Lex Talionis Fraternitas
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''Lex Talionis Fraternitas, Inc. Sodalitas Ducum Futurorum'' is an exclusive fraternal organization of Filipino jurists, legal practitioners, and law students founded on September 28, 1969, at the
San Beda College of Law 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.Directory of Higher Education Institutions, Commission on Higher Education, 2006 ...
. A chapter in the
Ateneo de Davao University , mottoeng = Strong in Faith , type = Private Catholic Research Non-profit Coeducational Basic and Higher education institution , established = , founder = Society of Jesus , religious ...
School of Law was established in 1974. In 1983, the
Securities and Exchange Commission The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government, created in the aftermath of the Wall Street Crash of 1929. The primary purpose of the SEC is to enforce the law against market ...
granted the incorporation of the fraternity. Recruitment is by invitation only and exclusive to law students enrolled either at the
San Beda College of Law 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.Directory of Higher Education Institutions, Commission on Higher Education, 2006 ...
or the Ateneo de Davao College of Law.


The Principle of Lex Talionis

Lex Talionis "An eye for an eye" ( hbo, עַיִן תַּחַת עַיִן, ) is a commandment found in the Book of Exodus 21:23–27 expressing the principle of reciprocal justice measure for measure. The principle exists also in Babylonian law. In Roman c ...
is Latin for ''Law of Retaliation''. This concept is derived from the Mosaic law " an eye for an eye; a tooth for a tooth" which is a variation of the original concept promulgated under the Code of Hammurabi. It means that should a brother Talion lose an eye, the Lex Talionis shall see to it that that eye is replaced with a new one so that he may clearly see and live normally. Should a brother Talion suffer a misfortune of any kind, it shall be a must for all the Talions to unite and pool their resources together to help that Talion, so that he may rise and stand on his own two feet again as long as he lives. Over the years for instance, the LTF has never failed to assist its members in their academics during their study of law and in their preparations for the bar examinations through bar operations. The secondary name, Sodalitas Ducum Futurorum is
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
for ''Solidarity of Future Leaders''.


The Grand Judex and the Troika

The head of the fraternity is called the Grand Judex. He is selected in secret by all the members present in the election called for such a purpose. Upon its establishment in 1969, the founders agreed that there would be no single Grand Judex during the formative year of the fraternity. Since there was no single Grand Judex, the first batch was headed by three co-equal Grand Judexes collectively called "the Troika." The Troika was composed of Miguel Soriano, Rizal Guerrero, and Jose Mendoza. Mendoza is the 168th Associate Justice 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 Ju ...
. Later on, Francisco Acosta, retired Justice of the
Court of Appeals A court of appeals, also called a court of appeal, appellate court, appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In much of t ...
and 2008
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examiner in Legal Ethics and Practical Exercises, was elected as the first Grand Judex. The Grand Judex is assisted by a Vice Grand Judex, a Judex of Initiation, a Judex of War, a Judex for Academic Operations, and Exchequer, and a Keeper of the Scroll. A senior advisory body, the Council of Grand Judexes, likewise takes an active part in the affairs of the fraternity and acts as the corporate Board of Directors. The council is composed of past Grand Judexes, and is headed by a chairman, who acts as the main adviser to the current Grand Judex. The current Chairman is Justice Francisco Acosta.


