Francisco Chavez
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Francisco "Frank" Chavez (6 February 1947 – 11 September 2013) was a Filipino lawyer. He was the Solicitor General of the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
during the Aquino administration.


Early life

Born as Francisco Ibrado Chavez in Bateria,
Sagay, Negros Occidental Sagay, officially the City of Sagay ( hil, Dakbanwa sang Sagay; ceb, Dakbayan sa Sagay; fil, Lungsod ng Sagay), is a 3rd class component city in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a populatio ...
on February 6, 1947.


Educational life

Frank Chavez finished his high school education in the
University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...
, graduating salutatorian in 1961. He then went to the
West Negros College STI West Negros University, also referred to by its acronym STI WNU or colloquially as West Neg, is a private university located in Bacolod, Negros Occidental, Philippines established in 1948. The university is accredited by the Philippine Associ ...
in Bacolod for his college education, graduating summa cum laude in 1967 with a degree in Bachelor of Arts major in English. He earned his Bachelor of Laws degree from the
University of the Philippines The University of the Philippines (UP; fil, Pamantasan ng Pilipinas Unibersidad ng Pilipinas) is a state university system in the Philippines. It is the country's national university, as mandated by Republic Act No. 9500 (UP Charter of 20 ...
, graduating cum laude in 1971. He was admitted to the Philippine Bar in 1972. He was the youngest bar examiner at age of 38 when he served as examiner in remedial law during the 1985 Bar examinations. In 1986, he was named one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) of the country for his achievements in his chosen field of law and human rights. He is one of the founders of the Brotherhood of Nationalistic, Involved and Free Attorneys to Combat Injustice and Oppression (BONIFACIO) which provided free legal assistance to human rights violation victims. He is a partner in the Sycip Salazar Hernandez and Gatmaitan Law Offices and a founding partner of the Chavez Laureta & Associates law office.


Timeline

Frank’s political activism was evident as a student demonstrator against the rule of Ferdinand Marcos. As
First Quarter Storm The First Quarter Storm ( fil, Sigwa ng Unang Sangkapat), often shortened into the acronym FQS, was a period of civil unrest in the Philippines which took place during the "first quarter of the year 1970". It included a series of demonstrations, ...
er, he joined the student mass action on January 30, 1970, the First Battle of Mendiola Bridge. He was one of those manning the barricades when Metrocom soldiers stormed the University of the Philippines campus. His participation in numerous rallies notwithstanding, he finished the law course, cum laude, at the UP in 1971. Earlier, in 1967, he obtained a bachelor of science degree, cum laude from the West Negros College in Bacolod. During the martial law years, he represented in court pro-bono more than 500 detainees who were hauled to various courts on trumped-up charges of sedition, rebellion, inciting to sedition, etc. by the Marcos regime (September 1983 to March 1986). He handled press freedom, religious freedom and the
Lino Brocka Catalino Ortiz Brocka (April 3, 1939 – May 22, 1991) was a Filipino film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential and significant filmmakers in the history of Philippine cinema. He co-founded the organization Concerned Ar ...
cases, plus the Escalante massacre case and “mistrial of the century case” in 1985, the ban-Marcos proclamation case in February 1986, and he was a tireless, fearless street parliamentarian. These “fight for freedom and justice” involvements earned him the 1987 Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Philippines (TOYM) award for law and human rights. But importantly, they convinced President
Corazon C. Aquino Maria Corazon "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino (; ; January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009) was a Filipina politician who served as the 11th president of the Philippines from 1986 to 1992. She was the most prominent figure of the 1986 People P ...
to appoint him as the youngest Solicitor General, from 1987 to 1992. As SolGen, he worked for the winning of 74 of the 81 government/policy cases decided by the
Philippine Supreme Court The Supreme Court ( fil, Kataas-taasang Hukuman; colloquially referred to as the ''Korte Suprema'' lso used in formal writing is the highest court in the Philippines. The Supreme Court was established by the Second Philippine Commission on Ju ...
. At the end of his term, President Aquino thanked him “most sincerely for the services you have rendered to the Government as Solicitor General with unwavering courage and impeccable integrity.” He is known for his anti-graft and corruption exposes, which resulted in a complete revamp of the Presidential Committee on Good Government; the
Philippine Air Lines Philippine Airlines (PAL), a trade name of PAL Holdings, Inc. ( PSEPAL (Philippine Air Lines until 1970), is the flag carrier airline of the Philippines. Headquartered at the PNB Financial Center in Pasay, the airline was founded in 1941 and i ...
scam of P2.2 billion, resulting in the dismissal of top ranking PAL executives, and the cessation of the small town lottery system, among others. He exposed the “immoral, illegal and unconstitutional” secret agreements between the PCGG and the Marcoses, and exposed the existence of $13.2 billion (as of June 1998) found in account No. 885931 of the
Union Bank of Switzerland Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS) was a Swiss investment bank and financial services company located in Switzerland. The bank, which at the time was the second largest bank in Switzerland, merged with Swiss Bank Corporation in 1998, to become ...
maintained under the name of a Marcos daughter. Said account was closed as of April 2001 with the Swiss Federal for Justice launching an investigation on the attempted transfer of funds from said account to the
Deutsche Bank Deutsche Bank AG (), sometimes referred to simply as Deutsche, is a German multinational investment bank and financial services company headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, and dual-listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and the New York Sto ...
in Duesseldorf, Germany. In 2010, he exposed the graft and corruption practices in government by Villaraza, Cruz, Marcelo and Angangco Law Offices, also known as "The Firm", of which his brods in Sigma Rho are partners. "The Firm" and Chavez filed several cases against each other.


