Ari-Ben C. Sebastian

Background

Ari-Ben Calleja Sebastian was born on February 23, 1961, in Manila, the Philippines. He is the son of Florante Sebastian and Celia (Calleja) Sebastian. In the Filipino naming convention, a middle name commonly derives from the mother's maiden surname, which accounts for the Calleja name in his full name and the middle initial used in professional records.

He was born in 1961, fifteen years after the Philippines became independent from the United States in 1946. His early life and schooling took place in the decades that followed, when the country's legal profession and its national university were central to careers in law and public life.

Education

Sebastian completed a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of the Philippines in 1982, with philosophy as his field. He then earned a Bachelor of Laws from the same university in 1986. The University of the Philippines was founded in 1908 and is the country's national university, a public institution with a long tradition of legal education.

The Bachelor of Laws was the professional law degree conferred by Philippine law schools during his student years, and admission to the bar required completing it. Sebastian was admitted to the Philippine bar in 1987, which qualified him to practice law in the country.

Career

Sebastian began his legal career in 1986 as a confidential associate in the office of Justice Pronove, a post that was active until 1987. Confidential associates in a justice's office generally assist the chambers with its legal work. He was admitted to the Philippine bar in 1987.

From 1987 to 1995 he worked as an associate at Siguion Reyna, Montecillo & Ongsiako. The firm was founded in 1901 by American lawyers as the Philippine branch of a New York firm, and it is widely described as the oldest continuously operating law office in the Philippines. It used the name Siguion Reyna, Montecillo & Ongsiako from 1972, which was the name in use during his years there.

In 1995 he became managing partner of Cayetano Sebastian Ata Dado & Cruz, a firm in Metro Manila. Rene Cayetano, who later served as a senator, is documented as one of the firm's founding partners. The firm's practice areas include general practice, litigation, labor, corporate, tax, and intellectual property law, and recent profiles identify him as a member of the firm.

From 1996 to 1998 he served as assistant general counsel of the Ayala Alabang Country Club, a private club in the Philippines. From 1998 to 1999 he was a board director and secretary of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority. That body was created by Republic Act 7227, signed by President Corazon Aquino on March 13, 1992, to convert former military reservations such as Clark and Subic to productive civilian uses. Republic Act 7917 amended its charter in 1995.

Since 1999 he has been secretary of Elcom International Resources Inc.

Achievements

• Admitted to the Philippine bar in 1987, after completing his Bachelor of Laws at the University of the Philippines in 1986.

Membership

Sebastian is a member of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, the unified national body of Philippine lawyers, and membership in it is required to practice law in the country. He is also a member of the Philippine Bar Association, a voluntary association of Philippine lawyers, and the Intellectual Property Association of the Philippines, which brings together practitioners in intellectual property law.

• Integrated Bar of the Philippines , Philippines

• Philippine Bar Association , Philippines

• Intellectual Property Association of the Philippines , Philippines

Connections

Sebastian married Pilar Juliana Schramm Cayetano on July 14, 1994. The couple had three children: Maxine Selina Sebastian, Nadine Sandra Sebastian, and Gabriel Rene Sebastian, who is deceased. His parents were Florante Sebastian and Celia (Calleja) Sebastian.

Father:

Florante Sebastian

Mother:

Celia Calleja Sebastian

Spouse:

Pilar Juliana Schramm Cayetano

child:

Maxine Selina Sebastian

child:

Nadine Sandra Sebastian

child:

Gabriel Rene Sebastian

Deceased.

References

• Martindale-Hubbell Attorney profile identifying him as a member of Cayetano Sebastian Dada & Cruz Law Offices, his University of the Philippines education, and his 1987 admission.
• Lawyers.com Attorney profile describing his University of the Philippines education, bar admission in 1987, and professional memberships, including the Integrated Bar of the Philippines.