PHILIPPINE SUPREME COURT JUSTICES MEET WITH THE PRESIDENT OF THE SPANISH TRIBUNAL SUPREMO IN MADRID–
SPANISH GOVERNMENT PLEDGES €250,000 TO FUND COOPERATION WITH PHILIPPINE JUDICIARY
(L-R) Justice Mario V. Lopez, Justice Rodil V. Zalameda, Consul Monika Kamille Limpo, Head of Delegation Justice Alfredo Benjamin S. Caguioa, President Francisco Marín Castan of the Tribunal Supremo of Spain, Ambassador of Spain to the Philippines Miguel Utray, Justice Ramon Paul Hernando, Justice Samuel H. Gaerlan, Justice Jose Midas P. Marquez, and Professor Jose Manuel de Torres of Universidad de Malaga (Photo Courtesy of the Spanish Supreme Court)
Madrid, Spain – A delegation from the Philippine Supreme Court led by Justice Alfredo Benjamin S. Caguioa met with the President of the Spanish Supreme Court Francisco Marín Castan on 12 January 2024. This historic and momentous meeting was arranged in relation to the closing ceremonies of the Capacity Building on Legal and Social Advancement (CALESA) Erasmus+ Project held in Málaga, Spain. The Philippine Embassy in Madrid was represented by Consul Monika Kamille Limpo, Head of the Embassy’s Political Section.
At the same meeting, Spanish Ambassador to the Philippines, H.E. Miguel Utray Delgado, shared that the Spanish government is setting aside €250,000 for the continuation of this project. This grant is from the Agencia Española para Cooperación Internacional Para el Desarrollo (AECID) or Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation. Part of the grant will be used for translations of research Spanish legal material in English, continuing the work initiated by CALESA.
The visit to Madrid was also an opportunity for the 43-member delegation from the Philippines to have a dialogue with the Members of the Spanish Supreme Court on current judicial developments in the Philippine and Spanish jurisdictions, given the two countries' shared civil law traditions.
President Marín Castan noted the shared history and legal traditions between Spain and the Philippines– with the latter’s penal and civil code bearing the indelible mark of the Spanish legal system to this day. He also highlighted the role of the writings of one of his forebears, also named Castán, in Philippine legal and academic documents.
On the other hand, Justice Caguia thanked the Tribunal Supremo for receiving the delegation, and expressed his hope that their visit “will not only be a symbolic gesture of goodwill but will also be a tangible step towards a more profound and lasting partnership between the Supreme Court of Spain and the Supreme Court of the Philippines”. END