Antonio Carpio

Antonio T. Carpio
148th Associate Justice of the Supreme Court
Incumbent
Assumed office October 26, 2001
Appointed by	Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Preceded by	Minerva Gonzaga-Reyes
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Acting
In office May 29, 2012 – August 25, 2012
Appointed by	Benigno Aquino III
Preceded by	Renato Corona
Succeeded by	Maria Lourdes Sereno
Personal details
Born	October 26, 1949 Davao City, Philippines
Alma mater	Ateneo de Davao University Ateneo de Manila University University of the Philippines College of Law

Antonio Tirol Carpio (born October 26, 1949) is an incumbent Senior Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines. He was appointed to the Court by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and assumed office on October 26, 2001, his fifty-second birthday.

Profile

Born in Davao City, Carpio finished grade school and high school at the Ateneo de Davao University. He obtained his undergraduate degree in Economics from the Ateneo de Manila University in 1970 and his law degree from the University of the Philippines College of Law where he graduated valedictorian and cum laude in 1975. He ranked sixth with a rating of 85.70% in the 1975 Philippine Bar Examination.^[1] Fresh out of law school, Justice Carpio went into private practice and founded the Carpio Villaraza and Cruz Law firm.^[2] He soon emerged as one of the more prominent and successful legal practitioners in the country. Carpio also taught Tax law, Corporate law, and Negotiable Instruments law at the U.P. College of Law from 1983 to 1992.

In 1992, he joined the administration of President Fidel Ramos as Chief Presidential Legal Counsel of the Office of the President. During the presidency of Joseph Estrada, Carpio returned to private practice and penned a regular opinion column published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Carpio was the first appointee of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to the Supreme Court of the Philippines after her assumption into office in January 2001. At age fifty-two, he was one of the youngest appointees to the High Court.

Office of Antonio T. Carpio, new Supreme Court of the Philippines building.

Chambers of Carpio.

Justice Carpio has received the Presidential Medal of Merit for his his "distinguished and exemplary service" to the Republic, the Outstanding Achievement in Law Award from the Ateneo de Manila Alumni Association, an honorary Doctorate of Laws from Ateneo de Davao University, and the Distinguished Alumni Award for Nationalism and International Law from the University of the Philippines Alumnus Association (UPAA) in 2015.

Being the Senior Associate Justice, he assumed the post as the Acting Chief Justice in May 29, 2012 until the President appoints a new chief justice. ^[3] He assumed the post after his predecessor, Renato Corona was convicted by the Senate Impeachment court for his failure to disclose in his Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth, dollar accounts that led to his removal in office, a penalty authorized by the 1987 Constitution^[4]

Senior Associate Justice Carpio is the Chair of the Court's Second Division and Chair of the Senate Electoral Tribunal. He also heads the High Court's Committee on the Revision of the Rules of Court.^[5]

Carpio is married to Ruth Nguyen and they have two children. Former Supreme Court Justice and now-Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales^[6] is his third cousin.

South China Sea/West Philippine Sea Dispute

Justice Carpio's personal advocacy is "to protect and preserve Philippine territorial and maritime sovereignty specifically in the West Philippine Sea." ^[7]

He believes in the importance of “an understanding by citizens of all claimant states … either to restrain extreme nationalism fueled by historical lies or to give hope to a just and durable settlement of the dispute based not only on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) but also on respect for actual historical facts.”

In his speech 'Grand Theft of the Global Commons', Justice Carpio called "...the fishery Regulations of Hainan a grand theft of the global commons in the South China Sea." He also maintains that "The Philippines is fighting a legal battle not only for itself but also for all mankind. A victory for the Philippines is a victory for all States, coastal and landlocked, that China has shut out of the global commons in the South China Sea."^[8]

"In recent years [Justice Carpio] has been travelling the world to present Philippines' historical and legal case when it comes to disputed islands in the South China Sea. He has visited 18 countries, 28 key cities." ^[9] In May 2015, he traveled to European countries: Humboldt University of Berlin, Faculty of Law in Germany, Institut français des relations internationales (IFRI) in France, International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) in The Hague, and EGMONT - The Royal Institute for International Relations in Belgium to deliver a series of lectures on the same topic.

Justice Carpio speaking to a diverse crowd at the Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany

Notable opinions

• MVRS Publications v. Islamic Da'Wah Council (2003) – Dissenting — on distinction between criminal libel and libel as a tort (joined by J. Panganiban)
• Estrada v. Escritor — Dissenting opinion — on right of free exercise of religion as shield from administrative sanction for bigamous relations (joined by J. Panganiban, Callejo, Sr., and Carpio-Morales)
• Feliciano v. COA (2004) – on legal personality of local water districts
• Tenebro v. CA (2004) – Dissenting — on whether the annulment of the second marriage affects criminal liability for bigamy (joined by J. Quisumbing, Austria-Martinez, Carpio-Morales, and Tinga)
• Central Bank Employees v. BSP (2004) – Dissenting — on claims for wage increases of government employees in accordance with equal protection clause even absent enabling legislation
• Sonza v. ABS-CBN (2004) – on employment relationship between a television presenter and the television network
• MIAA v. City of Parañaque (2006) — on exemption of government agencies in payment of local government taxes
• Rufino v. Endriga (2006) — on presidential appointing power over officials of government agencies established by Congress
• Lambino v. COMELEC (2006) — on people's initiative as a mode to amend the Constitution
• Romulo L. Neri Vs. Senate Committee(2008) – Dissenting and Concurring Opinion, on The limits of executive privilege
• Administrative Matter No. 07-09-13-SC (2008)- Dissenting Opinion— on contempt charge versus Amado A.P. Macasaet, a newspaper columnist imputing bribery to a member of the Supreme Court
• Araullo v. Aquino (2014)- Separate Opinion — on the constitutionality of the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP)
• Poe-Llamanzares v. COMELEC (2016)- Dissenting Opinion — on the disqualification case of Mrs. Poe-Llamanzares to run for President of the Republic of the Philippines

References

1. "CJSearch PROFILE: Senior Associate Justice Antonio Tirol Carpio". ABS-CBN News. 2012-07-19. Retrieved 2012-07-19.
2. http://thefirmva.com/ourfirm.do
3. Carpio is acting chief justice while Aquino searches for Corona replacement | GMA News Online | The Go-To Site for Filipinos Everywhere. Gmanetwork.com (2012-05-30). Retrieved on 2012-07-15.
4. Senate convicts Corona 20-3. InterAksyon.com. Retrieved on 2012-07-15.
5. http://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/aboutsc/justices/j-carpio.php
6. Requejo, Rey E. (30 May 2012). "Carpio to serve as acting chief justice". Manila Standard Today. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
7. Introduction of Lecturer for the Antiquarian Map Exhibit, Atty. Stephanie V. Gomez-Somera, 21 February 2015 Lopez Museum and Library
8. 'Grand Theft of the Global Commons'
9. Halifax International Security Forum, Ms. Lyse Doucet, Chief International Correspondent, BBC, November 2015

External links

• Senior Associate Justice Antonio T. Carpio (Official Supreme Court Webpage)
• Speech as Acting Chief Justice: Judicial Reform too important to fail
• Carpio acts as Chief Justice
• for Chief Justice