Gregory S. Ong
Encyclopedia
Gregory Santos Ong is a Filipino jurist and an incumbent Justice of the Sandiganbayan
. He was initially appointed as an Associate Justice
of the Supreme Court of the Philippines
by President
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
on May 16, 2007, but his appointment was subsequently withdrawn after questions arose whether he met the constitutional
requirement of natural-born citizen
ship.
(1975), and his Bachelor of Laws at San Beda College of Law
(1979), where he became Grand Judex of Lex Talionis Fraternitas.
Ong passed the 1979 Philippine Bar Examination
with a bar rating of 76.45%.
He studied Master of Laws at the Manuel L. Quezon University
(1992).
Before his aborted Supreme Court appointment, Ong was the Chairman of the 4th Division of the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan.
judgment made history. The Court granted the petition of two foundations that sought to block Ong’s appointment over the citizenship issue. Azcuna wrote that Ong would be unable to join them on the bench "until he had proven in court that he was a natural-born Filipino citizen and corrected the records of his birth and citizenship". The court declared its decision to be final and effective immediately.
The court voted 13–0 in favor of petitioners Kilosbayan and Bantay Katarungan foundations (Senate President Jovito Salonga and Emilio Capulong). The suit was to enjoin President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s appointment of Ong (54—Ms Arroyo’s 12th appointee to the tribunal) to replace retired Justice Romeo Callejo, Sr. Ong told reporters that: “I am truly saddened by the decision of the high court, but I respect it. “I am a Filipino. I lived and will live my life as a Filipino, and I raised my children as law-abiding Filipinos.”
Meanwhile, one of the top contenders for the vacancy is Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Teresita De Castro, who heads the anti-graft court’s special division on the Erap plunder case. Estrada’s conviction is perceived to boost her bid to become the fifteenth member of the high court. Reporters noted that “De Castro is hoping that she will be the one appointed because she has the highest number of votes; “Therefore, to get appointed to the Supreme Court, she will probably convict Erap." The Sandiganbayan, has 90 days or until mid-September 2007 to decide the case of former President Joseph Ejercito Estrada, but the decision could be issued much sooner than that. The Supreme Court’s July 3 decision to reject the appointment of Gregory Ong as an associate justice of the Supreme Court sets the stage for the conviction of Estrada. Another indicator that a decision could come sooner than later is the July 4 full-page paid advertisement—“Erap: Guilty or not guilty. Kailangan bang may gulo?" in at least five broadsheet daily newspapers urging the people to respect the Sandiganbayan’s decision in the plunder trial.
On July 26, 2007, retired Supreme Court Justice Vicente Mendoza, a noted constitutionalist, said that there was no vacancy at the moment since the President had already appointed Ong. Mendoza said there was no declaration that Ong was not a natural-born Filipino and he was given a chance to file a correction of entry via adversarial proceedings in the regional trial court.
On August 1, 2007, President Arroyo appointed CA Justice Ruben T. Reyes to replace Ong. Ong voluntarily withdrew his nomination, because of the controversy.
. Ong alleged that he "should remain at his post even as the Court has ordered him to prove his citizenship status before the Pasig City Regional Trial Court". Ong also contradicted the motive: “Villa-Ignacio does not enjoy appearing in Ong’s division.”
On December 11, 2007, the Supreme Court of the Philippines
en banc in a 2-page resolution, ordered Ong to file his comment within 10 days why he should not be removed from the Sandiganbayan
. Meanwhile Ong is now an automatic candidate for the position of Sandiganbayan presiding justice after Justice Teresita de Castro
. Further, a powerful religious organization is lobbying for Ong’s ouster from the judiciary.
, Leoncio Janolo Jr., Branch 264, Pasig regional trial court granted Ong's petition to be recognized as a natural-born Filipino citizen, qualifying him to be an associate justice of the Supreme Court. The Civil Registrar of San Juan, Metro Manila was directed to annotate in the Certificate of Birth of Ong the decision. Ong acquired Philippine citizenship when he was still a minor on the basis of the naturalization of his father, Eugenio Ong Han Seng. The judgment dismissed objections to Ong’s appointment to the Supreme Court of the Philippines
and tenure at the Sandiganbayan
, further holding that the petitioner and oppositor were not the real adversarial litigants in their citizenship issue, ruling the 2 foundations are “merely would-be oppositors and not actual or bona fide oppositors,” and they are “not real parties in interest who actually stand to be injured or prejudiced by a judgment or decree” granting Ong’s petition.
