Lex Talionis Fraternitas, Inc. (Sodalitas Ducum Futurorum), commonly known as Lex Talionis, is a fraternal organization of Filipino jurists, legal practitioners, and law students. It was founded on September 29, 1969 at 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 ...

History

The Lex Talionis Fraternitas was founded on September 29, 1969 by 35 students of the San Beda College of Law. Founders of Lex Talionis Fraternitas

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 the members' favorite bar near San Beda. Martinez was also 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. Miguel Soriano, Rizal Guerrero, and Jose 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 called for the purpose. Since then, only a single Grand Judex has been elected for a fixed term. In 1974, a chapter in Davao City was founded by Joel Babista,

Rodrigo Duterte Rodrigo Roa Duterte (, ; born March 28, 1945) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the first Philippine president from Mindanao, and is the oldest person to assum ...

, and 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 of the Ateneo de Davao chapter is coequal to that of the Grand Judex of the San Beda chapter. Each Grand Judex exercises absolute authority over their respective chapters. In 1983, the

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granted the incorporation of the fraternity.

Symbols

The fraternity takes its name from ''Lex Talionis'', which 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. The secondary name, ''Sodalitas Ducum Futurorum'' is Latin for "Solidarity of Future Leaders." Its colors are black, red, and gold. Its motto is "Loyalty, Service, Excellence, Superiority".

Membership

Recruitment is by invitation only and exclusive to law students enrolled either at the

or the Ateneo de Davao College of Law.

Organization

The head of the fraternity is called the Grand Judex. He is selected in secret by all members present in an election called for such 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'', composed of Miguel Soriano, Rizal Guerrero, and Jose Mendoza. Later on, Francisco Acosta, 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, an 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.

Chapters

Following is a list of Lex Talionis chapters. Active chapters are indicated in bold.

Controversies

Death of Raul Camaligan

On September 8, 1991, fraternity neophyte Raul Camaligan died of physical injuries sustained from initiation rites with Lex Talionis. Records of the criminal case show Camaligan, along with three other freshmen from the San Beda College of Law, were recruited with the assurance that hazing would not be required for full membership. Eight members were indicted for homicide before the

Regional Trial Court The regional trial courts (RTC; ) are the highest trial courts in the Philippines. In criminal matters, they have original jurisdiction. History It was formerly called as the Court of First Instance since the Spanish colonial period. It cont ...

of Quezon City. Upon re-arraignment, they withdrew their earlier plea of not guilty and pleaded guilty to the lesser offense of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide, effectively lowering the penalty to a minimum of two years and a maximum of four. The Grand Judex at that time, Roger Madamba, while not present during Camaligan's initiation, also admitted to the offense. The members were convicted, but later on applied for and were granted probation. One of the convicted members, Rufino Quitasol Jr., fled the country without serving his sentence. In three separate landmark cases, the Supreme Court allowed the members involved in Camaligan's death 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." Additionally, the petitioners submitted evidence that a scholarship foundation in honor of Raul Camaligan was established in 1995 by the fraternity members. However, in 2017, an investigation by the ''

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'' revealed that no such foundation was ever established and no scholars were registered under its name, according to the records of San Beda College. Gilbert Camaligan, Raul's father, further condemned the fraternity's silence after 25 years, and claimed the organization is "not a good example for young people."

Appointments under the Duterte administration

During the presidency of

, a disproportionate number of fraternity members were appointed to key government positions, prompting concerns of political favoritism and nepotism from political watchdogs and civil society groups. Within the first year of Duterte's presidency, 25 members of Lex Talionis held key positions in the government, up from just two during the previous administration. In 2021, Duterte admitted the appointments were motivated by '' utang na loob'' (debt of gratitude), but defended his decisions by claiming he has the executive prerogative to appoint people he "know and trust just like other presidents before me."

Notable members

* Francisco Acosta - Retired Associate Justice of the Court of Appeals of the Philippines * Vitaliano Aguirre II - Secretary of Justice * Adnan Alonto - Ambassador to

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

for the Philippines * Arvin Amatorio - Mayor of

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* Arthur Amansec - Commissioner, Social Security System * Emilio B. Aquino - Chairperson of the Securities and Exchange Commission (Philippines) * Wendel Avisado - Secretary of Budget and Management * Rey Bulay - Commissioner,

Commission on Elections (Philippines) The Commission on Elections (), abbreviated as , is one of the three Constitutional Commission#Philippines, constitutional commissions of the Philippines. Its principal role is to enforce all laws and regulations relative to the conduct of ele ...

- 16th

President of the Philippines The president of the Philippines (, sometimes referred to as ) is the head of state, head of government and chief executive of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in-ch ...

* Erwin M. Enad - Commissioner,

Professional Regulation Commission The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC; ) is a three-member commission attached to Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). Its mandate is to regulate and supervise the practice of professionals (except lawyers, who are handled by the ...

* Jacinto Fajardo Jr. - Associate Justice of the Court of Appeals of the Philippines * Florencio Mamauag Jr. - Associate Justice of the Court of Appeals of the PhilippinesDuterte appoints frat brod Court of Appeals
/ref> * Benedicto Malcontento - Former Prosecutor General * Dennis Funa - Commissioner, Insurance Commission * Dante Gierran - Former NBI Director and Former President and CEO, PhilHealth * Antonio Kho Jr. - Associate Justice of the

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

* Tomas F. Lahom III - Director of the

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA; ) is a governmental agency of the Philippines. The SBMA has played a significant part in the development of the Subic Special Economic and Freeport Zone into a self-sustainable area that promotes the ...

* Abdullah Mama-o - Secretary of the

Department of Migrant Workers The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW; ) is the Executive Departments of the Philippines, executive department of the Politics of the Philippines, Philippine government responsible for the protection of the rights and promotion of the welfare ...

* Jose Catral Mendoza - Retired Associate Justice of the Supreme Court * Bienvenido L. Reyes - Retired Associate Justice of the Supreme Court * Victor Sepulveda - Former Prosecutor General * Gregory S. Ong - Retired Associate Justice of the

Sandiganbayan The Sandiganbayan () is a special Appellate court, appellate collegial court in the Philippines that has jurisdiction over criminal and civil cases involving Graft (politics), graft and corrupt practices and other offenses committed by public ...

* Rodolfo A. Ponferrada - Retired Associate Justice of the

* Roy Señeres - Former Congressman and Chairman of the

National Labor Relations Commission The National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC; ) is a quasi-judicial agency tasked to promote and maintain industrial peace based on social justice by resolving labor and management disputes involving local and overseas workers through compulsor ...

Roy Señeres denies backing out of presidential race for Duterte
/ref> * Alberto Sipaco Jr. - CEO and Chairman, Philippine Mining Development Corporation * Kevin Narce Vivero - Associate Justice of the

* Mel John Verzosa - Deputy Administrator, 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