Roberto A. Abad
Roberto A. Abad | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 22, 1944 |
| Occupation(s) | Lawyer, jurist, academic |
| Years active | 1968–2014 |
| Known for | Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines (2009–2014) |
Roberto A. Abad (born May 22, 1944) is a distinguished lawyer and jurist who held the position of associate justice on the Supreme Court of the Philippines from August 7, 2009, until May 22, 2014.
Law career
Abad earned his degree with honors from Ateneo de Manila University in 1968. As a member of the Fraternal Order of Utopia, he commenced his legal profession at the Jose W. Diokno Law Office before entering public service. From 1969 to 1973, he worked as a Technical Assistant, then as an Associate Attorney from 1974 to 1975 at the Supreme Court under Chief Justice Fred Ruiz Castro.
In 1975, Abad became part of the Office of the Solicitor General, where he was elevated to Assistant Solicitor General in 1985. Approximately one year later, he launched his own law practice.
He has extended free legal assistance to various groups such as the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG), Department of Social Welfare and Development, and Angels of Hope Orphanage. Additionally, he facilitated training sessions for catechists within the Archdiocese of Manila.
From 1988 through 1990, Abad acted as legal consultant for a presidential committee focused on the nuclear power plant. He subsequently represented Equitable Banking Corporation and its executives during the impeachment proceedings against former President Joseph E. Estrada.
Prior to his retirement, Abad authored a pivotal Supreme Court decision in Disini v. Secretary of Justice, which affirmed the constitutionality of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.
Teaching career
Recruited by Chief Justice Roberto C. Concepcion—then dean of University of Santo Tomas (UST) Faculty of Civil Law—Abad transitioned from the OSG to academia in 1978 to instruct political law at UST. His teaching portfolio also included constitutional law, administrative law, election law, law on public corporations, and public international law. He served as a bar reviewer specializing in political law and eventually assumed the role of Dean at UST’s Faculty of Civil Law.
Writing career
Abad authored two notable publications: Practical Book in Legal Writing (2002) and Fundamentals of Legal Writing (2004). Between 1972 and 1996, he contributed as a staff editor for the Supreme Court Reports Annotated (SCRA).
In 2007, he conducted seminars on legal writing and research aimed at attorneys and investigators from the Office of the Ombudsman. These were organized by bodies such as the Philippine Judicial Academy, USAID, Rule of Law Effectiveness, and CD Technologies Asia, Inc. Moreover, he provided lectures on preparing judicial memoranda to research attorneys at both the Sandiganbayan and Court of Tax Appeals.
Personal life
After being widowed by his first wife Liliabeth Abad—with whom he fathered four children—Abad remarried; his current spouse is lawyer Victoria Martinez.
Notable opinions
- Disini v. The Secretary of Justice (February 18, 2014) — affirmed the constitutionality of key provisions within the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012