Florenz Dolendo Regalado (October 13, 1928 – July 24, 2015) was an associate justice of the

Supreme Court of the Philippines The Supreme Court (; colloquially referred to as the ' (also used in formal writing), is the highest court in the Philippines. It was established by the Taft Commission on June 11, 1901, through the enactment of Act No. 136, which abolished th ...

, professor, and expert in criminal law in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. The 14th appointment by President

Corazon Aquino María Corazón "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino (; January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009) was a Filipino politician who served as the 11th president of the Philippines and the first woman president in the country, from Presidency of Corazon ...

, he served from July 29, 1988, to October 13, 1998. Regalado is considered the most influential

jurist A jurist is a person with expert knowledge of law; someone who analyzes and comments on law. This person is usually a specialist legal scholar, mostly (but not always) with a formal education in law (a law degree) and often a Lawyer, legal prac ...

and writer on remedial law, writing the most complete compendium in one volume as early as 1972. A legendary professor for over 30 years, Regalado became a renowned expert also in

criminal law Criminal law is the body of law that relates to crime. It proscribes conduct perceived as threatening, harmful, or otherwise endangering to the property, health, safety, and Well-being, welfare of people inclusive of one's self. Most criminal l ...

Education and early years

Florenz Dolendo Regalado was born on October 13, 1928, in Concepcion,

Iloilo Iloilo ( ; ), officially the Province of Iloilo (; ; ; ), is a province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Its capital and largest city is Iloilo City, the regional center of Western Visayas and politically independen ...

. He finished Mandurriao Elementary School and Jaro Central School, Iloilo City in 1938. He went to Iloilo Provincial High School and took an advanced three-year course because of excellent marks. He finished in 1942. He graduated

Far Eastern University Far Eastern University (), also referred to by its acronym FEU, is a Private university, private research non-sectarian university in Manila, Philippines. Created by the merger of Far Eastern College and the Institute of Accounts, Business and ...

with an Associate in Arts degree in 1949. A year later he entered

San Beda College San Beda University () is a private Catholic coeducational basic and higher education institution run by the Order of Saint Benedict in San Miguel, Manila, Philippines. It was founded by the Benedictines in 1901. The main campus is situated ...

and finished

magna 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 Sout ...

in 1954 at San Beda College of Law, and received his

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

degree from the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

in 1963 as a De Witt Scholar. He remains the record holder for the highest average in the Philippine Bar Examinations, with his 1954 mark of 96.7%, where he was awarded the Memorial of Recognition. Regalado was also a young guerilla in the sixth military district in

Panay Panay is the sixth-largest and fourth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total land area of and a total population of 4,542,926, as of 2020 census. Panay comprises 4.4 percent of the entire population of the country. The City of Il ...

and was awarded with distinction for his part in

WW II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated, with many nations mobilising ...

. He was involved in multiple missions in

Leyte province Leyte (also Northern Leyte; ; Cebuano: ''Amihanang Leyte''; ), officially the Province of Leyte, is a province in the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region occupying the northern three-quarters of Leyte Island (with the remaining po ...

Legal career

Regalado started as technical assistant to the Secretary of Labor from 1955 to 1956. He also worked as the Special Prosecutor for Labor cases at the Department of Justice at the same time. Before becoming Associate Justice, he served as the Dean of the

San Beda College of Law San Beda College of Law is the law school of 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, 2006-2007. The mai ...

. He also served as Pre-Bar Reviewer in Criminal Law and Remedial Law at the San Beda College of Law from 1958 to 1988, Far Eastern University, Lyceum of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University, and as lecturer at the U.P. Law Center from 1976 to 1979. He was a member of the

Philippine Constitutional Commission of 1986 The Philippine Constitutional Commission of 1986 was the constitutional convention tasked with drafting the present iteration of the Constitution of the Philippines in 1986. Sessions *Regular Session: June 2 – October 15, 1986 Legislation ...

as vice-chairman for the Executive Branch committee which drafted the present

Constitution of the Philippines The Constitution of the Philippines (Filipino language, Filipino: ''Saligang Batas ng Pilipinas'' or ''Konstitusyon ng Pilipinas'') is the Constitution, supreme law of the Philippines. Its final draft was completed by the Philippine Constitution ...

. His jottings on the stages of theft are considered the principal source in current jurisprudence in criminal law. Regalado was known for his diligence, and when he entered he reduced the 11,000 cases docketed, which included a 1932 case, and brought it down to 4,000 cases by the time he retired.

Final years and legacy

Regalado died on July 24, 2015, in Manila. The Florenz D. Regalado Memorial Award for the top students was created in his honor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Regalado, Florenz D. 1928 births 2015 deaths People from Iloilo 20th-century Filipino judges Associate justices of the Supreme Court of the Philippines University of Michigan Law School alumni San Beda University alumni Visayan people Members of the Philippine Constitutional Commission of 1986