On November 20, 2007, the Supreme Court of the Philippines
received the judgment of Regional Trial Court, Br. 264, Pasig City
(in Sp. Proc. No. 11767, entitled "In re: amendment / correction / supplementation or annotation of entry in the certificate of live birth of Gregory S. Ong vs. the Local Civil Register of San Juan; Kilosbayan and Bantay Katarungan, oppositors"), which ruled that Ong is a natural born Filipino citizen.
On December 4, 2007, the oppositions Kilosbayan and Bantay Katarungan headed by Jovito Salonga
stated that Judge Janolo denied their motion for reconsideration, and they appealed to the High Court to reverse the lower court’s decision on account of “grave error.” The High Tribunal has yet to resolve 2 separate pleadings filed before it regarding Ong’s citizenship: a) the letter-query of Special Prosecutor Dennis Villa-Ignacio on Ong’s status as Sandiganbayan justice, and b) the Quo Warranto
petition filed by Iglesia ni Cristo
lawyer Ferdinand Topacio, who asked the Court to stop Ong from exercising his role as Sandiganbayan justice because of his questionable citizenship.
Sandiganbayan
The Sandiganbayan is a special court in the Philippines which was established under Presidential Decree No. 1606. Its rank is equivalent to the Court of Appeals. The court consists of 14 Associate Justices and 1 Presiding Justice...
. He was initially appointed as an Associate Justice
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines
An Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines is one of 15 members of the Philippine Supreme Court, the highest court in the Philippines. The Chief Justice presides over the High Court, but carries only 1 of the 15 votes in the court...
of the Supreme Court of the Philippines
Supreme Court of the Philippines
The Supreme Court of the Philippines is the Philippines' highest judicial court, as well as the court of last resort. The court consists of 14 Associate Justices and 1 Chief Justice...
by President
President of the Philippines
The President of the Philippines is the head of state and head of government of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines...
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is a Filipino politician who served as the 14th President of the Philippines from 2001 to 2010, as the 12th Vice President of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, and is currently a member of the House of Representatives representing the 2nd District of Pampanga...
on May 16, 2007, but his appointment was subsequently withdrawn after questions arose whether he met the constitutional
Constitution of the Philippines
The Constitution of the Philippines is the supreme law of the Philippines.The Constitution currently in effect was enacted in 1987, during the administration of President Corazon Aquino, and is popularly known as the "1987 Constitution"...
requirement of natural-born citizen
Natural-born citizen
Status as a natural-born citizen of the United States is one of the eligibility requirements established in the United States Constitution for election to the office of President or Vice President...
ship.
Family
Justice Ong is married to Nancy L. Ong with three children: Neil Gregory, Gregory and Nicole. Ong traces his ancestral lines to one Maria Santos of Malolos, Bulacan, born on November 25, 1881, who was allegedly a Filipino citizen who married Chan Kin, a Chinese citizen; that these two had a son, Juan Santos; that in 1906 Chan Kin died in China, as a result of which Maria Santos reverted to her Filipino citizenship; that at that time Juan Santos was a minor; that Juan Santos thereby also became a Filipino citizen; that Ong’s mother, Dy Guiok Santos, is the daughter of the spouses Juan Santos and Sy Siok Hian, a Chinese citizen, who were married in 1927; that, therefore, Ong's mother was a Filipino citizen at birth; that Dy Guiok Santos later married a Chinese citizen, Eugenio Ong Han Seng, thereby becoming a Chinese citizen; that when Ong was eleven years old his father, Eugenio Ong Han Seng, was naturalized, and as a result he, his brothers and sisters, and his mother were included in the naturalization.Early life and career
Ong finished elementary and high school education at the Philippine Chinese Chen Kuang (1966) and at the Jose Rizal College (with honors, 1970), respectively. Ong earned his AB Political Science degree at Far Eastern UniversityFar Eastern University
Far Eastern University in the University Belt area, West Sampaloc, City of Manila, is a nonsectarian, private university in the Philippines. Created by the merger of Far Eastern College and the Institute of Accounts, Business and Finance, FEU became a university in 1934 under the guidance of...
(1975), and his Bachelor of Laws at San Beda College of Law
San Beda College of Law
San Beda College of Law is the law degree-granting unit of San Beda College, a private, Roman Catholic college run by the Benedictine monks in the Philippines....
(1979), where he became Grand Judex of Lex Talionis Fraternitas.
