Five incumbent Supreme Court (SC) justices, led by Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo, who are alumni of the Ateneo de Manila School of Law were honored during a portrait unveiling ceremony.
Also honored in the event held at the Teehankee Hall of the Ateneo Professional Schools building in Makati City last May 17 were Associate Justices Rodil V. Zalameda, Class of 1987; Ricardo R. Rosario, Class of 1983; Jose Midas P. Marquez, Class of 1993; and Maria Filomena D. Singh, Class of 1991.
The portrait of Chief Justice Gesmundo, Class of 1984, as then SC associate justice had been unveiled together with that of Associate Justice Alfredo Benjamin S. Caguioa, Class of 1985, and that of then Associate Justice Andres B. Reyes Jr., Class of 1978, in 2019.
Painted by Angono, Rizal artist Geraldine Hernandez Martens, the portraits of the justices were later hung at the gallery in the Justitia Hall as part of the continuing project of the Ateneo Law School Class of 1968 to exhibit portraits of SC justices who are alumni of Ateneo Law.
Chief Justice Gesmundo viewed the gesture of Ateneo Law “not just as an honor, but as a challenge.”
“This growing collection of portraits of the Ateneo’s contributions to the highest court of our land is a testament not just to the value of an Atenean education in the law. It is a testament to the kind of values that this type of rigorous, well-rounded, and socially conscious training imparts upon those who undertake it,” Gesmundo said.
He said the inclusion of his and the associate justices’ portraits in the collection was a challenge for them to carry forward the Ignatian tradition of magis, or of serving the greater good, aspiring to do great things, and doing more for others.
“I’m sure I can speak for my fellow Justices here when I say that this is a challenge we eagerly accept,” he also said as he expressed hopes to see the collection of portraits grow in the years to come.
“It’s not about having bragging rights, though those are sometimes nice; but instead, it’s about helping uphold the rights of all, along with a strong and stable rule of law. And it’s not about glorifying our past, but instead about inspiring the future—a future that, we hope, always remains firmly and deeply rooted in the Ateneo’s tradition of service for others,” Chief Justice Gesmundo also said.
Speaking on behalf of the Class of 1968, batch representative Atty. Victor N. Alimurung shared that the portraits serve a purpose “not only to honor and recognize the law school’s alumni Supreme Court Justices, but hopefully to inspire and motivate other generations of Ateneans to come to likewise aspire to become Members of the Court.”