Ramon Calleja Fernandez (February 16, 1916 - March 25, 1997) was a former

associate justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines An associate justice of the Supreme Court () is one of fifteen members of the Supreme Court of the Philippines, Supreme Court, the highest court in the Philippines. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines, chief justice presid ...

. He was sworn in as a member 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 ...

by President

Ferdinand Marcos Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. (September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino lawyer, politician, dictator, and Kleptocracy, kleptocrat who served as the tenth president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled the c ...

on May 27, 1977, but resigned on May 11, 1982 after being involved in a scandal over the admission of the son of a fellow associate justice as a lawyer, in a case that also saw the resignation of the entire Supreme Court.

Biography

Born in Libon,

Albay Albay (IPA: ), officially the Province of Albay (; ; Baybayin, ᜎᜎᜏᜒᜄᜈ᜔ ᜈᜅ᜔ ᜀᜎ᜔ᜊᜌ᜔), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Bicol Region of the Philippines, mostly on the southeastern part of the isla ...

on February 16, 1916, Fernandez obtained his pre-law degree and law degree from the

University of the Philippines College of Law The University of the Philippines College of Law (often referred to as UP Law) is the law school of the University of the Philippines Diliman. Formally established in 1911 in UP Manila, it is the third oldest continually-operating law school ...

where he graduated in 1939. He was a classmate and

Upsilon Sigma Phi The Upsilon Sigma Phi () is the oldest Greek-letter organization and fraternity in Asia. Founded in 1918, it is also the oldest student organization in continuous existence in the University of the Philippines. It has two chapters—an integra ...

fraternity brother of

, who later appointed him to government positions during his presidency. He taught law at the University of the Philippines,

Manuel L. Quezon University Manuel L. Quezon University (MLQU) is a private, nonsectarian, coeducational basic and higher education institution in Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines. It is named after the second president of the Philippines, Manuel L. Quezon. History On N ...

, and the

Philippine Law School The Philippine Law School (PLS), founded in 1915, is a law school in the Philippines. It formerly served as the college of law of National University. It has produced lawyers such as Philippine President Carlos P. Garcia, a member of the clas ...

before joining government as an undersecretary of the

Department of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

from 1968 to 1971. In 1977 he was appointed as an associate justice of the Supreme Court.

Resignation

Fernandez's tenure in the Supreme Court was cut short after he was implicated in a scandal over the conduct of the 1981

Philippine Bar Examinations The Philippine Bar Examinations 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. History ...

that were overseen by the court. In March 1982, Associate Justice Ameurfina Melencio-Herrera publicly said that the mercantile law grades of Associate Justice Vicente Ericta's son Gustavo, who took the examination, was changed from 56 to 58 percent prior to publication of the test results to enable him to pass with a general average of 73 and become a full-fledged lawyer. Chief Justice Enrique Fernando subsequently admitted ordering the revision in the younger Ericta's grade but denied allegations of unethical behavior, saying that it was done to correct an "oversight" by the examiner upon the advice of justices

Ramon Aquino Ramon Caguicla Aquino (August 31, 1917 – March 31, 1993) was the 15th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines. He was appointed on November 20, 1985, the last Chief Justice appointed by President Ferdinand Marcos. Personal lif ...

and Fernandez, who were prematurely shown Ericta's grades, and citing a similar predicament with one of Fernando’s sons, who died shortly after passing the bar exam. Following public uproar and demands for their impeachment, all 14 members of the Supreme Court, including six justices who were not directly involved in the grade tampering, submitted their resignation to President Marcos on May 11. All of them were subsequently reappointed days later by Marcos, except for Ericta and Fernandez, who were both "found responsible" for the scandal by a group of former justices advising the president.

Death

Fernandez died in 1997.

References

External links

Associate Justice Ramon Fernandez (Supreme Court E-Library)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fernandez, Ramon 1916 births 1997 deaths Associate justices of the Supreme Court of the Philippines 20th-century Filipino lawyers University of the Philippines alumni People from Albay