(no subject)
As a person, I believe in three fundamental things: first, I believe that the rights and dignity of poor and non-influential individuals are not less valuable than that of the rich and influential people; second, I believe that a hallmark of a healthy and thriving democracy is the constant existence of quality discourse specifically participated by well-informed and learned citizens; and lastly, I believe in the existence of a sovereign God who gave us the opportunities to learn and talents to hone for us to share it with others. These three beliefs will be the main principles that will set my direction as a lawyer.
I believe that the rights and dignity of poor and non-influential individuals are not less valuable than that of the rich and influential people. When I was in high school, I was fortunate enough to have been exposed to urban poor communities present in Metro Manila. This experience continued when I was in my college undergraduate and it is untrue that Lasallians are completely alien to the putrid smell of poverty and its excruciating vicious cycle. I might not have experienced this degree of poverty first-hand, but am completely one with the marginalized in their fight for what has to be justly given to them. After meeting some of those whose voice seem to not matter in our society like the youth in Baseco and the farmers of Calatagan, I got to realize that when they feel pain, it’s not less painful as when I am the one who is feeling the pain. It dawned on me that these people deserve the same kind of respect and dignity that every human being should get. Unfortunately, however, they are actually constantly victimized by a society that is plagued with injustice and inequality. As a lawyer, I will devote my career in defending the most defenseless people in society. Now I recognize that this sounds like a too ideal direction considering that the defense of the poor is not very promising when it comes to financial rewards, but having lots of money is not my end as a lawyer anyway. Rather, it is my humble belief that it is just supposed to be a means towards a nobler end. Some people will treat this idea as absurd especially since the financial, emotional and intellectual, investments that one has poured just to become a lawyer are never a joke, but I see no wrong in aiming for the absurd in order to achieve what seems to be impossible. This is a lesson that I have learned from the founder CMLI, Atty. Fernanda S. Balboa. Essentially, it is with this conviction that I see myself marching forward with clenched fist, ready to declare to oppressors of the poor and the marginalized that we shall not allow them to step on the inalienable right of every individual to dignity.
I believe that a hallmark of a healthy and thriving democracy is the constant existence of quality discourse specifically participated by well-informed and learned citizens. As a believer of free speech and the importance of social discourse in a democratic society, it is my belief that citizens should actively participate in public policy discussions. Corollary to this, I think that lawyers have the social and moral obligation to aggressively take part in social dialectics that mold the direction of the world. This is because supposedly, lawyers are there to promote justice and passiveness is never a good and effective way in upholding what is just. As a lawyer, I see myself at the forefront of public policy discussions in order to ascertain that such policies are still in line with what is believed to be just and acceptable.
Lastly, I believe in the existence of a sovereign God who gave us the opportunities to learn and talents to hone for us to share it with others. Since time immemorial, I have always loved the idea of teaching. I am a frustrated teacher and I would like to settle this frustration once and for all. I will definitely make sure that I will be able to teach what I know to other people who also have the same kind of thirst for knowledge that I have. As a lawyer, I will definitely make sure that I will be able to impart my knowledge by probably being involved with academic institutions or eventually starting my own training institute.
Being a lawyer opens a lot of opportunities. I do not intend to waste these opportunities by just making money out of lawyering because, like my three fundamental beliefs, I also believe that being a lawyer is more than just earning millions of money.