In its 78-year history, the University of Nueva Caceres (UNC) on 15 September 2026 awarded Supreme Court Associate Justice Jose Midas P. Marquez its highest academic distinction, making him the first recipient of the degree of Doctor of Laws, Honoris Causa, since the university’s establishment in 1948.

Justice Marquez was recognized for his contribution to the administration of justice and his long and distinguished career in the Judiciary. UNC School of Law Dean Antonio C. Rivero underscored Marquez’s remarkable ascent from an SC law clerk to his eventual appointment as a member of the High Court.

For Marquez, that ascent was built on a value that admits of no exception. Asked by local media during a press conference what he considers non-negotiable, the honoree and now UNC alumnus answered with one word: “Integrity.”

It is a value Marquez has carried throughout his 35 years — and counting — of service in the Court, beginning with his early days as an intern and later as a law clerk to several SC justices, until he became chief of staff to then Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno.

As chief of staff, he concurrently served as assistant court administrator, chief of the Public Information Office and spokesperson of the Court.

He later briefly served as deputy court administrator before being appointed court administrator in 2010.

In 2021, he was appointed the 192nd associate justice of the SC.

It was in this spirit that Marquez spoke to the next generation of lawyers at UNC, urging them to carry their ideals with them as they enter the legal profession.

Addressing UNC law students, Marquez encouraged them to hold fast to the values that brought them to the profession:

“[A]s you enter the legal profession and learn what it means to be a lawyer, I ask that you do your best to keep your idealism, your optimism, your steadfast belief in the rule of law and the administration of justice.

“Maintain your indignation at injustice and your anger at corruption. When you witness wrongdoing, do not be afraid to speak out: incremental positive action over time results in significant change, and collectively, our individual voices, our seemingly insignificant contributions, can and will bend the arc of the moral universe towards justice.”