Supreme Court honors late Justice Quisumbing

The Supreme Court on Thursday offered a necrological service for retired Justice Leonardo Quisumbing, who died last Sunday at 79 years old.

Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin, former Chief Justice Reynato Puno, retired Justices Jose Perez and Adolfo Azcuna, and Judge Noel Santos delivered eulogies. One of Quisumbing's daughters, former Commission on Human Rights chief Cecilia Rachel Quisumbing, delivered the response.

Supreme Court holds necrological service for retired justice Leonardo Quisumbing, who died on Jan. 20. Former chief justice Reynato Puno is delivering a eulogy. @gmanews pic.twitter.com/D64h788NSG

— Nicole-Anne Lagrimas (@nclagrimas) January 24, 2019

During the service, Quisumbing was described as a wise and hardworking man of few words.

A Masbate native, Quisumbing was appointed to the High Court in 1998. He retired in 2009 at 70 years old.

Some notable SC decisions he wrote were on the admissibility of DNA evidence in cases involving parentage issues and the SC's denial of actress Susan Roces from substituting the late Fernando Poe Jr. in his election protest against then-president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

The SC also dismissed the protest.

Prior to serving as a justice, Quisumbing was Labor secretary and Defense secretary to former president Corazon Aquino and senior deputy executive secretary to former president Fidel Ramos.

He also held the rank of Commodore of the Philippine Coast Guard, 106th Auxiliary Squadron.

The late justice's remains lie in state at the San Quentin Chapel at the Loyola Memorial Chapel in Guadalupe, Makati City. — Nicole-Anne C. Lagrimas/RSJ, GMA News