GREGORY S. ONG

'Gregory Santos Ong' (born May 25, 1953) is an incumbent Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines. He was appointed to the Court by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on May 16, 2007.

Contents

Profile

Supreme Court Appointment Controversy

References

External links

Profile

Justice Ong (San Juan, Metro Manila) is married to Nancy L. Ong with 3 children (131-A J. Ruiz St. San Juan Metro Manila).
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.^[1]
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 at Far Eastern University (1975) and his Bachelor of Laws San Beda College (1979). He studied Master of Laws at the Manuel L. Quezon University (1992).^[2]
Before his Supreme Court appointment, Ong was the Chairman of the 4th Division, Sandiganbayan.^[3]

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 Azcuna 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.^[4][5]
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.”^[6]
Meanwhile, one of the top contenders for the supreme court post of Ong 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.^[7]
On July 26, 2007, constitutionalist retired S.C. Justice Vicente Mendoza 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.^[8]
On August 1, 2007, President Arroyo appointed CA Justice Ruben T. Reyes to replace Ong. Ong voluntarily withdrew his nomination, because of the controversy.^[9]

References

1. ALLEGED ANCESTRAL TREE OF RESPONDENT GREGORY S. ONG
2. Sandiganbayan Database profile of GREGORY S. ONG
3. Sandiganbayan Directory
4. Supreme Court shuts door on Gregory Ong
5. Supreme Court Decision
6. Inquirer.net, High Court rejects Ong's Appointment
7. GMA NEWS.TV, Sandigan may rule sooner on Estrada case; acquittal 'unlikely'
8. The Manila Times, Supreme Court vacancy may be filled this Friday
9. http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view_article.php?article_id=80032
Arroyo names new SC justice

External links

★ Supreme Court of the Philippines

★ Inquirer.net, Fr. Joaquin G. Bernas, S.J.