[1] He was a classmate and Upsilon Sigma Phi fraternity brother of Ferdinand Marcos, who later appointed him to government positions during his presidency.
In March 1982, Associate Justice Ameurfina Melencio-Herrera publicly said that the mercantile law grades of Associate Justice Vicente Ericta's son Gustavo, who took the examination, was changed from 56 to 58 percent prior to publication of the test results to enable him to pass with a general average of 73 and become a full-fledged lawyer.
Chief Justice Enrique Fernando subsequently admitted ordering the revision in the younger Ericta's grade but denied allegations of unethical behavior, saying that it was done to correct an "oversight" by the examiner upon the advice of justices Ramon Aquino and Fernandez, who were prematurely shown Ericta's grades, and citing a similar predicament with one of his sons, who died shortly after passing the bar exam.
[3][4] Following public uproar and demands for their impeachment,[5] all 14 members of the Supreme Court, including six justices who were not directly involved in the grade tampering, submitted their resignation to President Marcos on May 11.
[6][7] All of them were subsequently reappointed days later by Marcos, except for Ericta and Fernandez, who were both "found responsible" for the scandal by a group of former justices advising the president.