Personal Information

President, Philippine Constitution Association (PHILCONSA)
Co-Chair, National Coalition for the Protection of Workers Rights II (NCPWR II)
Professor of Constitutional Law and Political Law, Ateneo School of Law
Three Term Secretary General, Chief Counsel and Chief Parliamentarian of the House of Representatives

BIOSKETCH

Sabio has served as Delegate from Davao del Norte to the 1971 Constitutional Convention.

He obtained his Bachelor Degree of Arts from Xavier University (formerly Ateneo de Cagayan) as valedictorian with a gold medal for academic excellence. He headed therein the most important campus organizations: Prefect (President) of the Sodality of Our Lady, President of the Debating Club, and Commander (President) of the Crusader Sword Fraternity. He was the Corps Commander with a rank of Cadet Colonel, of the Corps of R.O.T.C. Cadets. In addition for his gold medal for academic excellence, he received gold medals in excellence in oratory, excellence in essay writing, and for military leadership and proficiency in military science and tactics.

He obtained his Bachelor of Laws from the Ateneo de Manila also as valedictorian with a gold medal for academic excellence. Having topped his class from Freshman through Senior Year, he enjoyed full scholarship through out his entire law course. He was Prefect (President) of the Sodality of Our Lady (two terms), Chairman of the Manila Federation of Sodalities Convention (two terms), National Vice-President of the Student Catholic Action of the Philippines, Speaker of the Junior House of Representatives and President of the Junior Senate.

He was professor of Political Law, Constitutional Law, Administrative Law and International Law in the Ateneo de Manila School of Law.

After taking the 1961 Bar Examinations he joined he law firm of Feria, Manglapus and Associates (now Feria, Feria, Lugtu and La O).

In July 1962, six months after taking his oath as lawyer, he carried out a decision made as a sophomore law student to serve the farmers and labor, and, took a leave from his law firm. For the next twenty years he was chief counsel of the Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) and of the Federation of Free Workers (FFW) until he was invited to serve in government.

Thereafter he served, all by invitation, in the three major branches of the Government as:

1. Chief of Staff of the Presidential Assistant for Legal Affairs;
2. Chief of Staff of then Senior Associate Justice and Chairman of the Second Division of the Supreme Court Jose Y. Feria;
3. Chairmen of the Human Settlement Regulatory Commission;
4. Assistant Secretary for Legal Affairs, Department of Transportation and Communications; and
5. Deputy Secretary General and Chief Counsel of the House of Representatives.

For three consecutive terms thereafter, he was unanimously elected and he served as Secretary General of the House of Representatives. He resigned in 1996 with two years of his term still remaining and weny home to Mindanao.

In the House of Representatives, he served concurrently as Chief Counsel and Chief Parliamentarian of the House, and, as Permanent Adviser to the Philippine Delegation to the bi-annual Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Conferences held in various major cities of the world and has observed the workings of their national governments.

On 4 January 2000 he was unanimously elected as President of the Philippine Constitution Association (PHILCONSA). On 12 January he and other members of the Board of Governors and Executive Officers of the Association took their oath before Chief Justice Hilario G. Davide, Jr. in the Session Hall of the Supreme Court.

Presently, in addition to being the President of PHILCONSA, he serves as: Member of the Board of Directors, Philippine Lawyers Association; Member of the Board of Directors, Catholic Lawyers Guild of the Philippines; Member of the Board of Trustees, Philippine Council of Foreign Relations; Director of Studies, International Law Association (Philippine Branch); Member of the Board of Trustees, Transparency International - Philippines; Member of the Board of Trustees, Manila Lions Club Foundation; Legal Counsel of the Pambansang Koalisyon ng mga Samahang Magsasaka at Manggagawa sa Niyugan (PKSMMN); Legal Counsel of the Multi-Sectoral Taskforce on the Coco Levy Recovery; Member of the National Council of the Filipino Christian-Muslim Democratic Movement; Member of the Board of Directors of FoodFirst Informational and Action Network - Philippines (FIAN-Philippines); and, Member of the Board of Trustees and Treasurer, Kapihan Sa Klub.