Ong passed the 1979 Philippine Bar Examination
Philippine Bar Examination
The Philippine Bar Examination is the professional licensure examination for lawyers in the Philippines.It is the only professional licensure exam in the country that is not supervised by the Professional Regulation Commission...
with a bar rating of 76.45%.
He studied Master of Laws at the Manuel L. Quezon University
Manuel L. Quezon University
The Manuel L. Quezon University is a private university in Quiapo, Manila, Philippines. It is a member of the Colleges and Universities Sports Association . It offers academic programs at the pre-school, elementary, high school, tertiary, and graduate levels. It is named for Philippine president...
(1992).
Before his aborted Supreme Court appointment, Ong was the Chairman of the 4th Division of the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan.
Supreme Court Appointment Controversy
Since the creation of the Philippine Supreme Court in 1901, no presidential appointment of a Supreme Court Associate had ever been nullified by the High Tribunal. But on July 3, 2007 the Adolfo AzcunaAdolfo Azcuna
Adolfo S. Azcuna is a Filipino jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines from 2002 to 2009. He was appointed to the Court by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on October 24, 2002...
judgment made history. The Court granted the petition of two foundations that sought to block Ong’s appointment over the citizenship issue. Azcuna wrote that Ong would be unable to join them on the bench "until he had proven in court that he was a natural-born Filipino citizen and corrected the records of his birth and citizenship". The court declared its decision to be final and effective immediately.
The court voted 13–0 in favor of petitioners Kilosbayan and Bantay Katarungan foundations (Senate President Jovito Salonga and Emilio Capulong). The suit was to enjoin President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s appointment of Ong (54—Ms Arroyo’s 12th appointee to the tribunal) to replace retired Justice Romeo Callejo, Sr. Ong told reporters that: “I am truly saddened by the decision of the high court, but I respect it. “I am a Filipino. I lived and will live my life as a Filipino, and I raised my children as law-abiding Filipinos.”
Meanwhile, one of the top contenders for the vacancy is Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Teresita De Castro, who heads the anti-graft court’s special division on the Erap plunder case. Estrada’s conviction is perceived to boost her bid to become the fifteenth member of the high court. Reporters noted that “De Castro is hoping that she will be the one appointed because she has the highest number of votes; “Therefore, to get appointed to the Supreme Court, she will probably convict Erap." The Sandiganbayan, has 90 days or until mid-September 2007 to decide the case of former President Joseph Ejercito Estrada, but the decision could be issued much sooner than that. The Supreme Court’s July 3 decision to reject the appointment of Gregory Ong as an associate justice of the Supreme Court sets the stage for the conviction of Estrada. Another indicator that a decision could come sooner than later is the July 4 full-page paid advertisement—“Erap: Guilty or not guilty. Kailangan bang may gulo?" in at least five broadsheet daily newspapers urging the people to respect the Sandiganbayan’s decision in the plunder trial.
On July 26, 2007, retired Supreme Court Justice Vicente Mendoza, a noted constitutionalist, said that there was no vacancy at the moment since the President had already appointed Ong. Mendoza said there was no declaration that Ong was not a natural-born Filipino and he was given a chance to file a correction of entry via adversarial proceedings in the regional trial court.
On August 1, 2007, President Arroyo appointed CA Justice Ruben T. Reyes to replace Ong. Ong voluntarily withdrew his nomination, because of the controversy.
Moves to Remove Ong from the Sandiganbayan
On September 28, 2007, Gregory Ong filed a seven-page comment (to the administrative complaint of Special Prosecutor Dennis Villa-Ignacio) with the Supreme Court of the PhilippinesSupreme Court of the Philippines
The Supreme Court of the Philippines is the Philippines' highest judicial court, as well as the court of last resort. The court consists of 14 Associate Justices and 1 Chief Justice...
. Ong alleged that he "should remain at his post even as the Court has ordered him to prove his citizenship status before the Pasig City Regional Trial Court". Ong also contradicted the motive: “Villa-Ignacio does not enjoy appearing in Ong’s division.”
On December 11, 2007, the Supreme Court of the Philippines
Supreme Court of the Philippines
The Supreme Court of the Philippines is the Philippines' highest judicial court, as well as the court of last resort. The court consists of 14 Associate Justices and 1 Chief Justice...
en banc in a 2-page resolution, ordered Ong to file his comment within 10 days why he should not be removed from the Sandiganbayan
Sandiganbayan
The Sandiganbayan is a special court in the Philippines which was established under Presidential Decree No. 1606. Its rank is equivalent to the Court of Appeals. The court consists of 14 Associate Justices and 1 Presiding Justice...