History

The Lex Talionis Fraternitas was founded on September 29, 1969 by 35 students of the San Beda College of Law. Most of the founders were in their third year in the college. The rest were in their second and first years. The names of the founders - otherwise known as the Lions by virtue of their batch name - are as follows: Cesar M. Albano, Victoriano Aquino, Nilo B. Barzaga, Andre Burgos, Larry Castillo, Abelardo A. Climaco Jr., Nehemias A. Curioso, Roque de Guzman, Arturo S. Diaz, George A. Eduvala, Octavio S. Goco, Rizal B. Guerrero, Antonio P. Hermosilla, Toribio Ilao Jr., Arturo C. Jarabata, Ramon R. Legaspi, Dagoroan Macarambon, Porfirio Mah, Cresencio I. Maliwat, Rolly Marcos, Domingo Maristela, Policarpio P. Martinez, Napoleon Matienzo, Jose C. Mendoza, Rodolfo A. Ponferrada, Felito S. Ramirez, Ernesto P. Ramos, Bienvenido Reyes, Manuel S. Reyes, Roy V. Seneres, Alberto B. Sipaco Jr., Miguel P. Soriano, Voltaire Trinidad, Danilo D. Valdez and Lucas Vidad. Founder Policarpio Martinez and six other founders were requested to write the draft of the fraternity's constitution and by-laws. After a brief debate, the founders approved the document and sealed it with a sprinkling of beer in the afternoon of September 28, 1969 at their favorite watering hole not far from their school. Founder Martinez was tasked to take custody of the document. One of the salient features of the Constitution and by-laws was the Troika. It was decreed that the fraternity be ruled by a triumvirate of Grand Judexes. Founders Soriano, Guerrero and Mendoza were unanimously elected and proclaimed as the first Grand Judexes of the Troika of the Lex Talionis Fraternitas. After a year, the triumvirate of Grand Judexes decided to scrap the Constitution and by-laws. They also abolished the Troika for faster and easier manageability of the fraternity. Their decision was overwhelmingly endorsed by the members in a meeting that was called for the purpose. Since then and to this day, only a single Grand Judex is elected for a fixed term and he is guided, in the absence of a constitution and by-laws, by customs and traditions that have evolved over the years. In 1974, a chapter in Davao City was founded by Atty. Joel Babista, Atty. Rodrigo Duterte, and Atty. Alberto Sipaco Jr in Ateneo de Davao College of Law. The three are also known as the "Triumvirate". From then on, another Grand Judex was periodically elected by the members from the Ateneo de Davao College of law. The Grand Judex for the Ateneo de Davao chapter is coequal to that of the Grand Judex for the San Beda chapter. Each Grand Judex exercises absolute authority over their respective chapters.


The Camaligan Incident

The fraternity went into controversy and criticism when neophyte Raul Camaligan died of physical injuries after his initiation rites on September 8, 1991. Eight members were indicted for Homicide before the Regional Trial Court of Quezon City. Upon rearraignment, they withdrew their earlier plea of not guilty and pleaded guilty to the lesser offense of Reckless Imprudence Resulting in Homicide. The Grand Judex at that time, Roger Madamba, while not present during Camaligan's initiation, admitted to the offense. They were convicted but later on applied for and were granted probation. In the landmark cases of In Re: Argosino (270 SCRA 26), In Re: Cuevas (285 SCRA 59) and In Re: Tuliao (B.M. No. 832) has allowed the members involved in the crime to take the Bar Examinations, take the Lawyer's Oath, and engage in the practice of law. In granting these petitions, the Court took judicial notice of "the general tendency of youth to be rash, temerarious and uncalculating." The Court further ruled that "
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discharge from probation without any infraction of the attendant conditions therein and the various certifications attesting to
heir Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Officiall ...
good moral character and civic consciousness show that
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sufficiently proven that
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now morally fit to be admitted to the Bar and to take the lawyer’s oath. In allowing
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to take the lawyer’s oath, the Court recognizes that
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not inherently of bad moral fiber.
hey have Hey or Hey! may refer to: Music * Hey (band), a Polish rock band Albums * ''Hey'' (Andreas Bourani album) or the title song (see below), 2014 * ''Hey!'' (Julio Iglesias album) or the title song, 1980 * ''Hey!'' (Jullie album) or the title ...
also taken decisive steps to atone for the unfortunate death of Raul Camaligan." However, in allowing them to enter the legal profession, the Court gave them a stern reminder that "the lawyer’s oath is not a mere formality for entering the noble profession of the law.
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exhorted to conduct hemselvesbeyond reproach at all times and to live in accordance with the lawyer’s oath and to abide by the Code of Professional Responsibility. As new lawyer
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advised to be enfor others, ready and willing to render legal and other services to the less fortunate among our people."


