A Faculty of Civil Law alumnus, Hon. Nesauro H. Firme, was appointed as a regular member of the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) representing the Academe. He was honored with a testimonial dinner on September 26, 2022, at the Civil Law lobby of the Main Building.
The JBC has the mandate of recommending appointees to the Judiciary and the Office of the Ombudsman for the President’s perusal, which includes creating a list of nominees for the position of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
Faculty of Civil Law Dean Atty. Nilo Divina, in his testimonial speech, said that, “As one Thomasian community, we express our support and appreciation to Atty. Firme as he embarks on this all-important role.”
“We hope the JBC, through you as its academic representative, will give voice and stay true to judicial independence – a cherished principle we endeavor so much to instill in our law students. We enjoin that with every vetting, every search, and every recommendation becomes a reflection of a Thomasian lawyer and educator’s conviction, and most of all, we pray that you carry with you the fortitude to always do what is right,” said Dean Divina.
Atty. Maria Elena Francisco and Atty. Isaiah Asunscion also delivered testimonial speeches.
Firme, who came from a family of educators in Balayan, Batangas, earned his Legal Management degree in 1999, and his Bachelor of Laws degree in 2003, both from the University of Santo Tomas.
An educator himself, he started teaching business law subjects at the Department of Accountancy, De La Salle University – Dasmariñas Campus in 2005, and at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines and Jose Rizal University College of Law in 2013 where he also took the great opportunity of shaping the latter’s Clinical Legal Education Program.
Aside from teaching, Firme has also served in various capacities within the government. In 2017, Atty. Firme became the Chairman of Mandaluyong City’s People’s Law Enforcement Board (PLEB). In 2018, he was tagged as a Legal Specialist for the Implementing Rules and Regulation of the Traditional and Alternative Medicine Act of 1997, under the Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health Care of the Department of Health. He also served as Chief of Staff of the MMDA Chairperson from 2021 until February 2022.
The Commission on Appointments confirmed Firme’s appointment on September 28, 2022. At the age of 44, he is one of the youngest members of the Judicial and Bar Council in its history.
