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Opinion

Marcelo B. Fernan Bridge, Cebu

CEBUPEDIA - Clarence Paul Oaminal - The Freeman

It is the bridge that connects Mandaue City and the Island of Mactan, through Lapu-Lapu City. It was opened on August of 1999. Marcelo B. Fernan, born on October 21, 1927, became Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in 1988. He was first appointed as Associate Justice after the 1986 People Power by President Corazon C. Aquino. Elected as Senator of the Republic in 1995, he was then elected as Senate President in the 11th Congress. He resigned as Senate President on June 28, 1999 for health reasons. He is the only Filipino who served both as head of the two departments.

Marcelo, fondly called as "Celing", was the son of spouses Wenceslao Lepiten Fernan and Margarita Cabahug Briones. He finished his Bachelor of Laws at the University of the Philippines. He was admitted to the Philippine Bar on July 16, 1953 and Master of Laws at the Harvard University. He was elected as member of the provincial board of Cebu in 1959 until 1961. He was elected as delegate of the 1971 Constitutional Convention and won together with Antonio Cuenco in the regular Batasang Pambansa in 1984. He was also the national president of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines in 1977.

The father of Marcelo, Wenceslao, was called by the people of Bogo as "Mano Vences", a deputy provincial fiscal and lawyer of Senator Celestino L. Rodriguez (also of Bogo). Wenceslao was then appointed as judge of the Court of First Instance. In 1954, his court was in Davao, four years later he was transferred to the Court of First Instance of Iloilo until his retirement in 1964. The mother of Celing, Margarita, called "Mana Tetang," was the sister of Senator Manuel C. Briones.

Marcelo was a second child, his brothers and sisters were: Wenceslao Jr., an SVD priest who became rector of the Divine Word Seminary in Tagaytay, Josefino, Alejandrina (married Romy del Rosario) and Camilo (married Sonia Pangilinan).

Marcelo, married Eloisa Nolasco and they had nine children, these are: Maria Eloisa (Marissa), Maria Margarita (Marget) married Rene Villarica, Maria Aurora (Maur) married Stephen Ledesma, Maria Emiliana (Memel) married Francisco Borromeo, Marcelo Jr. (Marcel), who became Presidential Assistant for Visayas under President Joseph Estrada,  married Margret Cancio, Maria Milagros (Mitoy) married Domingo Cayosa, Maria Ramona (Mona) married Luis Quiogue, Michael married Joyce Jarantilla and Manuel (Manny).

Marcelo was president of the Cebu Jaycees, chairman-president of the Cebu Newspaper Workers Foundation (a Press Center at Eco-Tech, Sudlon, Cebu City is named after him), he was Dean of the College of Law of the University of San Jose- Recoletos. The Palace of Justice in Cebu City within the Capitol Compound is also named after Marcelo.

Marcelo, died on July 11, 1999, but before his death, he was conferred the General Brother of Augustinian Recollect Order and Knight of Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem.

 

ANTONIO CUENCO

ASSOCIATE JUSTICE

BACHELOR OF LAWS

BATASANG PAMBANSA

CAPITOL COMPOUND

CEBU CITY

CEBU JAYCEES

CEBU NEWSPAPER WORKERS FOUNDATION

MARCELO

MARRIED

SENATE PRESIDENT

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