Ex-SC justice Feliciano, 87

MANILA, Philippines - Retired Associate Justice Florentino Feliciano died on Tuesday, the Supreme Court (SC) announced yesterday.

“The Chief Justice and the associate justices of the Supreme Court announce with regret the passing of its 115th member, the Honorable Florentino Feliciano, associate justice from Aug. 8, 1986 to Dec. 13, 1995. He was 87 years old,” the high court said in a statement.

Feliciano’s remains lie in state at the Heritage Park in Taguig City.

The SC will honor him in a ceremony at 10 a.m. tomorrow at the SC session hall.

Feliciano was survived by his wife Virginia Toralballa-Feliciano, children and in-laws Josephine Ann and Emmanuel, Regina Stella and Hans, and Robert and Des.

He graduated magna cum laude from the UP College of Law in 1952 and received his master of laws and doctor of juridical science degrees from Yale University.

Feliciano was appointed to the SC in 1986 by the late President Corazon Aquino and retired early in 1995 to become arbiter of the World Trade Organization in Geneva, Switzerland.

In 2003, Feliciano chaired the independent fact-finding commission that probed the Makati mutiny hatched by the Magdalo soldiers.

Feliciano was a Partner at the SyCip Salazar Feliciano & Hernandez law office from 1962 to 1986, and managing partner from 1983 to 1986.

Feliciano’s legal career was highlighted by his appointment to the Supreme Court as associate justice from 1986 to 1994 and later as senior associate justice from 1994 to 1995.

A legal luminary, Feliciano was widely known for his experience and expertise in Commercial and International Trade Law, having been a counsel, negotiator and advisor to prominent companies in different business sectors.

He served as member of the Appellate Body of the World Trade Organization from 1995 to 2001 and as its chairman from 2000 to 2001. In 2003, he rejoined SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan as senior counsel.

Feliciano was president of the Asian Development Bank Administrative Tribunal from 2007. Before that, he was a member of the ADB Administrative Tribunal from 1991 to 1995.

Aside from his law practice, Feliciano showed his passion for the legal profession by serving as lecturer in Law at Yale University, US Naval War College in Rhode Island and at the University of the Philippines.