Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo underscored the difficult life of a public servant with “never-ending work, multifarious concerns, and time away from loved ones.”
During the retirement ceremony for Court of Appeals (CA) Presiding Justice Remedios A. Salazar Fernando, who served the government for more than 45 years, Gesmundo said “with public service, we know that, in our own little way, we are doing something big, not for ourselves, but for others, for the greater good, and for a purpose higher than pecuniary recompense.”
In the judiciary, the Chief Justice said: “Surely, our remuneration is in the fulfillment that comes from the knowledge that by having done our work efficiently, we have allowed the system to work and for us specifically, we have given justice to those who sought our recourse.”
Expressing the judiciary’s gratitude to Presiding Justice Fernando during the retirement ceremony on Friday, Sept. 1, Gesmundo said: “Thank you for your selfless and dedicated service to the judiciary. The wisdom you shared, the care you gave, the excellence you exemplified and inspired in others will remain indelible in the hearts of those you served and worked with.”
“Let me thank too your family for their understanding and support as they sacrificed and endured your absence while you devoted yourself in public service,” he added.
Presiding Justice Fernando, popularly known in the judiciary as “PJ Mids,” retires on Saturday, Sept. 2, when she turns 70, the mandatory retirement age for members of the judiciary.
She started her government service as a law clerk of the Supreme Court (SC) after obtaining her law degree from the Ateneo de Manila University Law School in 1977 and passing the Bar examinations.
In 1983, she was appointed judge of the municipal trial court (MTC) in Sta. Rita, Pampanga and also served as acting MTC judge of Lubao, also in Pampanga, in 1984.
After three years as trial court judge, she was appointed chairperson of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTRFB) in 1987 and served as an assistant secretary of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) in a concurrent capacity in 1991.
In 1992, Presiding Justice Fernando was appointed commissioner of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and served the poll body until 1999.
On May 25, 1999, she returned to the judiciary as CA associate justice. Several years later on Nov. 25, 2020, she was promoted as CA presiding justice.
Presiding Justice Fernando was born on Sept. 2, 1953 in Guagua, Pampanga to Mariano Salazar and Pelagia Austria.
She was married to the late Judge Jose Ener S. Fernando with whom she has two children -- Atty. Janina Marie S. Fernando-Lagman and Atty. John Daniel S. Fernando. She now has three grandchildren.
Presiding Justice Fernando was Bar examiner in the 2005 and 2110 examinations. She is also a member of the board of trustees and a professorial lecturer of the Philippine Judicial Academy (PhilJA), the education arm of the SC.
She is a recipient of numerous awards, among them, the Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) Award of the Gerry Roxas Foundation, the Justice George A. Malcolm Award, Commitment to Justice Annual Awards by the Rotary Club of Manila, Outstanding Performance Award by the Senate of the Philippines, and the 2008 Ulirang Ina Award for Law and Judiciary from the National Mother's Day and Father's Day Foundation, Inc.