Tijam takes a bow
Supreme Court Associate Justice Noel G. Tijam (left) receives a Certificate of Appreciation “for his around 3 decades of stellar public service” from the SC community as he attended his last flag ceremony Monday, Jan. 7, before officially retiring. Mr. Tijam, who wrote the controversial decision on the ouster of Maria Lourdes P. Sereno as chief justice in June 2018, said in his speech during his retirement ceremony last Jan. 4: “Some may think that it is easy to be right because one needs only to follow one’s innate sense of right and wrong or one’s sense of logic. But a Justice of the Court is not supposed to be ruled by his or her convictions or beliefs; the Court must decide based on what the law is. The law, however, is not always as clear as the light of day. It is not always straightforward or complete,” he said.