Notable members

* Vitaliano N. Aguirre II, Secretary of Justice * Adnan Alonto, Ambassador to the
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for the Philippines * Emil Aquino, commissioner,
Securities and Exchange Commission The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government, created in the aftermath of the Wall Street Crash of 1929. The primary purpose of the SEC is to enforce the law against market ...
* Arthur Amansec,
Social Security System Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifical ...
Commissioner *
Rodrigo Duterte Rodrigo Roa Duterte (, ; born March 28, 1945), also known as Digong, Rody, and by the initials DU30 and PRRD, is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the chairperson ...
, 16th
President of the Philippines The president of the Philippines ( fil, Pangulo ng Pilipinas, sometimes referred to as ''Presidente ng Pilipinas'') is the head of state, head of government and chief executive of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of t ...
* Erwin Enad, commissioner,
Professional Regulation Commission The Professional Regulation Commission, ( fil, Komisyon sa Regulasyon ng mga Propesyon) otherwise known as the PRC, is a three-man commission attached to Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). Its mandate is to regulate and supervise the pr ...
* Jacinto Fajardo Jr., Associate Justice of the
Court of Appeals of the Philippines 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 ...
* Dennis Funa, Commissioner, Insurance Commission * Dante Gierran, president-CEO,
Philhealth The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) was created in 1995 to implement universal health coverage in the Philippines. It is a tax-exempt, government-owned and controlled corporation (GOCC) of the Philippines, and is attached to ...
* Antonio T. Kho,
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
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* Thomas Lajom III, director of the
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*
Jose Catral Mendoza Jose Catral Mendoza (born August 13, 1947) is a former associate justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines. Legal career A political science graduate of the University of the Philippines, Jose Mendoza took up his law studies in the San ...
,
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 ...
(Ret.) of the
Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
*
Bienvenido L. Reyes Bienvenido "Bogie" Lorenzo Reyes (born July 6, 1947) is a former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines of the Supreme Court of the Philippines. He left the Court of Appeals on August 23, 2011 to assume his seat on the Supreme ...
,
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 ...
(Ret.) of the
Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
*
Gregory S. Ong Gregory Santos Ong (born May 25, 1953) is a Filipino jurist and a former Justice of the Sandiganbayan. He was initially appointed as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philip ...
, Associate Justice (Ret.) of the
Sandiganbayan The Sandiganbayan ( en, Support of the Nation) is a special appellate collegial court in the Philippines that has jurisdiction over criminal and civil cases involving graft and corrupt practices and other offenses committed by public officer ...
*
Roy Señeres Roy Villareal Señeres (July 6, 1947 – February 8, 2016) was a Filipino politician and diplomat who initially ran in the 2016 Philippine presidential election under the Partido ng Manggagawa at Magsasaka party before withdrawing on February 5 ...
, chairman,
National Labor Relations Commission The National Labor Relations Commission (Filipino: ''Pambansang Komisyon sa Ugnayang Paggawa'', abbreviated ''NLRC'') is a quasi-judicial agency tasked to promote and maintain industrial peace based on social justice by resolving labor and manage ...
*
Alberto Sipaco Jr Alberto is the Romance languages, Romance version of the Latinized form (''Albertus'') of Germanic languages, Germanic ''Albert (given name), Albert''. It is used in Italian language, Italian, Portuguese language, Portuguese and Spanish language, ...
, CEO and chairman, Philippine Mining Development Corporation * Mel John Verzosa, deputy administrator of the National Tobacco Administration


References

{{Reflist Student societies in the Philippines Legal fraternities and sororities in the Philippines Student organizations established in 1969 1969 establishments in the Philippines