ENQUIRY
DEMAREE J.B. RAVAL
Mar Roxas and the lawyers
Sunday, 04 05, 2009
The other week I was in Bacolod for the national convention of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP). At one point in the swirling bonhomie that invariably ensues whenever lawyers congregate, a compañero (Mengdu Pauig of Cagayan) took me aside, and in a mock-whisper said: “Whoever managed to get Mar Roxas to speak should be haled to the Commission on Bar Discipline, there to explain why a non-lawyer must be foisted on lawyers like us who are simply out to comply with the requirement that one must attend a convention to be certified as a member in good standing of the Philippine Bar. After all, a lawyer is expected to conduct himself with courtesy, fairness and candor toward his professional colleagues.”
I could see what Mengdu meant, or, in the strangely un-legalese lingo of colleagues fresh out of law school, where he was coming from.
And where I’m coming from, it does seem that Mar’s participation in the convention was downright “discourteous” to the lawyers present. Because Mar’s wit and wisdom on things legal was a marvel, and I’d be damned if it didn’t emphasize the obvious: That one need not be a lawyer to be able to speak well on legal matters.
Mar’s presence was very “unfair” to some, because it distracted the very serious few in that convention away from the serious business outlined in the agenda. Just imagine the controlled chaos in the photo-ops that ensued after his much applauded speech.
And Mengdu, it seemed, thought that whoever invited Mar was less than “candid,” not forthright about one’s intentions. Mar was brought to Bacolod ostensibly to speak on Upholding the Rule of Law, but, truly, he was brought to be presented as someone to consider among the choices for the presidency of the land.
Mar’s introduction by law professor Abe Estrada, governor of IBP Northern Luzon, was a work of art that relied on a lot of not so subtle titillations. Abe did say that Mar will be the “next President of the Philippines,” but he was cautious enough to say that it all depends on the integrity of the automated elections come May 2010. Abe was profuse with details about the achievements of Mar as a legislator, which was a nice way of saying that if one is an anti-corruption advocate, then he is clean, and therefore the exact opposite of the incumbent president; if one can protect the consumer and the market vendor, the small-time depositor, or the mother who bought a dream for her son, then he can make a good president, very much unlike the incumbent whose protection extends only to choice liars and crooks.
You got to hand it to Abe — he knew how to situate Mar. For his performance, Abe could be a shoo-in for a Cabinet post under a Roxas presidency, not the least of which should be in the Justice department where he and Mar could wage battle for justice for all, an advocacy Abe is very much familiar with in his work at the IBP.
Abe and his delegation — lawyers Richard Tumaneng of Laoag and Mia Cawed of Baguio, among them — had bragging rights to have their pictures taken with Mar after his speech. I stayed away, under my erroneous impression of what constitutes political activity. I have always thought that the IBP is strictly non-political, and that every activity tending to impair this basic feature is strictly prohibited and shall be penalized. But, then again, what is politics but public service in disguise, as Tony Blair may have proposed as a definition.
Mar’s performance brought the IBP down to earth. Here is a presidentiable who is not afraid to flirt with defeat rather than go all-out for victory by bending the law at every turn. His speech must have tugged at the heartstrings of some lawyers and politicians then present, who seek victory even by foul means. Anyway, I’m sure the lawyers aspiring to lead the IBP in a national election year learned about decency from Mar.
Mar’s speech — including how he dealt with the handiwork of politicians in the Legacy Group who obviously know how to use the law to plunder depositors’ monies and smother pre-need beneficiaries’ dreams — exhibited the remarkable intelligence required of a president who is a non-lawyer, the firm grasp by a non-lawyer of a true sense of fairness and justice, and the sincerity of a leader who must grapple with the niceties of the law even as he protects the rights of his constituents.
Here is Mar who is honest enough to admit before a throng of politicians - rather, before the academy of future politicians - that he is one of them; and that being a politician is an honorable calling for as long one adheres to the Rule of Law, be honest about it, and live it for others. I liked particularly that statement of Mar when he said “the presidency is a gift of the people that a politician deserves only if he earns it.”
Incensed that he was over the moves for Charter change — not because it will dash his hopes of ever running for president next year, but because it is an abhorrent path to power — Mar had some sobering words to the lawyers: You could be much more powerful and honorable if only you will advocate Charter change in accordance with the Constitution.
Should Mar get to that Palace by the murky river, I have only one request of him: Do away with the detritus in that river, the horrific and tragic scraps of the incumbent president’s failure to rely on her lawyers’ wise advice and her over-reliance on one lawyer’s bedroom advice.
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