Ruben Reyes

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Ruben T. Reyes
Associate Justice of the Philippine Supreme Court
Incumbent
Assumed office August 2, 2007
Appointed by	Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Preceded by	Romeo J. Callejo, Sr.

Born	January 3, 1939 (1939-01-03) (age 69) (age 68) Hagonoy, Bulacan
Spouse	Ellie Cruz-Reyes

Ruben T. Reyes (born January 3, 1939) is an incumbent Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines. He was appointed to the Court on August 2, 2007 by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.^[1]

1 Profile
2 NBN controversy
3 Notable Decisions
4 Notes

[edit] Profile

Reyes is married to lawyer Ellie Cruz-Reyes and have four children: Pastor Winston, Dr. Roselin, IT consultant Jason Immanuel and lawyer Tammy Ann.Tammy Ann is a division clerk of court in the Court of Appeals.

Reyes earned his law degree from the Manuel L. Quezon University in 1962. He engaged in private practice for several years before becoming a city fiscal in Manila. Reyes won the 1981 Best Resolution Contest.

Reyes was then appointed as a trial court judge, assigned first in Batangas, then in Manila where he received an Outstanding RTC award and became RTC Judges Association president. He also edited the Philippine Judges Association Newsletter and Bench Bulletin.

Reyes studied 8 summer courses in the U.S., including the 1st Harvard Law School Workshop for Law Teachers and Scholars, the Academy of America and International Law, Appellate Judges Seminar, California Judicial College and National Judicial College. He was also president of the Philippine Association of Law Professors, trustee and lecturer of the Philippine Judicial Academy. In 2002, he was a Bar examiner in Legal Ethics and authored the Bar Reviewer on Special Penal Laws. He was a lecturer on Mandatory Continuing Legal Education, co-chair of the Supreme Court sub-committee on MCLE Draft Rules, member of the Supreme Court committee on legal education & Bar matters and resource person in Criminal and Remedial Laws at the UP Law Center. He received the following awards - the CUP Outstanding Justice of the Court of Apeals, Bulacan Dangal ng Lipi, YMCA Presidential awards, and two Supreme Court awards on judicial reforms.^[2]

In 1994, he was appointed by President Fidel V. Ramos to sit on the Court of Appeals. Reyes sat on the appellate court for 13 years, and was eventually named as its Presiding Justice in January of 2006.

With his appointment, Reyes joins Associate Justices Alicia Austria-Martinez and Cancio Garcia as the third former Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeals to sit in the Puno Court. He had been nominated to the Supreme Court four previous times by the Judicial and Bar Council^[3] before he was finally appointed to fill the vacancy left with the retirement of Romeo J. Callejo, Sr..

He brought some of his staff with him to the Supreme Court. Including Atty. Ed Abergos, Atty. Alfonso Luis Paredes, Dexter Lacanilao and Rosendo Evangelista.

Two retired justices had warned against Reyes’ appointment, since he had exceeded the age limit. Reyes will retire when he turns 70 on Jan. 3, 2009. Under the rules of the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC), only those career officials who are able to serve for at least one and a half years will be considered.^[4]Meanwhile, the High Tribunal asked Reyes to comment on the allegations of corruption in Cebu CA substations during his time in the CA that were raised by a Manila-based newspaper columnist, a litigant who lost a civil case, and an anti-crime crusader in the Visayas. The Court of Appeals stations in the Visayas and Mindanao are facing possible reorganization or temporary transfer to Manila in the wake of allegations of corruption in the Cebu judiciary that has worried the Supreme Court. These options were recommended by Justice Ruben Reyes.^[5]Reyes' appointment and the CA corruption investigations took place barely a week after the mystic fire burned the 4th floor of the Philippine Court of Appeals where Reyes' office was located. On July 26, 2007, fire hit the CA main building, from the room of Associate Justice Edgardo Sundiam at the fourth floor. Thick smoke was coming out of the building as the fire continued to rage amid strong winds blowing, raising fears that the flames would become stronger.^[6]

Filipino in Court proceedings

On August 30, 2007, Reyes urged judges, lawyers and court officials to follow the example set by 3 Bulacan court salas (Branches 6, 80 and 81) using Filipino in proceedings (at the program commemorating the 157th birth anniversary of Marcelo H. del Pilar at the Bulacan State University. Reyes noted that the use of Filipino in Del Pilar’s Dyaryong Tagalog played a major role in enlightening Filipinos about the oppression during the Spanish regime.^[7]

[edit] NBN controversy

On September 28, 2007, Ruben Reyes clarified that he is not the "Ruben Reyes" mentioned in the network (NBN) deal scandal (the "businessman" and "golfing buddy" of Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman Benjamin Abalos). Reyes stated: "The guy must be one of several namesakes [but] to erase all doubts in mind of the public, let it be put on record that I categorically deny any relation to the 'Ruben Reyes' linked to the NBN-ZTE controversy.” ^[8]

[edit] Notable Decisions

1. Cosmos v. Nagrama
2. Serana v. Sandiganbayan
3. People v. Glino

[edit] Notes

The Puno Court
Reynato S. Puno (2006-present)
March 17, 2008– present:	L. Quisumbing \| C. Ynares-Santiago \| A. Carpio \| A. Austria-Martinez \| R. Corona \| C. Carpio-Morales \| A. Azcuna \| D. Tinga \| M. Chico-Nazario \| P. Velasco, Jr. \| A. Nachura\| R. Reyes \| T. Leonardo-de Castro \| A. Brion