The Jurist… The session of the Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite held in March 1991 saw the election as Sovereign Grand Commander of Reynato S. Puno, a brilliant and distinguished jurist with a powerful pen and one of the most highly respected Masons in this jurisdiction. Born in Manila on May 17, 1940 he was barely 51 years of age, the youngest ever to be elected to that exalted position in the 45-year history of the Supreme Council. Puno carries impressive academic credentials: Bachelor of Science in Jurisprudence, University of the Philippines (1962); Bachelor of Laws, U.P. (1962); Master of Comparative Laws, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas, (1967); and Master of Laws, University of California, Berkeley, California, (1968). Furthermore, he finished all academic requirements for a doctorate in Juridical Science at the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, (1969). As an undergraduate in U.P., Puno was one of its outstanding student leaders in the tumultuous decade of the sixties. He served as Editor-in-Chief of the Philippine Collegian, the official weekly student newspaper of the UP (1960-1961); Chairman, Editorial Board of the Law Register, the official student newspaper of the UP College of Law, (1960-1961); Recent Documents Editor of the Philippine Law Journal which is published by the U.P. College of Law, and Asst. Editor-in-Chief of the 1962 Philippinensian, the official graduate annual of U.P. He received the Outstanding Student Award for Excellence and Leadership given by the Alpha Phi Beta Fraternity of the UP College of Law in the year 1960-62. As a post graduate student of law, Puno distinguished himself in academics. He was a full scholar of the Academy of American Law of Dallas, Texas; a full scholar of the Walter Perry Johnson Foundation of Berkeley, California; and a partial scholar of the University of Illinois. He obtained the degree of Master of Comparative Laws (M.C.L.) with high honors and was the valedictorian of his class consisting of 23 graduate scholars from various parts of the world. He won the American Jurisprudence Prize in five (5) subjects. He was also made an honorary citizen of the State of Texas. After his graduate studies, Puno readily established his mark in the legal profession. He engaged in the general practice of law, became a law professor, served as Bar Examiner and authored numerous articles that were published in different law journals and periodicals. In 1971, Puno responded to the call of public service by accepting an appointment as Solicitor in the Office of the Solicitor General. The 70′s witnessed the most momentous constitutional cases litigated in the Supreme Court. Puno had the opportunity to participate as counsel in these transcendental cases where the government prevailed. In 1972 he was designated as Acting City Judge of Quezon City; barely 32 he was the youngest at the time. At 33, he was named Assistant Solicitor General with the rank of a judge of the Court of First Instance, again the youngest to hold such position. At 40, he was appointed by the President as Associate Justice of the Court of Appeals. For years, he carried the distinction of being the youngest justice of the country. When Estelito Mendoza became Minister of Justice, he prevailed upon Puno to join him as Deputy Minister of Justice. This was the position he was occupying when President Ferdinand E. Marcos was deposed in February 1986. The new president, Corazon Aquino, decided to scrap the Marcos Constitution and promulgate in its place an interim Constitution. This task she assigned to Minister of Justice Neptali Gonzalez, who, in turn, delegated the delicate work to his two trusted Deputies, Puno and Minerva Gonzaga-Reyes. The Constitution drafted by them was eventually promulgated and came to be known as the Freedom Constitution, which served as the fundamental law of the country until the Constitution of 1987 came into effect. In several public pronouncements, a grateful Minister Gonzalez, openly attributed authorship of the Freedom Constitution to Puno and Gonzaga-Reyes. The judiciary, however, is the true love of Puno. After the promulgation of the Freedom Constitution, he requested to be returned to the Court of Appeals. But he was destined to serve in that Court for only a few more years. His merit was soon recognized and President Fidel Ramos elevated him to the highest court of the land where characteristically he became its youngest member. Puno has been with the Supreme Court for only a brief period, but already legal scholars are crediting him with the authorship of landmark decisions. Puno has been bestowed some of the most presti­gious awards in the country. Among others, he was chosen as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Philippines in the field of law; Outstanding Prosecutor of the Philippines by the PC-CIS; Outstanding Citizen of Quezon City; and included as one of the 1000 distinguished citizens of the Philippines in 1980. In 1994 the Philippine Wesleyan University conferred on him the honorary degree of Doctor of Humanities. In 1996, he was chosen as Outstanding Alumnus of the UP College of Law. The following year he was chosen as the Most Outstanding Alumnus of the University of the Philippines. In 1998 he received the following: Grand Cross Award, the highest award of the Supreme Council 33° A&ASR of the Republic of the Philippines, the Grand Lodge Gold Medal, the highest award of the Grand Lodge of the Philippines and the Grand Cross of Rizal, the highest award of the Knights of Rizal. Puno’s Masonic career is just as checkered. He was raised in Hiram Lodge No. 88 on May 1, 1964; elected as its Worshipful Master in 1976; appointed Grand Orator of the Grand Lodge in 1978; served as District Deputy Grand Master of District No. 1 comprising Metro Manila in 1979; elected Junior Grand Warden in 1981-82, Senior Grand Warden in 1982-83, and Deputy Grand Master in 1983-84. In 1984-85 he was elected Grand Master. At 44 years of age he was the youngest to assume the purple of the Fraternity in three decades. In the Scottish Rite he joined Luzon Bodies in May 1971 and was honored by the Supreme Council with the Red Cap on February 11, 1978 and the White Cap on February 11, 1983. In 1985 he was elected the Venerable Master of Luzon Bodies, then on September 25, 1986 he was crowned a Sovereign Grand Inspector General and Active Member of the Supreme Council. He served the Supreme Council in various important capacities and in March 1991 was elected as Sovereign Grand Commander for a three-year term. At the sessions of the Supreme Council in March 1994, the members wanted to re-elect him for another term, but because of the demanding nature of his work in the Supreme Court he begged off. Incidentally while he was Sovereign Grand Commander, he was elected Emeritus Member of Honor by the Supreme Council, Northern Jurisdiction. Puno is also active in the other branches of the Masonic Order. In the Royal Arch, he was greeted as a Royal and Select Master in Luzon Council No. 9, K.T. He has been elected to the ASOKA Conclave, Red Cross of Constantine. He is also a member of the Royal Order of Scotland and a Noble of the Aloja Temple, A.A.O.N.M.S. Last but not the least, he is a member of the Supreme Council of the DeMolay and recipient of the Legion of Honor Award of the International Supreme Council of the Order of DeMolay. Puno is married to the former Luzviminda T. Delgado with whom he has three children, Reynato, Jr., Emmanuel and Ruth. Like all the members of his family, Puno is a pillar of the Methodist church.