Estelito Mendoza, ‘lawyer of last resort,’ dies at 95
Estelito Mendoza, known as the “super lawyer” and “lawyer of last resort” who earned both admirers and critics as counsel for various controversial figures, including the Marcoses and other defendants in big corruption cases, died on Wednesday at the age of 95.
A disclosure by the Philippine National Bank (PNB) to the Philippine Stock Exchange reported Mendoza’s death, describing him as an “esteemed director” of the bank, a position he assumed in January 2009.
The disclosure did not state the cause of death.
Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile, in a Facebook post, also announced the passing of his “very, very dear friend” who represented him in his plunder case at the Sandiganbayan.
“For me, he was one of the best,” Enrile said. “If not the best, [the] lawyer I have encountered and worked with.”
Sara among latest client
Although Mendoza was younger than the 101-year-old Enrile, the latter recalled that the late lawyer was his senior at the University of the Philippines (UP) law school.
“Goodbye, Titong—my very good and best friend,” Enrile said.
One of the latest cases to be handled by Mendoza involved Vice President Sara Duterte in connection with the petitions filed before the Supreme Court challenging the constitutionality of the P125-million confidential funds allotted to her office in 2022.
Mendoza also represented deposed President Joseph Estrada, serving as his lead counsel during his Senate impeachment trial in 2000.
In 2004, he also lawyered for the movie icon and then presidential candidate Fernando Poe Jr., when his citizenship was questioned at the Supreme Court. Mendoza won the case for Poe.
Years later, he represented former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, (Poe’s main rival in the 2004 presidential race) in connection with the plunder case filed against her over the alleged misuse of P366 million in funds from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.
Mendoza served as solicitor general from 1972 to 1986 and as minister of justice from 1984 to 1986, making him one of the longest-serving Cabinet officials of the first Marcos administration.
Aside from then Senator Enrile, he also defended Senators Ramon Revilla Jr. and Jinggoy Estrada in the plunder cases arising from the pork barrel scam that was uncovered during the Benigno Aquino III administration.
Mendoza also played a pivotal role in defending the Marcos family, including President Marcos, in various ill-gotten wealth cases following the downfall of the Marcos regime in 1986.
Martial law justification
Project Gunita, a group working to preserve the memory of the Marcos dictatorship and push back against revisionism, said: “Mendoza played a central role in crafting and defending the legal framework that sustained the authoritarian regime.”
“As solicitor general from 1972 to 1986—spanning nearly the entire period of martial law—he was instrumental in justifying Marcos’ proclamation of martial law, the dissolution of democratic institutions, the silencing of dissent, and the continued detention of political prisoners,” it said in a statement.
Mendoza, the group said, represented the Marcoses in “crucial cases,” including those before the Supreme Court “where he defended the legality of martial law and the indefinite suspension of civil liberties in the infamous case of Javellana v. Executive Secretary.”
Then Supreme Court Associate Justice Angelina Sandoval-Gutierrez would later describe the decision in 2006 as a “mistake,” while former Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban said “the loathing of Javellana still linger and haunt to this day.”
Gov’t posts, int’l stature
During his tenure in government, Mendoza was elected chair of the Sixth (Legal) Committee of the 31st United Nations General Assembly session in 1976.
He also served as member of the Batasang Pambansa from 1978 to 1980 and again from 1984 to 1986.
As a lawmaker, he contributed to significant legislation, including the organization of regional assemblies and local elections. From 1980 to 1984, he also served as governor of Pampanga.
His influence extended internationally, serving as vice chair of the Philippine delegation to the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of the Seabed and Ocean Floor Beyond the Limits of National Jurisdiction from 1971 to 1973.
From 1974 to 1978, he was also vice chair of the Philippine delegation to the Third UN Conference on the Law of the Sea. In 1976, he chaired the UN General Assembly Legal Committee.
Outside the public sector, Mendoza was the founding partner of Estelito P. Mendoza and Associates. He also held directorships in major companies, including PNB, San Miguel Corp. and Petron.
Born on Jan. 5, 1930 in Bacolor, Pampanga, Mendoza obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of the Philippines College of Liberal Arts in 1948 and his law degree from the UP College of Law in 1952.
He further pursued legal studies at Harvard Law School, Harvard University, graduating in 1954.
Multiple doctorates
Throughout his career, he earned multiple doctorates in law from prestigious institutions, including the Central Colleges of the Philippines, University of Manila, Angeles University Foundation, University of the East and Hanyang University in Seoul, South Korea. He was also conferred a doctor of humane letters degree by Misamis University.
A distinguished member of various legal organizations in the Philippines, Mendoza also served as a professional lecturer in law and authored numerous publications on legal matters.
He was a recipient of several prestigious awards, including the Presidential Medal of Merit as Special Counsel on Marine and Ocean Concerns, the UP Alumni Association’s Professional Award in Law (1975), and the Lifetime Distinguished Achievement Award (2013). —WITH A REPORT FROM INQUIRER RESEARCH
Sources: Inquirer Archives, digitallibrary.un.org, pnb.com.ph
