Minita Chico-Nazario (December 5, 1939 – February 16, 2022) was 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 sta ...

of the Supreme Court of the Philippines. She was appointed to the court by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal Arroyo (, born April 5, 1947), often referred to by her initials GMA, is a Filipino academic and politician serving as one of the House Deputy Speakers since 2022, and previously from 2016 to 2017. She previously ...

on February 10, 2004.

Profile

Born in San Miguel, Bulacan, Justice Chico-Nazario was the first female justice in the

Sandiganbayan The Sandiganbayan ( en, Support of the Nation) is a special appellate collegial court in the Philippines that has jurisdiction over criminal and civil cases involving graft and corrupt practices and other offenses committed by public office ...

and its first female presiding justice. She was married to Rod Nazario (1935–2009), noted for being the first business manager/promoter of

Manny Pacquiao Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao Sr. (; born December17, 1978) is a Filipino politician and former professional boxer. Nicknamed "PacMan", he is regarded as one of the greatest professional boxers of all time. He served as a Senator of the Phil ...

, with whom they had three children: Rhoderick, Rommelious, and Karen. She finished elementary and high school education at Our Lady of Loreto College, Sampaloc, Manila (1952) and at Our Lady of Loreto College (1956), respectively. She earned her A.B. at 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 ...

(1958). Her appointment to the supreme court was a homecoming of sorts, since she started out as the social secretary of the late Secretary of Justice

Juan Liwag Juan Ramos Liwag (1906-1983) was a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as senator in the 5th and 6th Congress of the Philippines. He was among the few Filipino officials who have served in all three branches of the government. Early li ...

after graduating from the University of the Philippines College of Law in 1962. Justice Nazario was appointed Division Clerk of Court of the Sandiganbayan's First Division and was appointed Regional Trial Court Judge of

Biñan Biñan (), officially the City of Biñan ( fil, Lungsod ng Biñan), is a 1st class component city in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 407,437 people. Biñan, also known as Biniang, has ...

, Laguna. Likewise, she was a professor of law at the Perpetual Help University in

Las Piñas Las Piñas, officially the City of Las Piñas ( fil, Lungsod ng Las Piñas), 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 606,293 people. Las Piñas ...

City (1994–1997). Prior to her appointment to the high court, she had more than 40 years of uninterrupted service in government. Nazario was latterly the president of the Philippine Women Judges Association and dean of

University of Perpetual Help The University of Perpetual Help System is a network of two universities consisting of nine campuses in the Philippines. History Established in 1968 by Dr. Jose de Guzman Tamayo and his wife Dra. Josefina Laperal Tamayo as Perpetual Help Hospita ...

College of Law. She was also the Criminal Law Bar Examiner for the year 2000. Nazario died on February 16, 2022, at the age of 82.

Some notable opinions

* ''Estrada v. Desierto (2004)'' — ''on jurisdiction of

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 ...

over appeals from Ombudsman decisions'' * ''Nikko Hotel Manila Garden v. Reyes (2005)'' — ''on an action for damages filed by comedian Amay Bisaya against Makati hotel'' * ''MMDA v. Garin (2005)'' — ''on authority of MMDA to confiscate driver's licenses'' * ''People v. Hon. Tirona (2005)'' — ''on right of prosecution to appeal from judgments of acquittal'' * ''People's Journal v. Theonen (2005)'' – ''on libel action involving private persons as injured parties'' * ''Province of Rizal v. Executive Secretary (2005)'' — ''on closure of San Mateo landfill'' * ''Lambino v. COMELEC (2006) – Dissenting'' — ''on

people's initiative People's Initiative (or "PI") is a common appellative in the Philippines that refers to either a mode for constitutional amendment provided by the 1987 Philippine Constitution or to the act of pushing an initiative (national or local) allowed b ...

as a mode to amend the Constitution of the Philippines'' * ''Alvarez v. PICOP (2006)''Philippine Supreme Court Website
/ref> — ''on conversion of timber license agreements''

References

External links

Justice Minita Chico-Nazario (Official Supreme Court Webpage)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chico-Nazario, Minita 1939 births 2022 deaths Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the Philippines 20th-century Filipino judges Filipino women judges 21st-century Filipino judges People from San Miguel, Bulacan University of the Philippines alumni Justices of the Sandiganbayan 21st-century women judges 20th-century women judges