Azcuna vows help for Filipinos won’t end

Former SC Associate Justice Adolfo S. Azcuna. Photo from Philippine Judicial Academy website

MANILA, Philippines–Retired Supreme Court Justice Adolfo Azcuna, who has been elected to the 60-member International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), on Sunday thanked his supporters via social media, as he vowed to continue serving the people through the Philippine Judicial Academy (Philja).

“This is a recognition of the work of Philja in placing human rights and the rule of law at the heart of our training of judges here and occasionally abroad, and assures the support and cooperation of that body in our continuing work,” Azcuna said in a public post on his Facebook account.

“I thank Philja and the Supreme Court and assure them that I endeavor to continue serving our people as a servant-leader Philja chancellor, strengthened by the ICJ support and network,” he said.

The ICJ is a nongovernment organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, composed of lawyers dedicated to ensuring respect for international human rights standards through the law.

Azcuna, currently the Philja chancellor, was one of the five new commissioners announced last week by the ICJ.

Azcuna, 75, served as a Supreme Court justice from 2002 to 2009, after which he was appointed Philja chancellor. He previously served as Philippine National Bank chair, government press secretary, presidential legal counsel and member of the 1971 Constitutional Convention and the 1986 Constitutional Commission.–Jerome Aning