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Template:Infobox Philippine Supreme Court Associate Justice Minita Chico-Nazario (born December 5, 1939) is an incumbent Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines. She was appointed to the Court by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on February 10, 2004.

Profile

Justice Chico-Nazario (San Miguel, Bulacan) holds the distinction of being the first woman Justice in the Sandiganbayan and its first woman Presiding Justice. Married to businessman Rodolfo Nazario, she and her children Roderick, Rommel, and Karen presently reside at 299 Gov. A.Santos, BF Homes, Sucat, Parañaque, Metro Manila. Nazario's husband Rod, age 74, former Manny Pacquiao manager, passed away on September 24, 2009 after having undergone by-pass operation in 2006 and underwent chemo-therapy for his lung cancer. Pacquiao fought under Nazario from 1995 until 2005. Rod Nazario gave Pacquiao the latter’s big break in the United States in 2001 when he negotiated that “Pacman” fight in the undercard in an Oscar De La Hoya headliner at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas. Rod Nazario also had four children from his first wife, Emenita – Roberto, Raymundo, Dedet, and Myra.

She finished elementary and high school education at Our Lady of Loreto College, Sampaloc, Manila (1952) and at Our Lady of Loreto College (1956), respectively. She earned her A.B. at the University of the Philippines (1958).

Her appointment to the Supreme Court in February 10, 2004 is a homecoming of sorts, since she started out as the social secretary of the late Secretary of Justice Juan Liwag after graduating from the University of the Philippines College of Law in 1962. Justice Nazario was appointed Division Clerk of Court of the Sandiganbayan’s First Division and was appointed Regional Trial Court Judge of Biñan, Laguna. Likewise, she was a professor of law at the Perpetual Help University in Las Piñas City (1994-1997). She has, to her credit, more than 40 years of uninterrupted service in government prior to her SC appointment.

Born in San Miguel, Bulacan, Justice Nazario is the current president of the Philippine Women Judges Association. Justice Nazario was the Criminal Law Bar Examiner for the year 2000.

Controversies

Justice Nazario’s husband Rod Nazario steered the boxing career of icon Manny Pacquiao from rags to riches, “from his “Blow by Blow” days to winning the Philippine flyweight championship, grabbing the OPBF flyweight title and all the way to winning the WBC flyweight championship”. The irony of it all is that while the IBF title became Pacquiao’s first step to the limelight of big time boxing, it has also turned out to become the beginning of the end of the Nazario-Pacquiao partnership, with the loss to Morales as a reflection of the sad ending. Pacquiao and Murad entered into an out-of-court settlement that effectively ended the litigation of the $33-million suit which Pacman filed against his estranged promoter (April 28, 2005). It was divulged that Rod Nazario may have conspired with Muhammad in denying Pacquiao the rightful money that the Pacman should’ve received from all his fights in the U.S. Even if Pacquiao didn’t file any case against Nazario, the former stated in the TV interview that he’s doing this out of “utang na loob.”

In a letter to Nazario (furnished to other Justices), Atty. Romeo Roxas accused her of issuing a ruling for certain considerations, and calling the Supreme Court a “dispenser of injustice”. Roxas said her decision ordering him and one Santiago Pastor to return more than P17 million to Antonio de Zuzuarregui Jr. was wrong and unjust. Roxas told Nazario: to “sleep well if you still can” and that she would be judged by the “Supreme Dispenser of Justice.” Roxas was cited for indirect contempt and fined P30,000.

Some notable opinions

• Estrada v. Desierto (2004) — on jurisdiction of Court of Appeals over appeals from Ombudsman decisions
• Nikko Hotel Manila Garden v. Reyes (2005) — on an action for damages filed by comedian Amay Bisaya against Makati hotel
• MMDA v. Garin (2005) — on authority of MMDA to confiscate driver's licenses
• People v. Hon. Tirona (2005) — on right of prosecution to appeal from judgments of acquittal
• People's Journal v. Theonen (2005) - on libel action involving private persons as injured parties
• Province of Rizal v. Executive Secretary (2005) — on closure of San Mateo landfill
• Lambino v. COMELEC (2006) - Dissenting — on people's initiative as a mode to amend the Constitution
• Alvarez v. PICOP (2006) — on conversion of timber license agreements
• OCAD v. Judge Floro (2006) — on separation from judicial service due to consulting dwarfs

References

1. Databases, Personal Information
2. The FREEMAN, All’s Well That Ends Well?
3. Fightnews.com, Burnstein blasts Nazario
4. Inquirer.net, SC cites lawyer in contempt

External links

• Justice Minita Chico-Nazario (Official Supreme Court Webpage)

Template:Start Philippine Supreme Court composition Template:Philippine Supreme Court composition court lifespan Template:Philippine Supreme Court composition December 2006-present Template:End Philippine Supreme Court composition

• Supreme Court Associate Justices of the Philippines
• 1939 births
• Living people
• Filipino lawyers
• University of the Philippines alumni