Arturo Dizon Brion (born December 29, 1946) is a former

Associate Justice Associate justice or associate judge (or simply associate) is a judicial panel member who is not the chief justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the Supreme Court of the United States and some state ...

of the

Supreme Court of the Philippines The Supreme Court ( fil, Kataas-taasang Hukuman; colloquially referred to as the ''Korte Suprema'' lso used in formal writing is the highest court in the Philippines. The Supreme Court was established by the Second Philippine Commission on J ...

. 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 (DOLE).

Early life and education

Brion was born on December 29, 1946, in the city of

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populated ...

, Philippines.Cabinet profiles, Office of the President, Malacañang. 2007. He is the son of Edon B. Brion (a retired trial court judge) and Laura S. Dizon. He grew up and undertook his primary, secondary and part of his tertiary studies in San Pablo City, Laguna. He obtained his

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

, major in Mathematics, from San Pablo Colleges in 1970. He earned his

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Ch ...

from Ateneo de Manila University Law School in 1974, graduating as ''

cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...

'' and class

valedictorian Valedictorian is an academic title for the highest-performing student of a graduating class of an academic institution. The valedictorian is commonly determined by a numerical formula, generally an academic institution's grade point average (GPA) ...

. He was Editor-in-Chief of the Ateneo Law Journal and a member of the Fraternal Order of Utopia. Brion took the 1974

Philippine Bar Examination 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. Brief his ...

s and placed first with a bar general average of 91.65%. He thereafter practiced law at the Siguon Reyna, Montecillo, and Ongsiako Law Offices. He also earned a

Master of Laws A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...

, with concentration in Labor and Employment Law, from

Osgoode Hall Law School Osgoode Hall Law School, commonly shortened to Osgoode, is the law school of York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The law school is home to the Law Commission of Ontario, the Journal of Law and Social Policy, and the '' Osgoode Hall ...

York University York University (french: Université York), also known as YorkU or simply YU, is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's fourth-largest university, and it has approximately 55,700 students, 7,000 faculty and sta ...

in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in 1994. He obtained a Bachelor of Laws Equivalency Programme from the same law school. He was admitted to the

Law Society of Upper Canada The Law Society of Ontario (LSO; french: Barreau de l'Ontario) is the law society responsible for the self-regulation of lawyers and paralegals in the Canadian province of Ontario. Founded in 1797 as the Law Society of Upper Canada (LSUC; fren ...

and to the practice of law in the province of

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

in 1992.

Career

Brion has worked from associate attorney to senior partner levels in various law offices. He was the Director of the Institute of Labor and Manpower Studies from 1982 to 1984. He served as an Assemblyman in the

Regular Batasang Pambansa The Regular Batasang Pambansa ( English: Regular National Assembly), or the First Batasang Pambansa, was the meeting of the Batasang Pambansa from the beginning of its session on July 23, 1984 until it was abolished by President Corazon Aquino on ...

, representing the province of Laguna, from 1984 to 1986. He was appointed as Deputy Minister in the Ministry of Labor and Employment during the same period. In

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world ...

, he served as Counsel in the Ministry of the Attorney General in

, Canada, from 1992 to 1995. Later, he was appointed as Associate Justice of the

Philippine Court of Appeals The Court of Appeals ( fil, Hukuman ng Pag-aapela) is an appellate collegiate court in the Philippines. The Court of Appeals consists of one presiding justice and sixty-eight associate justices. Pursuant to the Constitution, the Court of Appe ...

. In 2006, President

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal Arroyo (, born April 5, 1947), often referred to by her initials GMA, is a Filipino academic and politician serving as one of the House Deputy Speakers since 2022, and previously from 2016 to 2017. She previously ...

appointed him as Secretary of Labor and Employment, a cabinet position vacated by

Patricia Santo Tomas Patricia Aragon Santo Tomas is a Filipino government official who previously served as Chairman of the Board of Development Bank of the Philippines from 2006 to 2009. She has been a Secretary of Labor and Employment and Chairwoman of the Phil ...

who was made Chairperson of the

Development Bank of the Philippines The Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) is a state-owned development bank headquartered in Makati, Philippines. It was established after World War II in 1947 on the government's effort through its mandate to rebuild the country's war to ...

