Retired Regional Trial Court Judge Meinrado P. Paredes, a former executive judge and one of the martial law survivors, passed away on Saturday, July 11, 2026, at the age of 79. His family announced his death through a Facebook post on Sunday, July 12. The cause of death has not been immediately determined.
Wake and Funeral Arrangements
His wake is being held at Cosmopolitan Memorial Chapels in Barangay Lahug, Cebu City, until Friday, July 17. A funeral mass will take place 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 Angelicum Garden of Angels in Barangay Canduman, Mandaue City.
Judicial Career
Paredes was born on January 21, 1947, in Aurora, Zamboanga del Sur. He passed the Philippine Bar on June 6, 1975, and devoted much of his legal and judicial career to Cebu. He served as presiding judge of Cebu City Regional Trial Court Branch 13. In 1999, the Supreme Court designated him as acting presiding judge of Branch 14 while he continued his duties in Branch 13. Later, he became executive judge of the courts in Cebu City, an administrative role he held for over two years.
Post-Retirement Activities
After retiring from the judiciary in 2014, Paredes continued to practice law and taught at the University of Cebu School of Law, where he handled Remedial Law and Political Law. He remained active in public discussions on the rule of law, human rights, and the Marcos dictatorship.
Martial Law Experience
Paredes was reviewing for the Bar examinations in his apartment on Lopez Jaena Street in Cebu City when soldiers arrested him on September 23, 1972, two days after then-President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. placed the country under martial law. He was first taken to Camp Sergio Osmeña, now the headquarters of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas. After three months, he was transferred to Camp Lapu-Lapu in Barangay Apas, Cebu City. In a 2022 interview with SunStar Cebu, Paredes said he believed he was arrested because of his activism against the Marcos administration. He was a former member of the Samahang Demokratiko ng Kabataan.
Return of Award
In October 2025, Paredes returned the Golden Pillar of Law Award given to him by the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) after learning that the same honor was awarded to former President Rodrigo Duterte. Paredes stated that he could not share the award with Duterte, whose administration was accused of supporting extrajudicial killings and other human rights violations. He said returning the award was an expression of his “disappointment and anger” and an act of solidarity with the victims and their families. The IBP had recognized Paredes for his five decades of service to the legal profession and for upholding justice, integrity, and the rule of law.
