Corazon Agrava
{{short description|Filipino judge (1915–1997)}}
{{Philippine name|Buenaventura |Juliano|Agrava|ph=married}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = The Honourable
| honorific_suffix =
| name = Corazon Juliano-Agrava
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| office = Chairperson of the Agrava Fact-Finding Board
| term_start = October 1983
| term_end = October 1984
| appointer = Ferdinand Marcos
| predecessor = Post established
| successor = Post abolished
| birth_name = Corazon Buenaventura Juliano{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HLCXAwAAQBAJ&q=maria+corazon+agrava&pg=PA13| title=Assassination! |last=Paul Donnelley | date=February 2012 |publisher=Dataday Publishing, 2012| isbn=9781908963031 }}{{cite web|url=https://www.myheritage.com/names/corazon_agrava |title=Corazon Agrava}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1915|08|07}}
| birth_place = Manila
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1997|10|01|1915|08|07}}
| death_place = Quezon City
| spouse = 1
| parents = {{unbulleted list| Francisco Juliano | Cenona Buenaventura }}
| nationality =
| known_for = Chairperson, Agrava Commission{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1983/10/23/marcos-names-new-panel-on-aquino-slaying/e88ce31d-3bdd-46ee-919c-b9ab993ba27d/| title= Marcos Names New Panel On Aquino Slaying| last=William Branigin |publisher=The Washington Post, October 1983}}
}}
Corazon Juliano-Agrava{{cite book| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8esuAAAAIAAJ&q=the+honorable+Corazon+Agrava&pg=RA40-PA9 |title=United States Congressional Serial Set |year=1969 |publisher=United States Government Printing Office, Washington, 1969}} (Manila, 7 August 1915 – Quezon City, 1 October 1997) was a Filipino judge and the second woman in 1954 appointed as judge of a Court of First Instance.{{cite book|title= Filipino women in nation building|last=Herminia Ancheta en Michaela Beltran-Gonzalez|publisher=Phoenix Publishing House, Inc., Quezon City, 1984}} She was then president of the Court for Youth and Home Affairs in Manila.{{cite book|title= The Philippines Who's who|last=D. H. Soriano, Isidro L. Retizos|publisher=Who's Who Publishers, 2nd ed. (1981)}} Records also show that she has served as a Court of Appeals Justice.{{Cite web |title=PressReader.com - Digital Newspaper & Magazine Subscriptions |url=https://www.pressreader.com/philippines/the-philippine-star/20160602/282209420110741?srsltid=AfmBOopSvx67yV-FNEV5dwtCGaFo3lDyrG2AUkTqZQg6i39YUF5KuhJR |access-date=2024-12-16 |website=www.pressreader.com}} Agrava gained worldwide fame when in 1984, she was appointed the chairperson of a fact-finding board commission by President Ferdinand Marcos to investigate the cause of the murder of opposition leader Benigno Aquino Jr. in 1983.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TXE73VWcsEEC&q=Corazon+Agrava&pg=PA280|title=The Philippines Reader: A History of Colonialism, Neocolonialism, Dictatorship, and Resistance|last=Daniel B. Schirmer|year=1987|publisher=South End Press, 1987|page=280|isbn=9780896082755}}{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aNjfAAAAMAAJ&q=Corazon+Agrava|title= Time, Volume 124, Issues 19-27|publisher=Time Incorporated, 1984|last=Briton Hadden, Henry Robinson Luce|year= 1984}} She has also been active in various other social and cultural organizations, including the Women Rights Movement of the Philippines, the Philippine Association of University Women, the National Civic Assembly of Women and U.P. Alumni Association.
Investigation on Benigno Aquino Jr.'s assassination
Agrava Board
In October 1983, President Ferdinand Marcos signed the Presidential decree no. 1886, known as the "Agrava Fact-Finding Board" to investigate the assassination of opposition senator Benigno Aquino Jr. Marcos appointed Agrava to be the chairperson of the board, members are Luciano Salazar, Dante Santos, Ernesto Herrera, Amado Dizon, and legal counsel Andres Narvasa.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/11/27/world/aquino-panel-makes-little-headway.html| title=AQUINO PANEL MAKES LITTLE HEADWAY| publisher=The New York Times, Nov. 27, 1983}}{{cite news|url=https://opinion.inquirer.net/115635/masterminded-ninoys-murder| title=Who masterminded Ninoy's murder?| last=Artemio Panganiban| publisher=Philippine Daily Inquirer, August 26, 2018}} After almost a year, the board submitted two reports to Marcos; a minority report submitted by Agrava herself, and a majority report submitted by the members. Agrava's report cleared General Fabian Ver while the majority report indicted Ver, General Luther Custodio and General Prospero Olivas.{{cite news|url=https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/iq/143594-look-back-ninoy-aquino-assassination| title= LOOK BACK: The Aquino assassination| last= Jodesz Gavilan| publisher=Rappler news}}{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1983/10/23/marcos-names-new-panel-on-aquino-slaying/e88ce31d-3bdd-46ee-919c-b9ab993ba27d/| title= Marcos Names New Panel On Aquino Slaying| last=William Branigin |publisher=The Washington Post, October 1983}}{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/10/24/world/panel-on-slaying-of-aquino-finds-a-military-plot.html| title=PANEL ON SLAYING OF AQUINO FINDS A MILITARY PLOT| last=Steve Lohr| publisher=The New York Times, Oct. 24, 1984}}
