The Legacy of Francisco " Frank" Chavez

The Legacy of Francisco “Frank” Chavez

Today, February 6 is the birthday of the late Francisco “Frank” Chavez. An academic whiz, nationalist lawyer, topnotch litigator and freedom fighter, Frank would have been 68 years old today. Leaving this world too soon, Frank died on September  11, 2013 at the age of 66 due to a stroke,  a complication of a recurring Lymphoma, a case of cancer.

The untimely demise of Frank Chavez came as an unwelcome surprise to everyone especially to both his colleagues and nemeses in the legal and political arenas.    

Francisco “Frank” Ibrado Chavez was born in Bateria, Sagay, Negros Occidental on February 6, 1947.

 “Frank Chavez finished his high school education in the University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos, graduating salutatorian in 1961. He then went to the West Negros College in Bacolod City for his college education, graduating summa cum laude in 1967 with a degree in Bachelor of Arts major in English. He earned his Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of the Philippines, graduating cum laude in 1971. He was admitted to the Philippine Bar in 1972.”

“He was the youngest bar examiner at age 38 when he served as examiner in remedial law during the 1985 Bar examinations. In 1986, he was named one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) of the country for his achievements in his chosen field of law and human rights. He is one of the founders of the Brotherhood of Nationalistic, Involved and Free Attorneys to Combat Injustice and Oppression (BONIFACIO). He is a partner in the Sycip Salazar Hernandez and Gatmaitan Law Offices and a founding partner of the Chavez Laureta & Associates law office.”

“Frank’s political activism was evident as a student demonstrator against the rule of Ferdinand Marcos. As First-Quarter Stormer, he joined the student mass action on January 30, 1970, the First Battle of Mendiola Bridge. He was one of those manning the barricades when Metrocom soldiers stormed the University of the Philippines campus. His participation in numerous rallies notwithstanding, he finished the law course, cum laude, at the UP in 1971.

“During the martial law years, he represented in court pro-bono more than 500 detainees who were haled to various courts on trumped-up charges of sedition, rebellion, inciting to sedition, etc. by the Marcos regime (September 1983 to March 1986). He handled press freedom, religious freedom and the Lino Brocka cases, plus the Escalante massacre case and “mistrial of the century case” in 1985, the ban-Marcos proclamation case in February 1986, and was a tireless, fearless street parliamentarian. These “fight for freedom and justice” involvements earned him the 1987 Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Philippines (TOYM) award for law and human rights. But importantly, they convinced President Corazon C. Aquino to appoint him as the youngest Solicitor General, from 1987 to 1992. As SolGen, he worked for the winning of 74 of the 81 government/policy cases decided by the Philippine Supreme Court. At the end of his term, President Aquino thanked him “most sincerely for the services you have rendered to the Government as Solicitor General with unwavering courage and impeccable integrity.”

He is known for his anti-graft and corruption exposes, which resulted in a complete revamp of the PCGG; the PAL scam of P2.2 billion, resulting in the dismissal of top ranking PAL executives, and the cessation of the small town lottery system, among others. He exposed the “immoral, illegal and unconstitutional” secret agreements between the PCGG and the Marcoses, and exposed the existence of $13.2 billion (as of June 1998) found in account No. 885931 of the Union Bank of Switzerland maintained under the name of a Marcos daughter.

Legal luminary Victor Lazatin of ACCRA law and a former classmate of Frank Chavez has these to say: “Frank Chavez was a man who never backed down from a fight." He was an extreme warrior. He did not hesitate to fight or to challenge somebody to a fight. He was a warrior litigator “As a member of the Sigma Rho fraternity in the University of the Philippines where he took up law, he did not shy away from spats between brotherhoods. But his feistiness saw him rise up to an even more fearsome foe: his own circumstances. "He was really poor. He got by on scholarships. He never bought any book in school, all of his books were borrowed," said Lazatin. "That's why he was so determined to make a good life for himself. He really worked hard."

Eventually, Chavez would become one of the most successful litigators in his law school Batch of 1971."If you gauge it financially, among our classmates he probably is the most successful. He's the only one who lives in Forbes," chuckled Lazatin.

He founded the Brotherhood of Nationalistic, Involved and Free Attorneys to Combat Injustice and Oppression (BONIFACIO) offering free services as a lawyer to represent human rights victims during the dictator's regime.

“Bellicose and bombastic, he caught the attention of Corazon Aquino who found a den in which the lion could freely roar: the Office of the Solicitor General. And roar the lion did. In his years in the public eye, he filed numerous cases against various public officials, including a plunder case against former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.”

"I will always remember Frank Chavez as a nationalist lawyer, who fought side by side with us against the dictatorial rule. His unyielding passion for defending human rights and battling corruption and vested interests earned him not a few enemies, but it endeared him to those who believe in the rule of law and human dignity," said Vice President Jejomar Binay in a statement.

The circumstances of Chavez' death on September 11 at the age of 66 did not go unnoticed by those familiar with his crusade.

"Frank Chavez died on Marcos's birthday; I think Chavez would be chuckling at the irony," tweeted Supreme Court spokesman Theodore Te, a former human rights lawyer.

“Frank Chavez was married to Ma. Juanita "Jean" Rivera-Chavez with whom he had 3 daughters: Katrina, Tippi and Ingrid Chavez. His sons-in-law: Bern Reyes and Nico Lacson. His grandsons: Frank Ethan, Dylan Michael and Liam Duncan.”

To many of us, especially the Negrenses, we will always think back and hold dear a poor boy from Bateria, Sagay, Frank Chavez, who with his brilliant academic mind, sheer determination and  perseverance  catapulted into the national scene as a nationalist lawyer,  warrior litigator and freedom fighter who dared to go against the powerful, corrupt political leaders in pursuit of the truth and defense of human rights… and freedom.

For me personally, I have rubbed elbows with Frank a couple of times in the past, the fact that Frank’s older brother, Raynor was a classmate of mine in West Negros College in the early 60’s.

I have kept with me  Frank”s novel, Blighted, which I love to read untiringly for several times already. The book was made so special and memorable for me due to a personalized dedication from Frank himself, a couple of weeks after his birthday in 2010.

I am highly recommending  Blighted, a book  which is worth buying and reading.  The novel by Frank Chavez, which is, to my mind, his biography in part, is described as…

“Amidst the confounding social malaise that grips a country beset by inequity and inordinate tolerance for corruption, the lives of three young Filipinos intersect in a twist of fate. Their divergent backgrounds and class associations provoke nagging questions on morality, with the core narrative embroiling a spectrum of Philippine society.  From unimaginable conditions of squalor to swank villas that define the matrix of avarice, political patronage and quid pro quo accommodations, the conflict rages between noble conviction and metastasized greed, ultimately between good and evil. Despite the present day morass, the courage of a few good men spells a nation’s true birthright: to transform a blighted culture to one of brimming hope for the future.”

 

Rogelio G. Balo, PhD

Central Valley California

Feb. 6 2015