please everyone, still let us continue to love.

This is what we learn from our Gospel today.  Jesus asks, “To what can I compare the people of this generation?”  He says they are like children who are very difficult to please.  Jesus tells us that even if we do our best to love people, we can never make everyone happy.  There will always be people who will complain.  There will always be people who will not be pleased.  There will always be people who will find faults in us.  But let us continue loving anyway.  For love never fails.

My dear brothers and sisters, we are gathered today to honor Chief Justice Art, who has shown great love for God and the Church.  His contributions and services flow from a heart overflowing with love.  We recognize not CJ Art’s achievements but the great love he puts in everything he does.  And that love can only come from God, who is love.  By giving CJ Art this papal award, the Church presents him to us as an example of using our gifts and talents to show and express our love.

Dear brother, CJ Art, I congratulate you on behalf of all those gathered here.  I am sure your beloved Leni rejoices with us as you receive this award.  You very much deserve this recognition.  Let this be the Church’s way of thanking you because of your immense love for God, expressed in your unwavering commitment, exemplary service, and outstanding contributions to the Church and society.

In particular, we thank you for your significant role in the retrofitting and restoration of this magnificent cathedral from 2012 to 2014.  Because you have done so well as President of the Manila Cathedral Foundation, meticulously reviewing plans and contracts, diligently raising funds, and closely monitoring the project’s progress, we now have a beautiful, world-class, and safe cathedral worthy of its title as the Mother Church of the Philippines.  Maraming salamat po sa lahat ng inyong tulong, kabutihang-loob, at malalim na pagmamahal para sa Diyos at sa kanyang Simbahan!

But as we thank, congratulate, and confer upon you this papal award, please be reminded that all glory belongs to God.  You have accomplished all these great things because you allowed God to work in you and through you.  Your accomplishments are God’s, not yours.  They are God’s works, and you are just an instrument.  Any goodness and greatness that we do springs not from us but from the source of all goodness and greatness, God himself.  CJ Art, as you receive this honor, may your voice and heart proclaim what the Psalms declare, “Not to us, Lord, not to us, but to your name give the glory” (Psalm 115:1).

My dear brothers and sisters, let us thank the Lord for our dear brother, CJ Art, whom the Church honors today.  Like them, we are also invited to live out our vocation as Christians, that is, to love.  Let our love be a light that radiates in everything we do, so that our light may shine before others, and seeing our good works, done out of love, they may glorify our heavenly Father.  Amen.

One of the finest tributes about Chief Justice Panganiban was written by Tony Lopez, Chairman of the Manila Overseas Press Club, in his column in the Philippine Star on November 16, 2023, titled “Art Panganiban,” thus:

Art Panganiban

VIRTUAL REALITY – Tony Lopez – The Philippine Star

The Rotary Club of Manila honors today, as its guest speaker, the former jurist and chief Justice Art Panganiban.

In the course of my 53 years of journalism, I have been acquainted with and befriended a number of iconic individuals because of their singular background, remarkable achievements, and their impact and influence on society and the nation in general.

Such people are what I call tycoons. Tycoon means a powerful person in business or industry or the professions. In Japan, shoguns were those in power between 1857 and 1868.

Among the tycoons I have met, befriended and closely monitored as a journalist are: the late Henry Sy Sr., the late John Gokongwei Jr., the late Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco Jr., Ramon S. Ang, Manny Pangilinan, Lucio Tan, Tessie Sy Coson, Manny Villar, Enrique Razon, to name a few.

I put Art Panganiban in that rarified league of tycoons. He is my kind of shogun.

A shogun is actually a ruler. CJ Art ruled the tourism business for 20 years, as president of the largest travel agency company then, Baron Travel Corp. That is where I met Art for the first time. He was a travel business star, I was a journalist, or to be more precise, a travel journalist, being once a travel and tourism editor of a major daily.

Long before the Miss Universe pageants became the vogue, Art already had his Miss Baron Travel beauty contests. Its winners were the best candidates as future trophy wives, for their beauty, their intelligence, and sway over men like Art Panganiban. The Miss Baron Travel winners attracted men of manners, mien, and means.

To be sure, Art is an intellectual giant in his own right. He graduated with honors in elementary and high school, summa cum laude in pre-law, cum laude in Law, and finished No. 6 in the 1960 Bar.

Art spent 11 years in the Supreme Court, 10 years as a justice and one year as Chief Justice. I consider him possibly our best Supreme Court justice ever. He is the High Court’s most prolific writer.

He wrote more than 1,200 decisions, on top of a 100 minute resolutions. In effect, Art was writing 100 decisions a year or an average of one decision every three working days. His decisions gave substance and value to law and jurisprudence and had a grave impact on the nation.

To this day, nobody has surpassed CJ Art’s record of decision-making. He is, as the Supreme Court itself declared when Art retired, the “most prolific writer of the Court, bar none.” Art has also written books – one book a year for the last 14 years.

Art is veritably a national hero. In 2001, he saved the country from the imminent possibility of a military takeover or a coup d’ etat. On Jan. 20, 2001, there was turmoil in the land. Crowds were gathering in key sections of Manila, one group to assault the Palace and the other to defend it. Fairly or unfairly, President Joseph Estrada was accused of plunder in high office.

