UP Law is a School of Justice
Yesterday was really another day that made me realise how much my school cares about justice via the Rule of Law. While justice might be a high and abstract concept (so much so that I could not find an erudite adjective to describe it), I am just so proud that amid the crisis, our school rises up to be in the forefront of criticising those who bastardise the highest law of the land.
So anyway, yesterday started with Credit class. My professor came with a brand new frustration. No, not the kind of frustration she has carried over from the earlier class. She expressed her dismay about the kind of judiciary we have. And her opening lines were powerful:
"I don't know how I can continue teaching law, moreso in a grand manner, if this is the kind of judiciary we have... Maybe I should just flunk you all so that I can save your souls, but then again, I'm not in the business of saving souls either ... We talk about corporate rehabilitation when what we need is a judicial rehabilitation."
Most of the quotes are verbatim, yet another reason why I love this professor so much. But everything she said is true. The majority in de Castro vs JBC was beyond disappointing. And it is disheartening having to study law without a clear concept of stare decisis or respect for the totality of the Constitution, read as a whole. Because of this, we had a mini-event towards the afternoon.
But before that, I had to do an errand for the event: get the tarpaulins printed. I haven't had tarps printed since IIDC 5, yes, and now the tournament is PIDC, but that's beside the point. So I went to a new printer that I found on Sulit.com, Piezo Designs in Xavierville Avenue. They're a no-frills shop and infernez, the cheapest rate among the three large-format printers near school. While waiting, I decided to hang-out at McDonald's, and it's my first time to really just hang-out there and observed the stark differences of UP undergraduate students from their conyo contemporaries. So I was reviewing for Partnership in light of my allegedly rigorous study schedule which I have been severely violating, and the only one who was not working with a laptop while doing so. Everyone was just getting distracted by facebook anyway in using their laptops. But what distracted me more than their computer screens was this couple who was watching a movie and making out in the middle of McDonald's in broad daylight. They were LITERALLY in the middle of the McCafé part, and it was literally noon-ish, so it was broad daylight. But anyway, I'm digressing too much, back to the story.
So I came to the forum that the incoming Law Student Government organised. I was supposed to host, but I came late because the tarps came out at exactly the same time the forum was supposed to start. So I got in, the second of three speakers was already speaking. And so I ended up introducing the third speaker, who was my professor and our dean. The forum was really interesting. The panelists have good foresight and since it was covered by the media, everything was well-explained to the layman's perspective. You can catch a glimpse of what happened in the forum in these clips: [1], [2].
The forum made me realise how important statutory construction is, especially something as fundamental as the Constitution. The role of the institution to the society as a whole really has to be insulated from politics if it is to guarantee fundamental aspects of our cherished democracy.
The forum was well attended, Ambion was literally flowing with people. Ma'am Beth even brought two Senatorial candidates, Adel Tamano and Gilbert Remulla, and Estelle Osorio, whose mom is also running for senator (Toots Ople), was also there. Adel Tamano had a good comment on the floor relating to how UP Law was the best law school... in Diliman. Of course, he went to Ateneo Law, and obviously, we had this thing, and they didn't. But this rivalry is pretty funny. This is the kind of rivalry you just shove when decisions like this crop up from the judiciary.
To seal the student's dismay, we did a mini-march alongside half of Academic Oval. Although medyo agaw-eksena yung sea of balloons ng Fine Arts sa Sunken Garden, which was actually a pretty cool (in every sense of the word) installation art. Sana magka-part 2, tapos black balloons naman ilagay. So there we were, students of the law school and other students from the University shouting for justice for the judiciary. If you look at the news clip, you would see the produced tarps. I'm happy enough that my tarps got coverage, even if I didn't. Hehehe.
So a slew of student leaders and Prof. Harry Roque gave rally speeches. To end the day, we lit candles and sang "Handog ng Pilipino sa Mundo" by Apo Hiking Society, and placed candles around our make-shift coffin. When the crowd dispursed, Zorro came and did a little speech on how Gloria should die. He marked our make-shift coffin with a Z. It was so funny.
So there. The concept was supposed to be mourning but it was so much fun. Of course, de Castro v. JBC was NOT a fun decision to read, although as Dean Pangalangan and Prof. Hilbay said, it would have been amusing if it was merely hypothetical. But it's real. It's now doctrine. And this demonstrated the inherent malleability of the Constitution which has grave social repercussions. If only we can find out that Justice Puno's birth year in his Certificate of Live Birth is 1941, that would be like, totally awesome for now, but this is really, really bad precedent to leave in our jurisprudence. So here's to having my fingers crossed for the Motion for Reconsideration.
PS ... sorry walang pictures. Baccalaureate Mass ng sister ko, kaya nasa kanya yung camera namin. Also, I miss having a P&S camera. Donations will be graciously accepted. ^__~