On the eve of her 100th birthday, a Centennial Memorial was unveiled and dedicated to the first Ilongga Supreme Court Justice, Carolina C. Griño-Aquino, at the Iloilo Hall of Justice Atrium on October 20, 2023.
The event was spearheaded by the Iloilo Hall of Justice and the daughter of Justice Griño-Aquino, Carmen “Menchu” Aquino-Sarmiento. Welcoming the guests was Judge Rose Edith Togonon.
In his message for the occasion, Sen. Franklin Drilon recalled the time when he was working as a new lawyer with Justice Carol back in 1987. He attested to the learning he got on litigation work from her, including the “ethics of the legal practice from one who is decent and conscious of her role.”
Retired Justice Francis Jardeleza, who is also from Iloilo, attributed Justice Griño-Aquino as “one of the pillars of Philippine jurisprudence with landmark cases under her name and a champion of liberal democracy.”
The event was attended by Associate Justice Jose Midas Marquez, Court Administrator Raul Villanueva, Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas, former Dept. of Tourism Secretary Narzalina Lim, and USWAG Partylist Cong. James Ang, UP Visayas Chancellor Clement C. Camposano, a host of judges and lawyers, guests, and members of the Griño and Aquino families.
Born on October 22, 1923, Griño-Aquino served in the SC from February 2, 1988, to October 22, 1993, after her husband, Chief Justice Ramon C. Aquino, had left the SC. She was the first female justice from Iloilo and was appointed to the nation's highest court by President Corazon Cojuangco Aquino. She previously served as presiding justice of the Court of Appeals.
She graduated magna cum laude for her Liberal Arts course from the Colegio de San Agustin in Iloilo City. She earned her Bachelor’s of Law degree from the University of the Philippines in 1950. She topped the 1952 Bar Examination with a score of 92.02.
After her retirement from the SC, she served as the first chairperson of the Mandatory Continuing Legal Education Committee.
