Although Liberty and Prosperity is better understood and appreciated by lawyers and members of the judiciary, being replete with cases and decisions, lay readers will see in the book a self-made man, in the truest sense of the word, endowed from the very start, with determination, courage, integrity, audacity, and unflinching faith in God. Millions who are born poor fail to rise above their humble beginnings. Panganiban describes his own with candor, with pride even, thus making his story more inspiring. I quote:
"I was born poor. My father was a mere high school graduate: my mother made it only through primary school. I was the youngest of four children. My father had to support, aside from us, his seven other siblings; my grandfather (his own father) had died when they were very young. To support all of us, my father did not finish schooling. He ended -working as a rank-and-file government employee.
"In those days, right after World War II, times were tough. I had to hawk newspapers, sell cigarettes, and shine shoes on the streets of Sampaloc. In the evening, I would sleep on the sidewalks, where I waited for the early morning hour when the newspapers would come in for delivery. At the time, we sold newspapers by running and shouting their names. (Now, newsboys have bicycles, even motorbikes, to ease their selling woes.)
"Many times, as I lay awake on the cold pavement waiting for the break of dawn, I have to fight back tears and feelings of self-pity. I would think of my schoolmates as they slept in their beds, simply resting and letting the hours pass until it was time to wake up for school. But I had to work at an early age to be able to go to school."
Frustrations were endless but the boy kept telling himself, "I will just keep trying my best and God will do the rest." Accordingly, he excelled in school, earning a scholarship for his law studies, and finishing sixth in the bar exams, while making his mark in all extra-curricular activities, although he was saddled with tremendous challenges.
As his law career progressed, President Ramos offered him a Cabinet post which he refused, it being political. FVR then made him an offer to join the Supreme Court. The rest is judicial history. Appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court by PGMA, Panganiban took his oath as the 21st Chief Justice, the first to be sworn in as such in the 21st century.
Throughout the book, the reader realizes the intrinsic beliefs and principles of Justice Panganiban which, while hewing to the law, were influenced solely by love for God and fellowmen. I quote: "In litigations involving civil liberties, the scales should weigh heavily against government and in favor of the people – particularly the poor, the oppressed, the marginalized, the dispossessed, and the weak. Laws and actions that restrict fundamental rights, like freedom of expression and the press, come to courts with a heavy presumption against their validity.
"A never-ending saga of trials and triumphs for the judiciary and our people is the battle for civil liberties, especially the inviolability of our persons and our homes from arbitrary searches and seizures, those guaranteeing our freedoms of abode and travel, and the so-called Miranda rights of persons accused of crimes."
Justice Panganiban was (is) in great demand as a speaker, and his speeches are redolent with exhortations to adhere to "a formula for a life worth living – excellence, ethics and eternity."
In addressing the youth, he sums up the third "e" – eternity – in this prayer he composed: "The Lord is my Shepherd. There is nothing I shall want. He has given me more than I deserve – a happy home, a healthy body, accomplished children, a stable career, a chance to serve our people, and opportunity to be remembered longer than my own life. Other than fulfilling my role in the Court, I have no more earthbound ambition. I live my life with only one consuming passion: that on that inevitable day I shall knock at the pearly gates, my Lord and Master will open the door, spread His arms and say: ‘Well done on your earthly sojourn. You have passed the test. Welcome home to my everlasting Kingdom.’"
In these days of widespread corruption and inequity, Justice Panganiban has earned the highest esteem and admiration of the Filipinos.