On this beautiful, sunshiny Wednesday, September 25, 2024, UE’s 78th Foundation Day, we in the UE community have the honor and privilege of being greeted by one of Lualhati’s exceptional Law graduates: former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines and now the nation’s Executive Secretary, Hon. Lucas P. Bersamin!

The Abra-hailing Justice Bersamin earned his Bachelor of Laws from the UE College of Law in 1973. In the Bar examinations of that same year, he emerged among the Top 10 examinees, earning 9th Place and attaining a 100% score in the exams’ Criminal Law segment.

He later on returned the favor for a time, as a professor at UE CLaw and other universities, as well as a lecturer of law review centers, and a resource person for the continuing legal education programs of the UP Law Center-Institute for Judicial Administration and the Philippine Judicial Academy.

He became a Presiding Judge of Regional Trial Court Branch 96 in Quezon City and became a Member of the Court of Appeals. For his Alma Mater’s first diamond jubilee in September 2006, he was a natural choice to be part of UE’s 60 Most Outstanding Alumni awardees, who were recognized during the University’s 60th Foundation Day on September 25, 2006.

Not long after, Justice Bersamin was appointed to become Associate Justice of the Supreme Court on April 2, 2009, eventually earning the appointment of becoming the country’s 25th Chief Justice on November 28, 2018, serving as such up to his compulsory retirement on October 17, 2019, making history as the first UE graduate to ever become Chief Justice of the Philippines.

UE then soon conferred upon him the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, on November 12, 2019, in UE Manila, not long after his retirement as the 25th Chief Justice of the Philippines—making him the University’s 18th honorary Doctor of Laws conferee, 12th UE alumnus to receive an honorary degree from his Alma Mater, and 34th recipient overall of an honorary UE degree.

Justice Bersamin was a member of the Board of Trustees of UE and UERMMMCI from 2019 to mid-2022, before he was appointed Executive Secretary.

Thank you, Former Chief Justice and Warrior Executive Secretary! Happy Anniversary, everyone in the UE community! Let’s keep embodying Excellence Beyond 78!

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