Florentino P. Feliciano


Florentino Panlilio Feliciano was the 115th Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines. Before serving as a judge of the Philippines' highest court from 1986 to 1995, he had a long career as a corporate lawyer and legal scholar. Known for his expertise in commercial law and international law, he retired from the Supreme Court to serve as member, and later, chairperson, of the Appellate Body of the World Trade Organization.

Education

Feliciano obtained his Bachelor of Arts and Law degrees from the University of the Philippines. He was a member of the Upsilon Sigma Phi. He received his Master of Laws and Doctor of Juridical Science, both at Yale University.

Career

Prior to his appointment to the Supreme Court, Feliciano was managing partner of the law firm Sycip Salazar Hernandez Gatmaitan, where he worked from 1962 to 1986. An expert in international and commercial law, he was part of the Faculties of Law of the University of the Philippines and of Yale University. He has lectured at The Hague Academy of International Law and served as a Member of the Curatorium of the Academy. He was also a Member of the Institut de Droit International; and has written and published on various aspects of international business law and public international law. After his term as member of the WTO Appellate Body, he was appointed as chairperson of an investigatory commission into the 2003 Oakwood mutiny, which became known as the Feliciano Commission. He also served as member of the World Bank Administrative Tribunal from 2002 until his death in 2015.

Scholarly works

Law and Minimum World Public Order: The Legal Regulation of International Coercion.
The International Law of War : Transnational Coercion and World Public Order
Deconstruction of Constitutional Limitations and the Tariff Regime of the Philippines: The Strange Persistence of a Martial Law Syndrome. Philippine Law Journal, Vol. 84, No. 2, p. 311.

Notable Decisions and Resolutions

Supreme Court

Bulletin Publishing Corp. v. Noel, 249 Phil. 254
Cochingyan, Jr. v. R & B Surety and Insurance Co., Inc., 235 Phil. 332
Busuego v. Court of Appeals, 235 Phil. 375
Tamargo v. Court of Appeals, 285 Phil. 72
Sesbreño v. Court of Appeals, G.R. No. 89252, May 24, 1993
Philippine Telegraph and Telephone Corp. v. National Labor Relations Commission, 321 Phil. 372
Garcia v. Executive Secretary, 286 Phil. 322
Boy Scouts of the Philippines v. National Labor Relations Commission, 273 Phil. 390
Broadway Centrum Condominium Corp. v. Tropical Hut Food Market, Inc., G.R. No. 79642, July 5, 1993.

Investment Law Disputes

Occidental Petroleum Corporation and Occidental Exploration and Production Company v. The Republic of Ecuador, ICSID Case No. ARB/06/11, Decision on the Request to Modify the Decision on the Stay of Enforcement of the Award
Occidental Petroleum Corporation and Occidental Exploration and Production Company v. The Republic of Ecuador, ICSID Case No. ARB/06/11, Decision on the Stay of Enforcement of the Award
Occidental Petroleum Corporation and Occidental Exploration and Production Company v. The Republic of Ecuador, ICSID Case No. ARB/06/11, Procedural Order No. 1
Daimler Financial Services v. Argentina, ICSID Case No. ARB/05/1, Decision on Annulment
SGS Société Générale de Surveillance S.A. v. Islamic Republic of Pakistan, ICSID Case No. ARB/01/13, Jurisdiction
Soufraki v. United Arab Emirates, ICSID Case No. ARB/02/7, Decision of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Application for Annulment of Mr Saufraki
Soufraki v. United Arab Emirates, ICSID Case No. ARB/02/7, Rectification of the Annulment Decision
SGS Société Générale de Surveillance S.A. v. Islamic Republic of Pakistan, ICSID Case No. ARB/01/13, Procedural Order No. 2
ADF Group Inc. v United States, ICSID Case No. ARB/00/1, Award
Azpetrol International Holdings B.V., Azpetrol Group B.V. and Azpetrol Oil Services Group B.V. v. The Republic of Azerbaijan, ICSID Case No. ARB/06/15, Award

Personal life

Feliciano was born in Manila, Philippines, to José Maria Feliciano and Anatolia Panlilio. His father was a former Head of the Department of Geology and Geography in the old College of Liberal Arts of the University of the Philippines, while his mother was a pharmacy graduate. Feliciano is the father-in-law of Hans B. Sicat, president and CEO of the Philippine Stock Exchange. He was survived by his wife, Virginia Feliciano née Toralballa, children and in-laws Josephine Ann and Emmanuel, Regina Stella and Hans, and Robert.