Marvic Leonen was born on December 29, 1962 to lawyer Mauro Leonen and Adrelina Famorca. His father was his biggest influence in being a lawyer. Tragically, Mauro died in a car crash when Marvic was 7 years old.
Leonen joined the law faculty in 1989 as professorial lecturer in Philippine Indigenous Law. He became assistant professor during the term of Dean Pacifico Agabin and started to do work as an academic administrator under the term of Dean Merlin M. Magallona. In 2000, he joined the University of the Philippines System administration as University General Counsel. In March 2005, he became the first Vice President for Legal Affairs of the UP System. Leonen has taught 20 different subjects in the law school. He also served as director of the clinical legal education program of the college. His teaching competence is not only acknowledged in the CL but also in other institutions like Miriam College and the Philippine Judicial Academy, to cite a few. He has extensively lectured and acted as resource speaker in other national and international fora such as those conducted in Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, Spain, Netherlands, Australia, Estonia and the United Kingdom. In 2008, he was selected as the Dean of the University of the Philippines College of Law at UP Diliman by the Board of Regents of the UP System. He served as Dean until the appointment of Danilo L. Concepcion in June 2011. Leonen has also provided legal commentary for television networks such as ABS-CBN and GMA Network during the coverage of such events as the 2001 impeachment trial of President Joseph Estrada.
Government chief peace negotiator (2010–2012)
In July 2010, Leonen was named by Philippine PresidentBenigno Aquino III as the Philippine government's chief negotiator with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Under his leadership, the government successfully sealed a framework agreement with the MILF for the establishment of the Bangsamoro political entity to replace the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao. His performance was hailed by different sectors in society, bringing new hopes for an everlasting peace in the war-torn Mindanao.
On 21 November 2012, President Benigno Aquino III named Leonen as the 172nd Associate Justice of the Philippine Supreme Court at the age of 49. Leonen is the youngest justice named to the Court since 1938. In oral arguments, Leonen frequently challenges the arguer's position with his stringent lines of questioning. He has a remarkable command of the Socratic method in order to test positions and arguments of counsel appearing in Court. In the landmark case Belgica v Executive Secretary, where the Court declared the Priority Development Assistance Fund unconstitutional, Leonen wrote a separate concurring opinion where he displayed great command of logic and the law in order to arrive with conclusions regarding the unconstitutionality of pork barrel. He said, "A member of the House of Representatives or a Senator is not an automated teller machine from which the public can withdraw funds for sundry private purposes."
Dissents
Leonen is known for his frequent dissents in a Court where unanimity is the norm. In an interview with Rappler, he said that while his point of view might often be "before its time", it does not frustrate him to dissent, as in the future, the reasoning in his dissent might be relied upon by the majority, pointing to the case of Holmes' dissent in Abrams v. United States as an example where this had happened. Among Leonen's notable work is his powerful dissent in Disini v. Secretary of Justice, where he argued that the entire concept of criminal libel, and cyberlibel, is an unconstitutional vestige of American and Spanish colonialism. He's also noted for his dissent in Republic v. Sereno, calling the majority's decision a "legal abomination".
