MANILA, Philippines — Firm yet compassionate.
This was how Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo described his former colleague, Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang as she officially retired from the judiciary on Nov. 8.
“As PJ, she guided the Sandiganbayan with grace and wisdom; firm yet compassionate, committed to service and excellence,” Gesmundo said during a tribute ceremony for Tang at the Manila Hotel on the eve of her mandatory retirement.
The event was attended by retired and incumbent justices of the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan.
During the event, the Sandiganbayan held a special en banc session, the last to be presided over by Tang.
“If I were to be asked how I wished to be remembered in the Sandiganbayan, I wish to be remembered as someone who unrelentingly strived to steer the court to faithfully discharge its constitutional mandate to exact public accountability at all times,” Tang said in her speech.
“Also, as someone who actively endeavored to strengthen our court in the years that I was at the helm,” she added.
In his tribute, Gesmundo described Tang as “a shining example of what it means to serve with integrity, perseverance and an unwavering commitment to excellence.”
He recalled Tang’s reminder that in all cases before them, the Sandiganbayan justices must “render well-reasoned rulings based on the facts, the evidence and the applicable laws and jurisprudential precedents – if not the overriding equities of substantial justice … without fear or favor.”
Tang was appointed as associate justice of the Sandiganbayan in 2012 by then president Benigno Aquino III.
She was appointed by Aquino to be the presiding justice on Oct. 7, 2013, despite being the youngest magistrate in the anti-graft court.