Personal life

He was married to Ma. Juanita "Jean" Rivera-Chavez with 3 daughters: Katrina, Tippi and Ingrid Chavez. His sons-in-law: Bern Reyes and Nico Lacson. His grandsons: Frank Ethan, Dylan Michael and Liam Duncan.


Career history

*Founding Partner: Chavez Laureta & Associates (now Chavez Miranada Aseoche Law Offices) *Partner: Sycip Salazar Hernandez and Gatmaitan Law Offices (1979–1987) *Bar examiner (Remedial Law): Philippine Bar (1985) *Member of the board of directors: Central Cement Corporation (1989–1991) *Member of the board of directors: Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (1988–1991) *Member of the board of directors:
Philippine Air Lines Philippine Airlines (PAL), a trade name of PAL Holdings, Inc. ( PSEPAL (Philippine Air Lines until 1970), is the flag carrier airline of the Philippines. Headquartered at the PNB Financial Center in Pasay, the airline was founded in 1941 and i ...
(1988–1991) *Solicitor General: Office of the Solicitor General (March 1987 – February 1992) *Member of the board of directors: Petron-Aramco (1994–1997)


Affiliations

*Philippine Bar Association: Member *Operation Clean Hands – a campaign for removing corruption from the Judiciary of the Philippines: Founder *Brotherhood Of Nationalistic, Involved and Free Attorneys To Combat Injustice And Oppression (BONIFACIO): Founder and former chairman *The Executive Toastmasters Club of Makati: Former president *Rotary Club of Makati: Member


Death

Chavez died of a stroke on the night of September 11, 2013 at the age of 66. He had been hospitalized since July of that year at The Medical City – Ortigas in
Pasig Pasig, officially the City of Pasig ( fil, Lungsod ng Pasig), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 803,159 people. It is located along t ...
due to his bout with
lymphoma Lymphoma is a group of blood and lymph tumors that develop from lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell). In current usage the name usually refers to just the cancerous versions rather than all such tumours. Signs and symptoms may include enla ...
. His remains were cremated and his ashes were interred at The Heritage Park in
Taguig Taguig (), officially the City of Taguig ( fil, Lungsod ng Taguig), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in Metro Manila, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 886,722 people. Located in the northwestern shores of ...
.


References


Website


Frank Chavez' website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chavez, Francisco Corzas 1947 births 2013 deaths Solicitors General of the Philippines People from Negros Occidental People from Quezon City 20th-century Filipino lawyers Deaths from cancer in the Philippines Deaths from lymphoma Burials at The Heritage Park Corazon Aquino administration personnel