FROM humble beginnings, having been born to poor but hardworking parents, the new Supreme Court Associate Justice Presbitero J. Velasco, Jr. studied hard and started to achieve from his elementary years at the Juan Sumulong Elementary School in Pasay City, graduating First Honorable Mention at age 11. Finishing his high school education at the University of the Philippines (UP) Preparatory School at age 15 and his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science also from the UP in a record of three years, he graduated from the UP College of Law at the age of 22, ranking eighth in his graduating class with a weighted average of 1.79 percent. When he took the Bar in 1971, he placed sixth among the top 10 and became a full-fledged lawyer at the age of 23. He is married to Lorna Quinto of Torrijos, Marinduque with whom he has three children: Vincent Michael, Lord Allan Jay, and Tricia.
Prior to his appointment as Supreme Court Associate Justice, Justice Velasco was the Court Administrator of the Highest Court from September 11, 2001. As Court Administrator, he assisted in implementing priority projects in the Action Program for Judicial Reforms (APJR), in particular, those meant to deliver expeditious, efficient, and equitable justice, including the Court Management Information System and Case Flow Management, and also the establishment of the Pilot Regional Court Administration Office. As Court Administrator, he was instrumental in crafting and seeing the passage of Republic Act 9227 that provides special allowances to justices and judges to double their basic salaries (within four years of the law’s effectivity), a law that has led to the filling up of many vacancies in the first-level courts and Regional Trial Courts throughout the country. He has also recommended a number of amendments to the Rules of Court so as to speed up the decisionmaking process in the interest of dispute resolution and justice.
Prior to being Court Administrator of the Supreme Court, Justice Velasco was Justice of the Court of Appeals, serving as the Presiding Justice. He was also undersecretary of the Department of Justice and a member of the Judicial and Bar Council. He served in various professional and socio-civic organizations, the most notable of which was as National President of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP). A God-fearing man, he has been a firm advocate of compassion for the poor and the marginalized.
We congratulate Supreme Court Associate Justice Presbitero J. Velasco, Jr. on his appointment to the Highest Court of the land and wish him success in all his endeavors.
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