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Manila Bulletin devider Lifestyle devider A book detailing the life of one of the brightest minds in Philippine Bar launched

A book detailing the life of one of the brightest minds in Philippine Bar launched

Published Oct 31, 2021 09:37 am

“Forester of Nations & The Last Resort” reveals the significant events that shaped the life of lawyer Estelito Mendoza whose brilliant career started when he was tapped by former President Ferdinand Marcos to join his government initially as Solicitor General.

'Forester of Nations & The Last Resort' (Manila Bulletin/Manny Llanes)

Written by the late Adrian E. Cristobal and former Senator Francisco S. Tatad, Mendoza’s biography also illuminates a critical half-century of Philippine political and economic history, which includes details about the Martial Law years and the impeachment trial of former president Joseph “Erap” Estrada, among others.

The title “Forester of Nations” is from the play, “The Man for All Seasons,” where the lawyer St. Thomas More declared that he could not “navigate the currents and eddies of right and wrong ...but in the thickets of the law ...I am a forester ... where no man alive could follow me...”

Quite aptly, Mendoza’s career goes deep into the forest of the law as he is widely considered as the most accomplished and most sought-after legal practitioner in the Philippine Bar and legal fraternity.

“Titong (Mendoza’s nickname) was a scholar from the start. He accomplished the then formidable task for UP Law students, of maintaining his grades between 1.5 and 1.7 consistently for six years. He graduated with LL.B. cum laude in 1952,” said former supreme court Justice Hugo Gutierrez, Jr., a bosom friend and classmate of Mendoza.

That Class of 1952 would be easily considered as a star-studded batch as it also included among its ranks the likes of Florentino Feliciano, Flerida Ruth Romero, Serafin Cuevas, and Marcelo Ferna, who moved on to become chief justice and later Senate president.

“Forester of Nations & The Last Resort” also includes the seemingly remarkable private and public life of the usually reticent lawyer with others outside the intimate circle of family and friends.

“Forester of Nations & The Last Resort” is published by the Manila Bulletin and is available at Central Bookstore and at Fully Booked branches The Fort, Gateway, Rockwell, Greenbelt 5, Trinoma, and UP Town Center on both hardcover and paperback, and is priced P1,400 and P1,200.00, respectively. For orders and inquiries, you may call +632-85277522/26 or email [email protected] .

Related Tags

“Forester of Nations & The Last Resort” Estelito Mendoza Adrian E. Cristobal Francisco S. Tatad Arts and Culture
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