Judge Henrick Gingoyon: A Geat Loss to Cebuanos and to the Nation

[la_gnostic]

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Judge Henrick Gingoyon

...a simple man
...principled
...honest
...dedicated
...champion of the poor
...fighter for human rights
...one of the nation's finest judges
...a Cebuano
...a Filipino

He lived - and died - fighting for truth and justice
...against all odds.
...with his dignity untarnished.

Farewell judge. You served your country with great honor and integrity.

The nation is forever grateful to your greatness.

[la_gnostic]

Palace: Get mastermind behind Judge Gingoyon slay
Jan 04, 2006
By Lira Dalangin-Fernandez
INQ7.net

MALACAÑANG said on Wednesday that it expected authorities to exhaust all leads to get the mastermind behind the killing of Judge Henrick Gingoyon following the arrest of several suspects in a series of raids.

“The country has just lost Justice Cecilia Muñoz-Palma and Judge Henrick Gingoyon, who both fiercely fought the dictator. At this writing, I hear no mention of these incorruptible duo being buried in the Libingan ng mga Bayani.… They deserve the thanks of the nation.”
- Rene Saguisag
Sideline Slants, Manila Times
January 16, 2006


WE ARE FAST LOSING OUR GOOD PEOPLE
FROM THE SIDELINES By Alfredo G. Rosario
THE MANILA TIMES Thursday, January 05, 2006

"THE death last Monday of former Supreme Court justice Cecilia Muñoz Palma left our country poorer in terms of its moral and intellectual resource. For Mrs. Palma belonged to the nation’s thinning ranks of upright, principled and honest men and women who have served their people with distinction.

Mrs. Palma’s demise was preceded by the death of other notable personalities in the past few days. The latest was that of Pasay City Regional Trial Court Judge Henrick Gingoyon, who was murdered near his house in Bacoor, Cavite.

Gingoyon was a man of moral courage who stood his ground in every decision that he made as a judge. He could not be intimidated by the high influence of people who appeared in his court and wrote his rulings with an independent mind, free from his personal biases and beliefs.

It was he who ordered the government to pay the expropriation cost of the NAIA Terminal 3 or Piatco. The decision was contested by the solicitor general, but Gingoyon was upheld by the Supreme Court."


WE LOST A GOOD JUDGE
By Apolinario Bacani
The Manila Times LETTER
(1/4/2006)

"Whoever planned and executed the murder of Judge Henrick Gingoyon of Pasay City Regional Trial Court did a grave injustice not only to the judge’s family but to the Filipino people.

Judge Gingoyon was one of the courageous and independent-minded magistrates. When he was trying the Piatco case, he stood his ground in ordering the government to pay the expropriation cost of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3.

Solicitor General Alfredo Benipayo had to go to the Supreme Court to contest Gingoyon’s ruling. What I know is that the high tribunal sustained the Pasay judge.

Gingoyon was well versed in his knowledge of law and was articulate in debating constitutional issues. “


A HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYER; A MAN OF CONVICTION

Judge Gingoyon is remembered by FLAG for his contributions to the cause of human rights. As a FLAG lawyer based in Cebu, he pursued the defense of those who could not find anyone to defend them: political prisoners, workers, slum dwellers, farmers, and victims of human rights violations. His relentless defense of human rights cases distinguished him as a human rights lawyer and a man of conviction.

- JOSE MANUEL I. DIOKNO
Chair, Free Legal Assistance Group


“I am saddened by Judge Gingoyon's death and I feel personally offended by it.” - Rep. Eduardo R. Gullas whose family owns the University of the Visayas (UV) Gullas Law School where Judge Gingoyon also used to teach.

Gingoyon Handled Sensational Cases
- By Maricar D. Tolosa
Inquirer, Dec 31, 2005

Editor's Note: Published on page A4 of the January 1, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

A MAN who lived an apparently checkered life, Henrick F. Gingoyon had been involved in high profile cases in his career as an activist lawyer and judge.

Jan. 4, 2005-He ruled that Piatco can get a deposit of $62.3 million.

June 27, 2002-He ordered the arrest of lawyer Charito Planas of Nayong Pilipino, for allegedly defying a temporary restraining order barring the closure of the theme park. Planas posted bail and the charges were later dropped.

July 2002-He sentenced Indonesian Agus Dwikarna, said to have links to terror leader Fathur Rohman al-Ghozi, to up to 17 years in prison for illegal possession of firearms.

December 2003 - He sentenced Generoso Cuneta, SON of former Pasay Mayor Cuneta, and brother of actress Sharon Cuneta, to LIFE IMPRISONMENT for malversation of public funds.

Prior to being named Pasay City judge, Gingoyon was senior state prosecutor for 10 years.

Among the sensational cases he handled as a prosecutor
were the bribery case involving ex-Gen. Dictador Alqueza, the kidnap-slaying of former IBP president Eugene Tan and the shooting of Alvin Vinculado.

Before entering government service, Gingoyon was counsel for leftist groups, such as the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan and the Kilusang Mayo Uno, in his native Cebu City.

He also served as Cebu's secretary general for the Anti-Bases Coalition.

[la_gnostic]

'Judges walk with one foot on the grave'
By Marlon Ramos
Inquirer, Jan 05, 2006

Editor's Note: Published on Page A13 of the January 5, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

IT may take a while before Maribeth Gingoyon resumes her early morning jogs on weekends. Maribeth, 51, has lost her favorite jogging partner-her husband, Pasay City Judge Henrick Gingoyon-who was felled by four assassins' bullets a few hours after taking their usual run on New Year's Eve.

