Recognitions
In recognition of his many roles as a jurist, lawyer, civic leader, catholic lay worker, business entrepreneur, and youth leader, Chief Justice Artemio V. Panganiban has received more than 250 awards and citations. These honors came from governments, civic clubs, consumer associations, bar groups, religious movements, and other non-government organizations, both local and international. Several honorary doctoral degrees have also been conferred upon him.
He holds honorary memberships in the Phi Kappa Phi International Honor Society (University of the Philippines Chapter), the Consular Corps of the Philippines, the San Beda College of Law Alumni Association, and the Johann Strauss Society of the Philippines.
The Provincial Government of Cebu named him an “Adopted Son of Cebu,” while the City Government of San Fernando, Pampanga likewise adopted him as one of its own.
On December 6, 2006, the Supreme Court of the Philippines awarded Chief Justice Artemio V. Panganiban a Plaque of Acclamation. It was given in recognition of his outstanding service to the judiciary and to the nation.
The Court honored him for his devotion to duty, commitment to excellence, and integrity in public service. His inspiring journey — from humble beginnings to becoming Chief Justice — was celebrated as a model of perseverance and dedication.
He was hailed as the “21st Century’s Renaissance Jurist.” The award recognized not only his intellect and leadership, but also his compassion and humanity on the bench.
The Plaque of Acclamation stands as a lasting tribute to his vision of safeguarding liberty and nurturing prosperity under the rule of law.
On September 18, 2024, at a Eucharistic celebration in the Manila Cathedral, he was formally conferred the “Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice” medal by Pope Francis, represented by Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Archbishop of Manila.
This honor—Latin for “For Church and Pope”—is the highest distinction the Holy See awards to lay persons who have rendered exemplary service to the Catholic Church and its mission.
After his retirement from the judiciary, he received the Award of Honor from the Philippine Bar Association during its 116th Foundation Day Celebration on April 26, 2007.
The award recognized 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.”
He was further honored as “an eminent lawyer, law professor, Catholic lay worker, civic leader, and businessman; a scholar imbued with mental dexterity; and an exemplary family man.”
On June 19, 2024, during its 39th Founding Anniversary, Bukás Loób sa Diyós (BLD) — a Catholic Charismatic Covenant Community that pioneered the lay renewal movement in the Philippines — conferred the Joy of the Master Recognition upon him and his wife, Mrs. Elenita “Leni” C. Panganiban, MBM.
The award honored their passionate and wholehearted commitment to using their God-given resources in service of others. It recognized their efforts to enrich and nurture the BLD community and its members, faithfully responding to the mission entrusted to them by the Lord.
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....
On October 25, 2023, he was once again recognized for his contributions to public discourse when the Manila Overseas Press Club (MOPC) acclaimed him as the “Journalist of the Year – Law.” It was a historic honor — the first time in MOPC’s 78-year history that the award was ever given.
On November 16, 2023, the Rotary Club of Manila honored him as “The Only Philippine Rotary President to Become Chief Justice of the Philippines.” He was also the only Filipino appointed by the late Pope John Paul II to the Pontifical Council for the Laity for the 1996–2001 term.
Introduction by Past Deputy Governor Vicente J. Carlos, after the unanimous election of Chief Justice Artemio V. Panganiban (ret.) as Honorary Member of the Rotary Club Manila, January 9, 2025 in Manila Polo Club
Remarks by Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo during the Book launch of WITH DUE RESPECT 3 on December 7, 2021
PICPA’s General Membership Meeting, Induction of Officers, and Turnover Ceremony on July 3, 2021
“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 Alexander G. Gesmundo
“He leapfrogged the social and economic barriers of Philippine society…[and] in the Supreme Court, best blossomed for God and country.”
- CJ Reynato S. Puno
“ A “renaissance man…a nobly-souled and gifted jurist.”
- CJ Renato C. Corona
“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.”
- CJ Maria Lourdes P.A. Sereno
“He extricates the possible from the hypothetical, the emerging from the established, the literature in science and the law in art.”
- CJ Hilario G. Davide Jr.
“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.”
- Senior Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen
“Undoubtedly the most prolific writer of the Court, bar none.”
- Senior Justice Antonio T. Carpio
“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.”
- Justice Estela M. Perlas-Bernabe
lauded his “preeminent judicial craftsmanship, social philosophies and literary style…”
- Justice Angelina Sandoval-Gutierrez
“An avatar of Themis herself, CJ Art’s judicial legacy will surely live on through the ages.”
- Justice Ramon Paul L. Hernando
“The way CJ Panganiban writes is a reflection of what he is – brilliant without being flashy, authoritative without being pompous, straightforward without being drab,”
- Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra
“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.”
- Aurelio Montinola III, Chairman, Far Eastern University
“You are neither retired nor ancient. I have always looked up to you! One of the best UP law alumni we almost had!.”
- Dean Danilo L. Concepcion, President, University of the Philippines
“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.”
- Dr. Raul C. Pangalangan, retired Judge, International Criminal Court, The Hague
“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 Romeo J. Callejo Sr.
Website Revised on April 1,2026
