Foot and Fire

A pose with our PAO Chief Persida Acosta during the 2009 PAO Convention 1. First of all, you have the opportunity to serve the poor. 2. If you don’t know how to handle the commercial side of private practice, then this is your nest. 3. If you want confrontations all the time, here, you are inside the courtroom most of the time. 4. If you love the RPC, then you are in the right place. 5. If you are a true blue public servant, you are at home. 6. But here, unlike its counterpart, you may handle a civil case. 7. If you are a psychiatrist in your past life, you can summon such talent from time to time in handling ‘special’ clients. 8. If you avoid ‘toxic’ partners, you will enjoy serving this firm ran according to MC-18. 9. If you can deal with 8 to 5 work clock, then stay here. 10. If you have the patience to understand and remember over a hundred cases, come here. 11. If you value peace of mind over money vis-a-vis corruption, then here is the place to be. 12...

My dusty diaries tell of my ten-year journey  so that I am still keeping my schedule the traditional way!          I am aching to write about my ten years as a lawyer in public service. Alas, I did not keep a journal. It is no accident that every writer has one, but can you blame this soul when scribbling is a luxury since post-bar era and typing is the trend since day one in my work area? But I just can't give up, so an idea just came about. I dusted off my ten schedule books that served me from February 2005 until December 2014.      In my schedule book s are the cases for trial. It is a tragedy that the cases for mediation were not entered there; they will just fade away unless my memory can salvage them . I started with the notebook-sized moss-green book with gold-inscribed print: 2005 diary. It seems I need not move forward from there because on the inside cover, I copied from the wall of the old MTCC sala, these profound word...

Two weeks ago, we had our mandatory continuing legal education in Manila and aside from our chief at the Public Attorney's Office, two top government officials were invited: the DOJ chief and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. And what they have in common is that they are all women. It was a rare ocassion, listening to the three women manning the top agencies of the branches of our government. Of course, I was all so pleased just by knowing that women are now accepting the highest ranks in their respective league. However, a hindsight struck me: Will their being women enough for them to become maternal, productive and cooperative kind of of leaders? Will they perpetuate the patriarchal leadership? In generations that passed, patriarchal society has been proven to be destructive for having leaders who are thirsty for power and controlling by use of power. Thus, the crafting of the book,  " 48 Laws of Power, " which were all based on male-dominated societi...

Behind me is Bacolod City's New Government Center. *** On my ninth year as a poor-man's lawyer, I fancy a scenario that the senate will call on me to testify in aid of legislation. Well, they often do that, don't they? So to prepare for the ocassion, I listed some important points that I believe I should throw at our senators when the time comes. If ever it won't come, I can gladly forward it at once to them. 1. Allotment for support from OFWs should be compulsory. Contracts with foreign employers should contain provision on sending the required allotment to the legal family and/or illegitimate children who have court order of support or even just a notarized agreement on support. POEA and OWWA should be given the enforcement roles on this aspect. 2. An accused in jail for more than 5 years should be given compensation regardless of the exceptions in the speedy trial law. This will alert the prosecution as to their roles in securing their witnesses an...