Retired SC Justice Ruben Reyes passes away

MANILA, Philippines — Retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruben Reyes passed away on Monday. He was 82 years old.

The SC Public Information Office announced the passing of Reyes on its Twitter account. It has not disclosed the cause of his death.

"The Supreme Court mourns the passing of its 159th Associate Justice, Hon. Ruben T. Reyes, who served on the Court from 1 Aug 2007 to 2 Jan 2009," it said.

Former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo appointed Reyes to the Supreme Court on Aug. 1, 2007, where he served until his mandatory retirement on Jan. 2, 2009.

Prior to his stint at the high court, Reyes served as the presiding justice of the Court of Appeals from Dec. 23, 2005 to Jul. 31, 2007.

Based on his short profile on The United Methodist Church website, Reyes hailed from Hagonoy, Bulacan and had been an active member of the church.

It noted that the retired justice was elected a member of its Judicial Council twice, in 2008 and in 2016.

In 2008, a year after his retirement, the SC imposed an indefinite suspension from law practice against Reyes after it found Reyes guilty of gross misconduct for leaking an un-promulgated decision on an election case involving the citizenship of a former lawmaker.

Five years later, the SC ordered the reinstatement to law practice of Reyes but stood firm on its penalty of perpetual disqualification from holding office and teaching. — Kristine Joy Patag with report from The STAR/Edu Punay