Former justice chief Ordoñez dies, 86

Sedfrey Ordoñez, former justice secretary and ambassador to the United Nations, died at the Makati Medical Center Sunday afternoon, almost two weeks after suffering a stroke. Radio dzBB reported Monday that Ordoñez died at 4:40 p.m. Sunday. His remains will be brought to the Loyola Memorial Park on Thursday. Ordoñez, born on Sept. 1, 1921, was elected as delegate to the Constitutional Convention in 1970, representing the second district of Nueva Ecija. Under the Aquino administration, he worked as Solicitor General in 1986 and as secretary of justice from 1987 to 1989. He also served as Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the United Nations from 1990 to 1992. He also served as chairman of the Commission on Human Rights from 1992 to 95, and commissioner of the Construction Industry Administration Commission in 1999. Ordoñez attended the College of Liberal Arts and College of Law at the University of the Philippines 1940-1941, and the Manuel L Quezon University School of Law, 1947-1948, where he earned his LL.B degree. He earned his LL.M degree at the Philippine Law School in 1954, LL.M, and attended the Ateneo University Graduate School of Business from 1973-1974. Ordoñez was managing partner of Salonga, Ordoñez & Yap Law Office, from 1953 to 1986, and was a lecturer in Remedial Law from 1950 to 1986 in various universities. He chaired the Philippine Dispute Resolution Centre since 1996 to the present and was professional arbitrator of the Philippine Institute of Construction Arbitrators. Also, he was commissioner of the Construction Industry Arbitration Commission in 1999. He was elected to a term of six years from November 10 1977, to the UNESCO Conciliation and Good Offices Commission. He also served as adviser to the Advisory Commission of Jurists, Asia Pacific Forum, Rotorua, New Zealand, August 7 to 9, 2000. Ordoñez's honors included Doctor of Laws (hon), Araullo University, 1990; Doctor of Humanities (hon), Mindanao State University, 1991; Doctor of Public Administration (hon), Polytechnic University of the Philippines, 1991; and Doctor of Laws (hon), Manuel L Quezon University. - GMANews.TV