She even used to scold the soldiers on the witness stand, as if they were her children. Also, she once led the board to sing "Happy Birthday" for First Lady Imelda Marcos twice, because Marcos was the first one to be called to testify before the investigative commission on her birthday.{{cite news|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1984/10/23/Corazon-Agrava-Chairman-of-Aquino-commission/2707467352000/| title=Corazon Agrava: Chairman of Aquino commission| publisher= UPI ARCHIVES, United Press International, Inc., October 1984}}
In October 1984, after a year of investigation, she was called out of retirement. Lupino Lazaro, the lawyer of the family of scapegoat Rolando Galman{{Cite web|date=1990-09-28|title=Murderers of Benigno Aquino convicted|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1990/09/28/Murderers-of-Benigno-Aquino-convicted/3354654494400/|access-date=2021-07-06|website=UPI|language=en}} said, "I felt since the very beginning that Justice Agrava did not have the makings of someone who would go all out. She has failed the people, and failed miserably at that."{{cite news|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1984/10/23/Corazon-Agrava-Chairman-of-Aquino-commission/2707467352000/| title=Corazon Agrava: Chairman of Aquino commission| publisher= UPI ARCHIVES, United Press International, Inc., October 1984}} Agrava, who was in tears and choking voice addressed the crowd saying,
{{blockquote|"You who are booing, I can in all conscience state that what I placed in my report is what I believe in ... You can even slander me. I couldn't care. If my best is not good enough for you, just because I didn't conform with your own prejudgment of the case, then I'm just sorry for you." |Agrava said on Tuesday, October 23, 1984.}}{{cite news|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1984/10/23/Corazon-Agrava-Chairman-of-Aquino-commission/2707467352000/| title=Corazon Agrava: Chairman of Aquino commission| publisher= UPI ARCHIVES, United Press International, Inc., October 1984}}
Personal life
Born on August 7, 1915, by Cenona Buenaventura and Francisco Juliano. Agrava became an attorney after placing second and passed the 1938 bar exam. She became judge of Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court until 1977 when Marcos uplifted her as Associate Justice{{cite news|url=https://www.manilatimes.net/2013/08/18/news/top-stories/the-unsolved-murder-of-ninoy-aquino/30914/amp/| title=The unsolved murder of Ninoy Aquino |last=August 18, 1983 |publisher=The Manila Times}} at the Court of Appeals of the Philippines.
She was married to Federico Agrava, a lawyer,{{cite web|url=https://legal-opinion.blog/2019/08/07/hilado-v-david-g-r-no-l-961-september-21-1949/ |title=Hilado v. David, G.R. No. L-961, September 21, 1949 |last=Atty. Aldrin Jose M. Cana |publisher=CPA-Lawyer Philippines}}{{cite web |url=https://www.lawphil.net/judjuris/juri1956/aug1956/gr_l-10544_1956.html |title=G.R. No. L-10544, August 30, 1956 |publisher=The Lawphil Project, Arellano Law Fovndation |access-date=June 25, 2020 |archive-date=June 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220611095604/https://www.lawphil.net/judjuris/juri1956/aug1956/gr_l-10544_1956.html |url-status=dead }} but childless. But she became the "unofficial guardian" of hundreds of so-called Filipino 'street kids'.{{cite news|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1984/10/23/Corazon-Agrava-Chairman-of-Aquino-commission/2707467352000/| title=Corazon Agrava: Chairman of Aquino commission| publisher= UPI ARCHIVES, United Press International, Inc., October 1984}}{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/01/21/world/head-of-aquino-panel-doubts-manila-s-account.html| title=HEAD OF AQUINO PANEL DOUBTS MANILA'S ACCOUNT| publisher=The New York Times, Jan. 21, 1984}}
= Organizations =
In 1947, she founded the UP Women Lawyer's Circle (WILOCI) at the request of Former President Manuel Roxas.{{cite news|url=https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/635193/up-legal-eagles-take-poor-women-kids-under-their-wing| title=UP legal eagles take poor women, kids under their wing| last=Araceli Z. Lorayes| publisher= Inquirer.net, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 2015}}
Agrava was one of the women who incorporated and registered the FIDA Philippine Branch based on the FIDA which was a group of women lawyers, together with Josefina Phodaca-Ambrosio, Pacita de los Reyes-Philips, Ameurfina Melencio-Herrera, Agustina Rosette-Navarro, Carolina Basa-Salazar, Medina Lacson-de Leon, Milagros German, Remedios Nufable-Gatmaitan, Lumen R. Policarpio, Pilar Perez-Nable, Lilia de Jesus-Sevilla. Magdalena Lapus-Lazaro, Gregoria Cruz-Arnaldo and Remedios Mijares-Austria.{{cite web|url=http://www.fidaphilippines.org/history.shtml|title=FIDA Philippines, Federation Internacional de Abogadas|access-date=2020-06-01|archive-date=2019-05-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190503064818/http://www.fidaphilippines.org/history.shtml|url-status=dead}}
=Charitable work=
In 1969, Agrava founded the Tahanan Outreach Projects and Services Inc. (TOPS), a social service organization that delivers learning and childcare projects for the welfare of underprivilege children. The program created a shelter for children as well.{{cite news|url=https://businessmirror.com.ph/2019/09/23/tops-reinvents-itself-as-learning-center/| title= TOPS reinvents itself as learning center |publisher= BusinessMirror, September 23, 2019}}
=Death=
Agrava died on October 1, 1997, at the age of 82 in Quezon City, from heart failure.{{cite news| url=http://edition.cnn.com/ASIANOW/asiaweek/97//feat7.html| title=CORAZON AGRAVA, 82, ASIAWEEK| publisher=CNN, Oct. 1997}}{{Dead link|date=December 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
See also
References
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Category:20th-century Filipino lawyers