Retired SC Justice Hugo Gutierrez passes away at 86

Retired Supreme Court Justice Hugo Gutierrez, appointed during the Marcos regime, passed away in the afternoon of Independence Day on Wednesday at the age of 86.

In a statement, the SC Public Information Office said Gutierrez passed away at 1:10 p.m. at St. Luke's Medical Center in Quezon City due to multiple organ failure resulting from diabetes.

"He had been in and out of the hospital for the last two years, and for the last three weeks had been in the Critical Care Unit," the SC PIO said.

Gutierrez took an “early optional retirement” in February 1993 amid allegations that he let a lawyer of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone (PLDT) company write a Supreme Court decision on the firm's case and passed it off as his own.

The controversial ruling upheld PLDT's right to block the operation of an international gateway by Eastern Telecoms, its rival at the time.

Gutierrez, who was then 66 years old and four years shy of the mandatory retirement age of 70, denied the allegation and was quoted as saying in a Manila Standard report that he wrote better than the PLDT lawyer.

"After 40 years of service to our people, 11 of which have been in the Supreme Court, it pains me deeply to have to exit in this manner. But it appears to be the correct action to take," he said during his retirement.

The SC rushed to Gutierrez's side, saying the court had "every confidence in, and high respect for Gutierrez's erudition and ability to express himself in both the spoken and written word."

An SC committee was formed to probe Gutierrez, but he was eventually exonerated of any wrongdoing.

Prior to his appointment to the high court, Gutierrez worked for the Office of the Solicitor General.

"While sitting on the SC as justice, he became well known for his adherence to civil liberties," the SC PIO said.

His remains will lie in state at the Sanctuarium along Araneta Avenue in Quezon City from Thursday until Friday. After that, his remains will be brought to Pampanga.

Gutierrez was among the Marcos-appointed SC justices who were re-appointed by Marcos' successor, the late President Corazon “Cory” Aquino. — KBK, GMA News