Brion was among the nominees of the

Judicial and Bar Council The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC; fil, Sangguniang Panghukuman at Pang-abogasya) of the Philippines is a constitutionally-created body that recommends appointees for vacancies that may arise in the composition of the Supreme Court, other lowe ...

to fill the vacancies in the Supreme Court left by the successive retirements of Associate Justices Romeo Callejo, Sr., Cancio Garcia, and Angelina Sandoval-Gutierrez. On March 17, 2008, he was named to the Supreme Court by President Macapagal-Arroyo to succeed Justice Sandoval-Gutierrez.

Academe

Brion taught law at the

Ateneo Law School , mottoeng = Light in the Lord , type = Private, research, non-profit, coeducational basic and higher education institution , established = December 10, 1859 , religious_affiliation = Roman Catholic (Jesuits) , academic_affi ...

from 1976 to 1982, 1986 to 1987, and 1995 to 1997. He authored an article entitled ''The Right to Refuse Unsafe Work in Ontario'', which is archived in the libraries of

. His specializations lie in the following fields—Labor Laws, Public Law, Occupational Health and Safety.

Organizations

Brion is an active member of the

Integrated Bar of the Philippines The Integrated Bar of the Philippines ( fil, Pinagsamang mga Abogasya ng Pilipinas abbreviated as IBP) is the national organization of lawyers in the Philippines. It is the mandatory bar association for Filipino lawyers. History The IBP was estab ...

(IBP). He served as President of the IBP Laguna Chapter from 1981 to 1983. He was a member of the

from 1992 to 1995. He is also a member of the Fraternal Order of Utopia, an Ateneo Law School based fraternity established in 1964 which has produced 40 bar topnotchers since 1964, three of which have placed number one in the Philippine Bar Exams, one of which is Brion. During the time Brion was in the Supreme Court, Utopia had three members who were seated in the highest tribunal of the Philippines, one is Brion, another was Justice Robert A. Abad and Chief Justice

Renato Corona Renato Tereso Antonio Coronado Corona (October 15, 1948 – April 29, 2016) 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 M ...

. Utopia currently has two members who are seated in the highest tribunal of the Philippines, Chief Justice

Alexander Gesmundo Alexander Gahon Gesmundo (born November 6, 1956) 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 Sup ...

and Justice Rodil Zalameda.

Private life

Brion is married to Antonietta C. Articona. The couple has two children. Antonietta is a chemist-lawyer (B.S. Chem, College of the Holy Spirit, and LL.B.,

, Class '82). His son Arturo, Jr. is a computer engineer-lawyer (Computer Engineering, McMaster University, Ontario; LL.B., University of New Brunswick School of Law) engaged in Intellectual Property Law practice in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

. His daughter Antonella is a B.S. History graduate of York University (Toronto), an interior designer (International Academy of Design and Technology) and a published poet and Toronto-based book designer.

Awards

In the Araw ng

Maynila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital city, capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is Cities of the Philippines#Independent cities, highly urbanize ...

's 437th founding anniversary on June 29, 2008, Brion was named "Outstanding Manilan" in law. He was the master of ceremonies of

Reynato Puno Reynato Puno y Serrano, KGCR ( Filipino: ''Reynato Serrano Puno''; born May 17, 1940) is a Filipino jurist. He served as the 22nd Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines from December 8, 2006 by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo un ...

's July 1 "Forum on Increasing Access to Justice: Bridging Gaps and Removing Roadblocks." Inquirer.net, Manila spreads welcome mat for founding day fest

References

External links

Department of Labor and Employment, Republic of the Philippines

Office of the President of the Philippines

Osgoode Hall Law School of York University

Ateneo de Manila University Law School
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brion, Arturo D. 20th-century Filipino lawyers Secretaries of Labor and Employment of the Philippines Ateneo de Manila University alumni Ateneo de Manila University faculty York University alumni 1946 births People from Manila People from San Pablo, Laguna Living people Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the Philippines Members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from Laguna (province) Arroyo administration cabinet members Justices of the Court of Appeals of the Philippines Members of the Batasang Pambansa 21st-century Filipino judges