MANILA--For his ?outstanding contribution? to the administration of justice in the country, Chief Justice Reynato Puno is being honored with an international award by his alma mater, the University of California, Berkeley.

Puno is the first Filipino to receive the Elise and Walter A. Haas International Award, which is given to an international UC Berkeley alumnus for his ?distinguished record of service to his country.?

He joins the elite list of Haas Awardees which include heads of state, ministers and diplomats, according to the Supreme Court which announced the award received by Puno yesterday.

Puno, who is also the first chief justice Haas Awardee, will receive the award on May 16, one day before he retires when he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 70.

Highest values

The university said Puno?s ?career exemplified Berkeley?s highest values.?

?Your contributions to the administration of justice in the Philippines are truly outstanding by any measure. The range of the impact your service has had in the Philippines is extensive and has directly benefited the well-being of the Filipino people,? said UC Berkeley chancellor Robert J. Birgeneau in a Feb. 16 letter to Puno.

Puno, who graduated from the University of the Philippines College of Law in 1962, obtained a master of laws from UC Berkeley through a scholarship from the Walter Perry Johnson Foundation.

The Haas International Award was established in 1964 to mark the 50th wedding anniversary of Walter A. Haas, the head of Levi Strauss, and his wife, arts patron Elise Haas. The award acknowledges the couple?s devotion to the university and their interest in international affairs.

It comes with a cash prize of $15,000, an engraved medallion and travel expenses for the recipient to attend the award?s presentation at the university?s commencement exercises in May.