At 5:30 in the morning of January 2001, Justice Art Panganiban woke the chief justice, Hilario Davide up from his sleep and the two rushed to the Supreme Court at Padre Faura. The two decided to declare the presidency vacant and to have Vice President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo sworn in as “acting” president.

GMA, as you know, went on to preside over the longest economic expansion in the history of this country – a total of 36 consecutive quarters of uninterrupted growth.

CJ Art’s other distinction is as a journalist. He was a cub reporter in college. He would have been an editor at FEU but the administration had this policy of making students choose between being student paper editor or student leader. Art chose leadership, and co-founded the National Union of Students, the most powerful student leaders group in his college days.

While earning a degree, Art earned money the old-fashioned way, by peddling and delivering newspapers door-to-door every day. He was a newsboy. Nowadays, that role has been taken over by the internet and Google.

Art has been writing columns every week for 52 weeks a year, in the last 17 years, without fail, without any vacation, despite foreign travels, death in the family, or illness on his part. No one in the Inquirer has that 100 percent record.

This is why when the Manila Overseas Press Club (MOPC) launched its first ever Journalism Awards in 78 years this year, one of the leading candidates for the plum was Art Panganiban. He is the MOPC “Journalist of the Year–Law.”

The MOPC citation read: “For his prolific work and prodigious excellence in writing about law and justice with depth, clarity, and command of language, thereby strengthening the people’s faith in the third and often misunderstood branch of government, the judiciary. He is today the No. 1 columnist of the Inquirer. He has written 12 [should be 14] books on law, faith, and the Supreme Court.”

In his acceptance speech, Art lauded three what he called “Mega Media Movers” to whom he said, he owed the precious MOPC recognition at the sunset of his humble life: MOPC chair Antonio “Tony” Lopez, retired Inquirer chair Marixi R. Prieto, and GMA Network chair and CEO Felipe “Henry” L. Gozon.

Rushing from an important board meeting (Art is a director of some 20 companies or enterprise), he dutifully attended the event and received the MOPC trophy on Oct. 25, 2023.

The trophy is 15 inches and 3 kilos in weight. The MOPC trophies are “specially designed, gleaming golden bells. They were ordered in Italy and flown into Manila for the occasion. Italy is home to the world’s oldest and best bell-manufacturing technology, dating back a thousand years.

Each trophy symbolizes freedom, excellence, achievement, glory, and perfection of craft.

Congratulations, my tycoon, my shogun, my idol, Chief Justice Art Panganiban.

My shogun Art, when shall come such another?

Some blurbs about Chief Justice Panganiban

CJ Alexander G. Gesmundo: “With an optimistic outlook in life, he has not aged a bit in his devotion to safeguard liberty and nurture prosperity under the rule of law.”

CJ Hilario G. Davide Jr.: “He extricates the possible from the hypothetical, the emerging from the established, the literature in science and the law in art.”

CJ Reynato S. Puno: “He leapfrogged the social and economic barriers of Philippine society…[and] in the Supreme Court, best blossomed for God and country.”

CJ Renato C. Corona:  A “renaissance man…a nobly-souled and gifted jurist.”

CJ Maria Lourdes P.A. Sereno: “The life story of Chief Justice Panganiban is as improbable as it is inspiring; a poor but bright boy who shined shoes and hawked newspapers in the streets of Manila rose through merit and sheer hard work to become a successful entrepreneur and, later, Chief Justice of the land.”

Senior Justice Antonio T. Carpio: “Undoubtedly the most prolific writer of the Court, bar none.”

Senior Justice Estela M. Perlas-Bernabe: “Perhaps more compelling than his scholarly brilliance, Chief Justice Panganiban possesses this unique quality to resonate with all kinds of people, may it be in his personal, professional, or philanthropic endeavors; he also has this galvanizing desire to see liberty and prosperity abound through legal excellence, which makes him a beacon of justice on his own.”

Senior Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen: “While we may have had our differences regarding some of the cases decided by the Court, he remains a titan in the legal profession. Within it, his legacy will be secure.”

Justice Ramon Paul L. Hernando: “An avatar of Themis herself, CJ Art’s judicial legacy will surely live on through the ages.” 

Justice Romeo J. Callejo Sr.: “One book a year and no cases left undecided. This is Mr. [Chief] Justice Artemio V. Panganiban’s unsurpassed record. It is also the best summation of judicial reform.” 

Justice Angelina Sandoval-Gutierrez lauded his “preeminent judicial craftsmanship, social philosophies and literary style…”

Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra: “The way CJ Panganiban writes is a reflection of what he is – brilliant without being flashy, authoritative without being pompous, straightforward without being drab.”

Aurelio Montinola III, Chairman, Far Eastern University: “He perfected preserving the independence of the Supreme Court, having a working coequal relationship with the Chief Executive, and getting his own Supreme Court justices to work as a team.”

Dean Danilo L. Concepcion, President, University of the Philippines: “You are neither retired nor ancient. I have always looked up to you! One of the best UP law alumni we almost had!”

Dr. Raul C. Pangalangan, retired Judge, International Criminal Court, The Hague: “As Chief Justice, he distinguished himself in that he strove to have as much unanimity as possible when the Court faced historic cases, painfully conscious that ‘the least dangerous branch’ speaks loudest when it judges wisely and in once voice.”

Some Introductions of Chief Justice Panganiban