Former IBP President Joel Cadiz Is New Solicitor General

President Benigno C. Aquino III has appointed former Integrated Bar of the Philippines president, Jose Anselmo "Joel" Cadiz, the new Solicitor General. The Office of the Solicitor General is the law firm of the Philippine government. The Solicitor General has the same rank and qualifications as that of a Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeals and will represent the People of the Philippines and the government, including its instrumentalities, in litigations.

Atty. Joel Cadiz was at the forefront of the opposition to the controversial Executive Order 464 issued by former Philippine president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to prevent cabinet members and police and military generals from attending congressional inquiries without her approval. EO 464 effectively softened the senate investigation of alleged military involvement in rigging of the 2004 national elections and the NBN-ZTE deal scandal. Cadiz was one of the petitioners against the said executive order in 2005 and the state of emergency proclaimed by Arroyo in 2006 because of alleged coup attempt lead by General Danilo Lim.

In a twist of fate, Joel Cadiz as the Solicitor General shall now defend the executive orders and proclamations issued by a new highly popular president who has unquestionable mandate and is not expected to resort to an EO 464-like executive order nor a proclamation of state of emergency or martial law.

Joel Cadiz is a native of Naga City and a boyhood friend and classmate of DILG Secretary Jesse M. Robredo.  Both spent their younger days in this provincial city and finished grades school at the Naga Parochial School in 1970 and high school at the Ateneo de Naga in 1974. By coincidence, the two gentlemen are also Edward Mason Fellows, finishing their Masters in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School and they reside in the same modest neighborhood in Barangay Dayangdang.

Unlike Robredo who went into politics, Joel Cadiz went into private law practice, while at the same time giving free legal services to victims of injustice.

Cadiz finished his pre-law and law courses at the University of the Philippines, Diliman campus. In 2003-2006, Cadiz was the national president of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines. Fighting injustice in a country where 80% of people are poor has been the passion of Joel Cadiz all throughout his career in law. He was a legal counsel of President Aquino during the recent elections.