On Fred Tadiar’s passing

One of the loveliest homilies delivered by a son at the memorial service for his father was that by Carlo Tadiar, in the Tadiar home in Quezon City.  His father, Alfredo Tadiar, was felled by a heart attack on Dec. 9 last year.  Three days later, on Dec. 11, he was gone, without having spoken a word.

Carlo spoke of the kind of man his father was, his speech, long and worshipful, which I will sum up through his opening lines: “I just want to keep saying that he lived a wonderful life. There is nothing more he could have asked for, and nothing more I would have wished for him.

“He died as in a clap of thunder, in the full bloom of the gifts of his mind. He was 85.”

Forty seven days after his death, the Philippine Judicial Academy rendered a posthumous award to Prof. Alfredo F. Tadiar, LLB, LLM, “in recognition of his pioneering work in the field of alternative dispute resolution (ADR), which led to his public recognition as ‘The Father of ADR in the Philippines’; for his extensive engagement in the revision of the curricular offerings on mediation and delivery of training programs; for his exemplary contribution to speedy resolution of complex construction disputes; as professional construction arbitrator.” 

Attorney Tadiar’s judicial career began as a trial court judge in San Fernando, La Union, in 1957-76. In 1976, he turned to teaching law (for 20 years) at the University of the Philippines. He lectured nationwide on alternative modes of dispute resolution (ADRM). He preached resorting to litigation only after earnest efforts to settle disputes by conciliation or mediation have failed. This he closely adhered to as director of legal aid of the UP College of Law, directing a law internship program providing free legal assistance for the poor. It was upon his initiative that the Supreme Court approved Rule 38-A, authorizing supervised law student practice. Under his leadership, the program received an outstanding award for community service.

In 1979, his “preachings” for an ADRM were formally adopted as an adjunct to the legal system when P.D. 1508, the Katarungang Pambarangay Law, was promulgated. He is regarded as a principal author of that law.

In 1993, President Fidel V. Ramos appointed him pioneering chair of the government panel constituted to negotiate a peace agreement with the military rebels that sought to topple the Aquino government in various attempts. In 1996 FVR appointed him chair of the National Amnesty Commission (NAC). 

Literature on Tadiar’s work in mediation notes that in 1993, the Supreme Court approved his study on the diversion of pending court cases to mediation. In 1999, the result of his study bore legal fruit in an official pilot project for such diversion in the cities of Valenzuela and Mandaluyong. The Philippine Judicial Academy, which oversees the experiment, appointed him a consultant in the conceptualization and the training of mediators who will be accredited for the project. This led to the expansion of the pilot project to all of Metro Manila, then cities of Davao Cebu and Davao, and subsequently, included the Court of Appeals, and in 2003, the Supreme Court. This led to a formal amendment of the Rules of Court for a nationwide adoption that would empower judges to divert pending cases for mediation and, eventually, for arbitration.

Just as he had made an imprint in the field of dispute resolution, Professor Tadiar was a pioneer in the family planning program in the country. In the early 1960s, when mere possession of family planning materials was a chargeable offense of possessing “obscene materials,” and sterilization procedures of tubal ligation ran the risk of being criminally charged with mutilation for having deprived a person of an organ of reproduction, Professor Tadiar was already involved in family planning. He became president of the La Union chapter of the Family Planning Organization of the Philippines, and became a board member of the national organization. He was invited to be an international adviser of the International Women’s Health Coalition in New York in 1987.

He was one of the early leaders (1980s) and until his death, chair of the Women’s Health Care Foundation (WHCF), a non-government organization which provides health services for women and girls; chaired the Institute for Social Studies and Action (ISSA), another NGO established in 1982 which has been recognized as a leading advocate for sexual and reproductive health and rights, and was a founding member of REPROCEN (Center for Reproductive Health, Law and Ethics), a joint project of the UP colleges of law and medicine. 

He was one of the founders of PROCESS (Participatory Research Organization of Communities Towards the Struggle for Self-Reliance) that is focused on capacitating people to use law as resource and the protection of human rights.

Fred finished AB (cum laude) and law (cum laude) at Silliman University and placed 14th in the 1955 bar examinations. In 2008, he was voted Most Outstanding Sillimanian in Law. He took his master of laws, with distinction, at Harvard University, and special studies on juvenile justice administration at Boston University. He was a member of the international societies of Phi Kappa Phi and Pi Gamma Mu, which voted him Outstanding Member in 1999.

In 2008, Professor Tadiar was elected first Filipino chair of the board of advisers, International Development Law Organization (IDLO) in Rome, an assembly of 30 nations promoting the Rule of Law, Development and Good Governance in developing countries and economies in transition.

The Tadiar children, all from UP, have taken after their parents, in academic proficiency and social concerns.  Aisha Floredia majored in interior design; Bonifacio Carlo, humanities and anthropology; Neferti Xina, Ph.D., creative writing and literature; Theodosia Tanya, English and music; Alfredo Blas, fine arts, and Harvey Gino, film and AVC.

Fred’s wife, Florence, MD, MPH, MHA, was with him all the way – sharing advocacies, and collaborating in research and writing of papers. Said Carlo of his parents’ love affair: “The first of (Dad’s) great successes was his marriage to the love of his life, my mom Florence. They adored each other, and had the best of times in each other’s company. My parents all the time were laughing, like kids, wherever they went. Till the very end he was smitten by her, and she by him. Till the end neither of them could fully grasp the great fortune that led each to the other.”

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A highlight of the Centro Escolar University grand reunion last month was the awarding of the diamond jubilarian title to former President Fidel V. Ramos, a member of the CEU boys high school class 1945. Female alumni said it was no wonder that FVR has “a soft spot for the pink walls, or Centro de Senoritas, which was once the leading exclusive school for girls and a sprinkling of boys.”

CEU Alumni Foundation president Dr. Paz Lucio and CEU president Dr. Cristina Padolina also awarded 46 alumni who have made a difference in their communities and organizations here and abroad. Among them are Erlinda Tiongco-Galeon, Miriam Azupardo-Tamayo, Doris Grace Samantela-Ruivivar, Cynthia Guerrero-de Leon, Juliet Pantaleon-Capati, Cecille Guarin-Escobar, Grace Temprosa-David, Cynthia and Ethelyn Balenton and Amethyst Cureg-Cruz, and Preciosa Soliven.

Adding color and excitement to the reunion was the Got Talent Competition. The Manila elementary-high school alumni chapter bagged the first prize with their interpretation of the theme, “West joins East where Escolarians… meet”. Best female performer was Rosana Robles (Batch ’71) in dance, drama and music. Alumni from Manila made a sweep of other major prizes, such as being the chapter with the most attendees and for having brought over the oldest alumna, Josefina Bartolome, 88, from the U.S., and most outstanding for over-all performance from among the eight cluster chapters.

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