Lucas Purugganan Bersamin (born October 18, 1949) is a Filipino lawyer and jurist who currently serves as the Executive Secretary of the Philippines. Bersamin previously served on the

Supreme Court of the Philippines 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 ...

for 10 years, first as an

associate justice Associate justice or associate judge (or simply associate) is a judicial panel member who is not the chief justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the Supreme Court of the United States and some state ...

from 2009 to 2018 and then as the 25th

chief justice of the Philippines The chief justice of the Philippines ( fil, Punong Mahistrado ng Pilipinas) presides over the Supreme Court of the Philippines and is the highest judicial officer of the government of the Philippines. As of April 5, 2021, the position is curr ...

from 2018 until his retirement in 2019. He was named by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to the high court as an associate justice on April 2, 2009. Prior to becoming an associate justice, he was a member of the

Court of Appeals A court of appeals, also called a court of appeal, appellate court, appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In much of ...

. He was the chairperson of the

Government Service Insurance System The Government Service Insurance System ( fil, Paseguruhan ng mga Naglilingkod sa Pamahalaan, abbreviated as GSIS) is a government-owned and controlled corporation (GOCC) of the Philippines. Created by Commonwealth Act No. 186 and Republic Act ...

and a member of its board of trustees since 2020 until his appointment as Executive Secretary in the Marcos Jr. administration, as confirmed by Press Secretary

Trixie Cruz-Angeles Rose Beatrix "Trixie" Laviña Cruz-Angeles (born March 29, 1965) is a Filipino lawyer and vlogger who served as Press Secretary of the Philippines from June 30, 2022 until October 4, 2022. Education Cruz-Angeles attended the University of the ...

on September 27, 2022.

Biography

Bersamin earned his undergraduate 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 200 ...

and graduated from the

University of the East The University of the East ( fil, Pamantasan ng Silangan), also known as UE, is a leading private university located in Manila, Philippines. Founded in 1946, business tycoon Lucio Tan acquired the university in 1990. UE was once labeled as the ...

College of Law A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction. Law degrees Argentina In Argentina, ...

in 1973. He placed 9th in the 1973 Bar Examinations, with an average of 86.3%. He was then named a fellow at the Commonwealth Judicial Education Institute in

Dalhousie University Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the fou ...

in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Educational career

He was in private practice from 1974 until 1986, when he was appointed a trial court judge in Quezon City by President

Corazon 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 ...

. Bersamin was a professor at the

Ateneo Law School , mottoeng = Light in the Lord , type = Private, research, non-profit, coeducational basic and higher education institution , established = December 10, 1859 , religious_affiliation = Roman Catholic (Jesuits) , academic_affi ...

, the University of the East College of Law, and the

University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Civil Law The University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Civil Law or "UST Law" (as distinguished from the Faculty of Canon Law) is a law school in Manila, Philippines. It is administered under the jurisdiction of the University of Santo Tomas, the oldest and t ...

. He was special lecturer at the College of Law, University of Cebu in 2006. He continues to lecture for the Philippine Judicial Academy.

Law career

In 2003, Bersamin was elevated to the Court of Appeals by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. In April 2009, Bersamin was elevated by President Arroyo to associate justice of the

. Bersamin was one of the associate justices who voted in favor of the ''quo warranto'' petition against Maria Lourdes Sereno, which led to the appointment of Teresita de Castro as new chief justice of the Philippines, replacing

Maria Lourdes Sereno Maria Lourdes "Meilou" Aranal Sereno (; born Maria Lourdes Punzalan Aranal; July 2, 1960) is a Filipina lawyer and judge who served as de facto chief justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines from 2012 until her removal in 2018. Appoin ...

. President

Rodrigo Duterte Rodrigo Roa Duterte (, ; born March 28, 1945), also known as Digong, Rody, and by the initials DU30 and PRRD, is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the chairperson ...

appointed Bersamin as the new chief justice on November 26, 2018, succeeding

Teresita Leonardo-De Castro Teresita "Tess" Leonardo-De Castro (born Teresita Jose Leonardo; October 10, 1948) is a Filipina who served as the 24th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines; appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte on August 28, 2018. She assu ...

. On February 6, 2020, Bersamin was appointed by Duterte to be the chairperson of the

(GSIS) and a member of the agency's board of trustees. He will serve the unexpired term of former GSIS president Jesus Clint Aranas, which ended on June 30, 2020. He is the brother of congressman Luis "Chito" P. Bersamin, Jr. of Abra, who was gunned down during a wedding ceremony and of Abra governor Eustaquio P. Bersamin.

Personal life

Bersamin is married to the former Aurora A. Bagares, a business proprietress, with whom he has three children: Pia Cristina, Luis Isidro, and Lucas Riel, Jr.

References

, - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Bersamin, Lucas P. 1949 births Living people Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the Philippines Chief justices of the Supreme Court of the Philippines 20th-century Filipino judges People from Abra (province) University of the Philippines alumni 21st-century Filipino judges Bongbong Marcos administration cabinet members