Executive Secretary Ralph Recto urged newly appointed and promoted judges to administer justice with fairness, independence, and compassion, echoing President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s pursuit of a justice system that serves every Filipino, especially the poor and vulnerable.
Welcoming the judges during their meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and First Lady Liza Marcos at Malacañang, Recto stressed that the law must be upheld without losing sight of the struggles of ordinary Filipinos, especially the poor and vulnerable.
“Maaaring mahigpit ang batas, ngunit hindi kailangang maging malupit ang nagpapatupad nito,” he said.
“You can be impartial without being indifferent—especially to those for whom justice is often the hardest to reach,” Recto added.
He reminded the judges that every case represents a human story. Behind the legal arguments and court documents are people whose freedom, livelihood, property, and sometimes even lives hang in the balance.
As Malacañang served merienda to the judges, Recto offered a simple but meaningful reminder.
“There is, however, one thing every judge should partake of: a healthy serving of empathy,” he said.
Recto emphasized that compassion does not mean bending the law or favoring one party over another. Rather, it means listening with patience, treating every person with dignity, and understanding the human consequences of judicial decisions.
“Every case must be decided on its merits, not on what the judge had for breakfast.”
“Above all, every case must be decided on its merits, not on what the judge had for breakfast. Or, as the case may be today, for merienda,” he stressed.
Although not a lawyer, Recto recalled serving alongside President Marcos as a senator-judge during the impeachment trial of former Chief Justice Renato Corona.
Drawing from that experience, he urged the judges to remain faithful to the facts and the law, even amid pressure from powerful interests, public opinion, and social media.
“A judge must have the discipline to hear every side and the independence to belong to none.”
“A judge must have the discipline to hear every side and the independence to belong to none,” Recto said.
He stressed that judicial independence is especially important to ordinary Filipinos who may lack the wealth, influence, or connections to defend their interests.
It is this independence, Recto said, that allows even the weakest citizen to stand before the most powerful and expect a fair hearing.
He also cautioned against allowing legal technicalities to stand in the way of genuine justice.
Citing a decision written by his grandfather, Claro M. Recto, in the 1936 case of Blanco versus Bernabe, he said:
“To interpret the law otherwise is to sacrifice the ends of justice to technicalities.”
Recto likewise invoked the teachings of Justice Jose P. Laurel in Calalang versus Williams, which emphasized that social justice requires humanizing the law, balancing social and economic forces, and ensuring that its protection extends equally to all.
For him, these principles give meaning to the pursuit of fair and accessible justice under President Marcos: that Filipinos entering a courtroom with little money or influence can place their trust in the law and the assurance that they will be heard.
Recto reminded the judges that justice must not only be fair in the eyes of the law, but must also preserve the dignity of every person who seeks it.
“This is the bar you must meet as you begin this new chapter of public service. This is the duty you have sworn to uphold for every person who comes before your courts,” he said.
“And this is the justice our people expect you to render—without fear or favor, but never without compassion,” Recto concluded.