Henrick, a fitness buff, had been her "physical fitness partner" for more than 30 years, she said.

For years, jogging around their neighborhood at Soldiers' Hills Village in Barangay Molino in Bacoor, Cavite, had been their routine on weekends and whenever her husband's busy schedule allowed them to, she said. "He liked to jog and go to the gym after work."

Maribeth had earlier shunned media interviews, refusing to talk about the circumstances of Henrick's fate. She agreed to talk to this writer for a few minutes during the wake of her husband in their house on Jan. 3, moments before police presented the judge's alleged murderer.

Gingoyon's remains will be flown to his hometown in Cebu City today and will be cremated on Sunday. He left a wife, four daughters-Hazel, 30; Hyacinth, 27; Henriette, 20; and Henrikka, 10-and a son, Henrick Martin Dion, 13.

Maribeth said she noticed nothing unusual the day her husband was attacked some 25 meters from their house. "We ate breakfast, jogged around the subdivision and went home afterwards at about 6:30 a.m. He then took a nap. When he woke up at 10:30 a.m., he told me he would just go to the gym," she said. The gym, which Gingoyon frequented for years, is just 50 meters away from their house. His children said their father usually went there at around 7 p.m. on weekdays.

Witnesses said a man had been snooping around the place moments before Henrick was shot and killed. Police said the gunman even checked the logbook of the establishment to make sure that his target was inside the gym.

Maribeth said she still could not face the reality that the man she had spent years jogging with is now gone forever.

"He was kind, wala siyang kapalit (he is irreplaceable)," she said, holding back tears. She said the presence of friends and relatives at the wake was what kept her from crying and thinking about her family's uncertain future.

In the entire 30 years of being in the legal profession as a lawyer, prosecutor and judge, Gingoyon never discussed the cases he was handling with his family. Nor did he tell them about threats on his life, Maribeth said.

But he told her that being a judge "is a dangerous profession."
"He used to tell me that judges walk with one foot on the grave. He said receiving threats was just normal for judges," she related.

Maribeth said her husband was never bothered after handing down the decision on the Philippine International Air Terminal Corp. (Piatco) case. He ruled that the national government must pay $63 million to Piatco for taking over the mothballed Terminal 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

The recent decision of the Supreme Court upholding his decision has "vindicated him," she said.

When asked if she knew that Gingoyon had accused the prime suspect, Senior Supt. Manuel Barcena, of involvement in the shooting of their house almost three years ago, she said she knew that her husband had filed an affidavit with the National Bureau of Investigation.

But she declined to comment when asked if the incident had something to do with the killing of her husband.
Barcena has denied involvement in the murder.

Cool dad
Gingoyon's children said they would be surely missing "the perfect and coolest dad one could ever have."

"I may be biased, but he was really perfect a dad. He was not just a father, he was also a friend to us," Hazel said, sobbing.
Seeing her father inside the coffin is a surreal scene for them, she said. "We still could not accept [his tragic death]," she said.
Henriette said their father was very supportive of their decisions and ambitions.

She said their close ties did not dissuade Gingoyon from agreeing to her and her sister Hazel's plan to move to the United States after her graduation in February.

Another sister, Hyacinth, is now in the US working in a Los Angeles firm. Since Gingoyon's death, the family has been constantly communicating with Hyacinth through the Internet.

Despite being a disciplinarian, Gingoyon always reached out to all his children. Henriette said it was their father who taught them to value family ties. Hazel said it was their closeness that kept her from leaving their house and settling down.

Frugality
Henriette said her father's frugality was the one thing that she admired most in him. Despite their relative affluence, their father taught them the value of saving money, she said.

"Actually, pareho sila ni (they are similar) Mommy. They showed us the importance of valuing hard-earned money," she said.
Henriette added that her father preferred to bring home-cooked food to the office rather than eat out during lunchtime.

Even after he was promoted as a regional trial court judge in one of the biggest cities in the country, Gingoyon remained unassuming, she said.

Only a few in the neighborhood knew that he was already a judge, Henriette said. Most of them addressed him as "Attorney."
"But it was OK with him," she said.

One of the neighbors said she was a witness to Gingoyon's humility.

"He would usually greet us and the other neighbors. Naglalakad lang siya dito tulad ng ibang simpleng tao. Kaya nagulat kami sa nangyari sa kanya (He would just walk around here like other simple people. So we were shocked at what happened to him)," the neighbor said.

Henriette said her father also gave legal services and advice to the community free of charge.He made them understand the importance of respecting other people, especially those who have less in life.

Jonathan Orlino, 33, said the slain judge valued ordinary people.
Working as a utility man in Gingoyon's office for three years, Orlino said he felt like he lost a father and defender.

"Despite his stature, he never looked down at us. We were all equal for him. He was really kind. I cannot even remember him getting angry at any of his staff members," he said.

He described Gingoyon as "a hands-on boss." The judge always saw to it that he attended the monthly meeting with his staff, he said.
Orlino remembered how, in one of those meetings, Gingoyon reminded them that maintaining cleanliness in the office was not just a utility man's job but that of the entire staff, including the judge.
Orlino likewise described his boss as a fun-loving person who was always ready to lend a helping hand.

Hazel said they planned to bring back their father's cremated remains to their house in Bacoor.

"My father used to tell us how he loved this house and how he loved to stay here. So we will bring him back to the house which he referred to as a labor of love," she said.

[misha lang]

he is a great man! sayang!!

[Onins]

A Great Man Indeed! Welcome to Omega Chapter Brod!

Causa Latet Vis Est Notissima!