Jose Portugal Perez (December 14, 1946 – August 12, 2021) was a Filipino lawyer who was appointed Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines in 2009. He had served 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 ...

administration from 1971, starting as technical assistant and attaining the post of court administrator in 2008. He is the only member of the bench to be appointed from the administration.

Early life and education

Perez was born on December 14, 1946. His parents are Luciano G. Perez and Engracia R. Portugal, both of Ibaan, Batangas. He completed his elementary education at

St. Bridget College St. Bridget College is a Catholic education institution founded by the Religious of the Good Shepherd in 1913. At present, its main campus is located at Marcelo H. del Pilar, M.H. del Pilar Street, Batangas City, Philippines. It is one of the maj ...

in 1959. He then graduated as valedictorian of the Batangas City High School in 1963. He completed his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from

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 ...

in 1967 wherein he was one of its top 10 graduates. He was awarded Bachelor of Laws from University of the Philippines College of Law in 1971. He was accepted by the

Phi Kappa Phi The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi (or simply Phi Kappa Phi or ) is an honor society established in 1897 to recognize and encourage superior scholarship without restriction as to area of study, and to promote the "unity and democracy of education ...

and Phi Gamma Mu Honor Societies as well as the university's law honor society, the Order of the Purple Feather.

Career

Fresh from graduation, Perez started working at the

as Technical Assistant in 1971. He then moved up, with appointments as Legal Assistant (1972–1973), Judicial Assistant (1974–1976) and, in 1977, a confidential attorney in the Office of Chief Justice Fred Ruiz Castro. In 1980 he was the supervising attorney in the office of the Chief Attorney where he rose to the position of Assistant Chief. In 1987 he was named a Deputy Clerk of the Court, promoted as Assistant Court Administrator in 1996 then finally as Deputy Court Administrator in 2000. He served as acting Court Administrator several times before his appointment as Court Administrator in 2008. Following the retirement of Associate Justice

Leonardo A. Quisumbing Leonardo A. Quisumbing (November 6, 1939 – January 20, 2019) was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines. He was appointed by President Fidel Ramos in 1998 and retired as the most senior Associate Justice of the Court on h ...

on November 6, 2009, Perez was appointed by President

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 Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines, House Deputy Spe ...

as her 14th appointee to the court. In 2012, Perez was nominated by the Asia Pacific Bar Association for appointment to the Chief Justice position vacated by Renato Corona.

Personal life and death

Perez was married to Expedita Sabile and they had three children together. Perez died on August 12, 2021 aged 74.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Perez, Jose 1946 births 2021 deaths University of the Philippines alumni Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the Philippines People from Batangas City