. Meanwhile Ong is now an automatic candidate for the position of Sandiganbayan presiding justice after Justice Teresita de Castro
Teresita de Castro
Teresita Jose Leonardo-de Castro is an Associate Justice of the Philippine Supreme Court. Prior to her appointment to the High Court by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, she had been the Presiding Justice of the Sandiganbayan.-Profile:...
. Further, a powerful religious organization is lobbying for Ong’s ouster from the judiciary.
Trial Court Victory
On November 21, 2007, Gregory Ong was declared natural-born Filipino citizen. In a JudgmentJudgment
A judgment , in a legal context, is synonymous with the formal decision made by a court following a lawsuit. At the same time the court may also make a range of court orders, such as imposing a sentence upon a guilty defendant in a criminal matter, or providing a remedy for the plaintiff in a civil...
, Leoncio Janolo Jr., Branch 264, Pasig regional trial court granted Ong's petition to be recognized as a natural-born Filipino citizen, qualifying him to be an associate justice of the Supreme Court. The Civil Registrar of San Juan, Metro Manila was directed to annotate in the Certificate of Birth of Ong the decision. Ong acquired Philippine citizenship when he was still a minor on the basis of the naturalization of his father, Eugenio Ong Han Seng. The judgment dismissed objections to Ong’s appointment to the Supreme Court of the Philippines
Supreme Court of the Philippines
The Supreme Court of the Philippines is the Philippines' highest judicial court, as well as the court of last resort. The court consists of 14 Associate Justices and 1 Chief Justice...
and tenure at the Sandiganbayan
Sandiganbayan
The Sandiganbayan is a special court in the Philippines which was established under Presidential Decree No. 1606. Its rank is equivalent to the Court of Appeals. The court consists of 14 Associate Justices and 1 Presiding Justice...
, further holding that the petitioner and oppositor were not the real adversarial litigants in their citizenship issue, ruling the 2 foundations are “merely would-be oppositors and not actual or bona fide oppositors,” and they are “not real parties in interest who actually stand to be injured or prejudiced by a judgment or decree” granting Ong’s petition.
On November 20, 2007, the Supreme Court of the Philippines
Supreme Court of the Philippines
The Supreme Court of the Philippines is the Philippines' highest judicial court, as well as the court of last resort. The court consists of 14 Associate Justices and 1 Chief Justice...
received the judgment of Regional Trial Court, Br. 264, Pasig City
Pasig City
The City of Pasig is one of the city municipalities of Metro Manila in the Philippines and was the former capital of the province of Rizal prior to the formation of this grouping of cities designated as the National Capital Region...
(in Sp. Proc. No. 11767, entitled "In re: amendment / correction / supplementation or annotation of entry in the certificate of live birth of Gregory S. Ong vs. the Local Civil Register of San Juan; Kilosbayan and Bantay Katarungan, oppositors"), which ruled that Ong is a natural born Filipino citizen.
On December 4, 2007, the oppositions Kilosbayan and Bantay Katarungan headed by Jovito Salonga
Jovito Salonga
Jovito "Jovy" Reyes Salonga is a Filipino nationalist politician and lawyer, as well as a leading opposition leader during the Marcos regime from 1972, when Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law, until 1986, when Marcos was deposed as a result of a bloodless revolution...
stated that Judge Janolo denied their motion for reconsideration, and they appealed to the High Court to reverse the lower court’s decision on account of “grave error.” The High Tribunal has yet to resolve 2 separate pleadings filed before it regarding Ong’s citizenship: a) the letter-query of Special Prosecutor Dennis Villa-Ignacio on Ong’s status as Sandiganbayan justice, and b) the Quo Warranto
Quo warranto
Quo warranto is a prerogative writ requiring the person to whom it is directed to show what authority they have for exercising some right or power they claim to hold.-History:...
petition filed by Iglesia ni Cristo
Iglesia ni Cristo
Iglesia ni Cristo also known as INC, is the largest entirely indigenous Christian religious organization that originated from the Philippines and the largest independent church in Asia. Due to a number of similarities, some Protestant writers describe the INC's doctrines as restorationist in...
lawyer Ferdinand Topacio, who asked the Court to stop Ong from exercising his role as Sandiganbayan justice because of his questionable citizenship.