Retired Cebu RTC judge and martial law survivor Meinrado Paredes died on Saturday, July 11, 2026, at age 79 due to complications from interstitial lung disease and pneumonia.
Before retiring in 2014, Paredes served as presiding judge of Cebu City RTC Branch 13, executive judge of Cebu City courts, and law professor at the University of Cebu.
In October 2025, Paredes returned his IBP Golden Pillar of Law Award in protest after learning the same recognition was conferred on former President Rodrigo Duterte.
RETIRED Regional Trial Court judge Meinrado Paredes, a former executive judge and prominent martial law survivor, died Saturday, July 11, 2026, at the age of 79. His family announced his passing in a Facebook post on Sunday, July 12. He passed away due to complications from interstitial lung disease and pneumonia.
Wake and funeral details
His wake is being held at the Cosmopolitan Memorial Chapels in Barangay Lahug, Cebu City, until Friday, July 17.
A funeral mass will be celebrated at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 18, at the Archdiocesan Shrine of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus in Lahug. Interment will follow at the Angelicum Garden of Angels in Barangay Canduman, Mandaue City.
A distinguished judicial career
Born on January 21, 1947, in Aurora, Zamboanga del Sur, Paredes spent the majority of his legal and judicial career in Cebu. He was officially admitted to the Philippine Bar on June 6, 1975.
He served as the presiding judge of the Cebu City RTC Branch 13. In 1999, the Supreme Court designated him as the acting presiding judge of Branch 14 while he simultaneously continued handling his duties in Branch 13.
Paredes later stepped into the role of executive judge of the Cebu City courts, an administrative post he held for more than two years.
Passion for teaching and human rights
After leaving the judiciary in 2014, Paredes continued practicing law and teaching the next generation of lawyers at the University of Cebu School of Law. His expertise covered critical subjects, including Remedial Law and Political Law.
He also remained a prominent figure in public discussions, consistently speaking out on the rule of law, human rights and the history of the Marcos dictatorship.
Surviving martial law detention
Paredes' commitment to justice was deeply personal. He was reviewing for the Bar examinations at his apartment on Lopez Jaena St. in Cebu City when soldiers arrested him on September 23, 1972 — just two days after then-president Ferdinand Marcos Sr. placed the country under martial law.
He was first taken to Camp Sergio Osmeña, which is now the headquarters of the Police Regional Office 7. After three months, he was transferred to Camp Lapu-Lapu in Barangay Apas, Cebu City, where he was detained for a full year without ever being charged.
In a 2022 interview with SunStar Cebu, he shared that he believed he was targeted because of his student activism against the Marcos administration as a member of the Samahang Demokratiko ng Kabataan. This experience fueled his lifelong mission; even after retirement, he continued speaking out against historical revisionism and human rights violations.
Returning the Golden Pillar of Law Award
In October 2025, Paredes made headlines when he returned the Golden Pillar of Law Award conferred on him by the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP). He made the decision after learning that the exact same recognition had been given to former President Rodrigo Duterte.
Paredes stated that he could not share the honor with Duterte, whose administration faced widespread accusations of extrajudicial killings and human rights violations. He explained that returning the award was an expression of “disappointment and disgust” and served as an act of solidarity with the victims and their families.
A lasting legacy
The IBP had originally recognized Paredes to honor his five decades of service to the legal profession and his unwavering dedication to upholding justice, integrity and the rule of law.
Through his decades on the bench, his work in the classroom and his courage to stand up for his beliefs, Judge Meinrado Paredes leaves behind a powerful legacy as a jurist who refused to compromise his principles. (SunStar Cebu)