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L U X I N D O M I N O
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It was the lifelong dream of Voltaire Y. Rosales to serve the cause of justice as a judge. In 1995 he achieved his dream. On June 10, 2004, his judicial career was cut short when he was gunned down near his court.
Coming from a family of modest means, Voltaire Y. Rosales enrolled as a scholar at the College of Law of the Ateneo De Manila University in 1977. From 1980 to 1981, while still a student, he defended the downtrodden, the disadvantaged, and the dispossessed by serving as free legal assistance officer at the Department of Labor and Employment.
When Voltaire Y. Rosales graduated from the College of Law on March 25, 1981, the commencement speaker, Justice Pompeyo Diaz, exhorted his class to instill in themselves a passion for justice that would give them the strength to stand alone and the vision to endure.
Voltaire Y. Rosales took the bar examinations in 1981 and landed in the twenty-fifth place with a grade of 84.5 percent. He then started his legal career as an attorney at the Santos, Balgos and Perez Law Office. In 1984, he served as the chief of staff of his father-in-law. Assemblyman Rafael A. Legaspi, a stalwart of the opposition.
During the special election for president in 1985, Voltaire Y. Rosales worked for the United Opposition as its legal counsel in Aklan. After the EDSA revolution, he joined the Office of the Solicitor General in 1986 as a solicitor.
When Voltaire Y. Rosales had logged enough years of law practice to qualify him to be a judge, he applied for appointment to the judiciary. On October 7, 1995, President Fidel V. Ramos appointed him as judge of Branch 83 of the Regional Trial Court of Tanauan, Batangas.
Voltaire Y. Rosales took the ringing words of Justice Pompeyo Diaz to heart when he donned the robes of a judge. He plunged himself into his work with dedication. He served with a burning passion for justice and shining compassion for the victims of injustice. The lowliest citizen could stand before his courtroom unafraid of the mightiest tycoon, for he was confident that in the court of Judge Voltaire Y. Rosales justice would be dispensed in accordance with the Roman Maxim, “Let justice be done though the heavens fall.”
Despite his overload of cases and the inadequacy of the court facilities, Judge Voltaire Y. Rosales continued to discharge his duties with dedication. He would spend his own money for his court.
Realizing that drugs are the bane of the youth and recognizing that justice is the foundation of an orderly society, Judge Voltaire Y. Rosales applied the full force of the law on drug dealers, kidnappers, and gangsters. He would pray to seek divine guidance before writing his decisions.
While he devoted his public life to his fellowmen, Judge Voltaire Y. Rosales dedicated his private life to God and his family. He was a devotee of the Sacred Heart, a Eucharistic minister, and household head of the Couples for Christ.
Soon, Judge Voltaire Y. Rosales started receiving offers of money and threats to his life. He remained steadfast in his commitment to the highest ideals and the noblest standards of his legal education at the College of Law of the Ateneo De Manila University. Even as the threats to his life become more ominous, he refused to follow up his transfer to a safer jurisdiction. He believed that if he should be killed in the line of duty, it only meant that God had decided to call him and he was ready to meet his destiny.
Finally, on June 10, 2004, Judge Voltaire Y. Rosales was ambushed and killed. Till the very end, he preserved his sterling integrity and indomitable courage.
Because of his dedication to the rule of law, his fidelity to Christian values, and his commitment to the Ateneo ideals, Judge Voltaire Y. Rosales paid the ultimate price. He sacrificed his life for his principle. For making a difference in an institution sometimes perceived as failing to dispense justice for all; for his firm commitment to society’s moral transformation through his various advocacies; and for being the light that sought to dispel the darkness in the existing system, the Ateneo de Manila confers with great pride the Lux-in-Domino Award, posthumously, upon Judge Voltaire Y. Rosales.
Written by Brod Jacinto Jimenez, from a tribute for the Lux in Domino Award, conferred posthumously by the Ateneo de Manila University on July 26, 2005.
Coming from a family of modest means, Voltaire Y. Rosales enrolled as a scholar at the College of Law of the Ateneo De Manila University in 1977. From 1980 to 1981, while still a student, he defended the downtrodden, the disadvantaged, and the dispossessed by serving as free legal assistance officer at the Department of Labor and Employment.
When Voltaire Y. Rosales graduated from the College of Law on March 25, 1981, the commencement speaker, Justice Pompeyo Diaz, exhorted his class to instill in themselves a passion for justice that would give them the strength to stand alone and the vision to endure.
Voltaire Y. Rosales took the bar examinations in 1981 and landed in the twenty-fifth place with a grade of 84.5 percent. He then started his legal career as an attorney at the Santos, Balgos and Perez Law Office. In 1984, he served as the chief of staff of his father-in-law. Assemblyman Rafael A. Legaspi, a stalwart of the opposition.
During the special election for president in 1985, Voltaire Y. Rosales worked for the United Opposition as its legal counsel in Aklan. After the EDSA revolution, he joined the Office of the Solicitor General in 1986 as a solicitor.
When Voltaire Y. Rosales had logged enough years of law practice to qualify him to be a judge, he applied for appointment to the judiciary. On October 7, 1995, President Fidel V. Ramos appointed him as judge of Branch 83 of the Regional Trial Court of Tanauan, Batangas.
Voltaire Y. Rosales took the ringing words of Justice Pompeyo Diaz to heart when he donned the robes of a judge. He plunged himself into his work with dedication. He served with a burning passion for justice and shining compassion for the victims of injustice. The lowliest citizen could stand before his courtroom unafraid of the mightiest tycoon, for he was confident that in the court of Judge Voltaire Y. Rosales justice would be dispensed in accordance with the Roman Maxim, “Let justice be done though the heavens fall.”
Despite his overload of cases and the inadequacy of the court facilities, Judge Voltaire Y. Rosales continued to discharge his duties with dedication. He would spend his own money for his court.
Realizing that drugs are the bane of the youth and recognizing that justice is the foundation of an orderly society, Judge Voltaire Y. Rosales applied the full force of the law on drug dealers, kidnappers, and gangsters. He would pray to seek divine guidance before writing his decisions.
While he devoted his public life to his fellowmen, Judge Voltaire Y. Rosales dedicated his private life to God and his family. He was a devotee of the Sacred Heart, a Eucharistic minister, and household head of the Couples for Christ.
Soon, Judge Voltaire Y. Rosales started receiving offers of money and threats to his life. He remained steadfast in his commitment to the highest ideals and the noblest standards of his legal education at the College of Law of the Ateneo De Manila University. Even as the threats to his life become more ominous, he refused to follow up his transfer to a safer jurisdiction. He believed that if he should be killed in the line of duty, it only meant that God had decided to call him and he was ready to meet his destiny.
Finally, on June 10, 2004, Judge Voltaire Y. Rosales was ambushed and killed. Till the very end, he preserved his sterling integrity and indomitable courage.
Because of his dedication to the rule of law, his fidelity to Christian values, and his commitment to the Ateneo ideals, Judge Voltaire Y. Rosales paid the ultimate price. He sacrificed his life for his principle. For making a difference in an institution sometimes perceived as failing to dispense justice for all; for his firm commitment to society’s moral transformation through his various advocacies; and for being the light that sought to dispel the darkness in the existing system, the Ateneo de Manila confers with great pride the Lux-in-Domino Award, posthumously, upon Judge Voltaire Y. Rosales.
Written by Brod Jacinto Jimenez, from a tribute for the Lux in Domino Award, conferred posthumously by the Ateneo de Manila University on July 26, 2005.
