New lawyers told to uphold rule of law
Published Jun 1, 2018 06:14 pm
By Jeffrey Damicog
Newly sworn-in lawyers have been reminded not to stray away from the rule of law.
(photo by Czar Dancel)
“I exhort you to be vigilant as lawyers. Do not permit any fellow lawyer to defect from his or her fealty to the Rule of Law,” said Supreme Court (SC) Justice Lucas Bersamin before new lawyers Friday at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City.
The SC held an oath taking ceremony at the PICC for the 1,719 law graduates who passed the 2017 Bar exams.
“Without fealty to the Rule of Law, our Republic would not be firm but shaky, and our Nation would be fractured by regionalism, parochialism, religious bigotry, and cultural differences,” said Bersamin, who is the chairman of the 2017 Bar exams.
“The Rule of Law guarantees our freedom to live our own lives. It restrains the all-powerful forces of Government from invading the privacy of our homes and diminishing our valued personhood; deters rapes, killings, robberies, and other crimes from being committed with abandon; ensures that our children and their children will still have a safe haven and home as they come into their own; moderates the competing self-serving rights of individuals; and enables the oppressed to unshackle themselves from their misfortune,” he added.
In his speech, Bersamin reminded lawyers to refrain from publicly declaring their stance in a case.
“Still, Justices and Judges may not defend themselves in public. Nor may they engage in public argument and debate on issues passed upon or still to be passed upon by their courts,” the magistrate said.
It can be recalled that ousted Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno has been asked by the SC to explain why she should not be disbarred for violating the gag order by publicly speaking about the quo warranto petition against her.
Last May 11, the SC en banc voted 8-6 which granted the quo warranto petition to oust Sereno. Bersamin was among the justices who voted in favor of her ouster.
“Mechanisms for holding Justices and Judges accountable to the sovereign people are in place. They should not be bypassed by anyone who is disappointed over judicial results. Doing it differently may disturb the separation of powers and undo an age-old constitutional structure,” Bersamin said
“When, however, unreasonable resenters and intolerant skeptics exceed the boundaries of propriety and orderliness, they directly threaten the institution of the courts, and erode fealty to the Rule of Law,” he warned.
During the oath taking, soon-to-be-retiring Justice Teresita Leonardo-De Castro also backed the speech made by Bersamin.
“It is our duty to protect the dignity of our judicial institutions and help maintain repsect for the judicial processes. This is the underlying principle for the sub judice rule (gag order),” she said in her speech.
“The duty to give due respect to the courts does not end when the case is decided. Lawyers should be gracious in defeat. If you believe legal pundits on television and other media of today, you’d think no one loses a case on merits anymore but that the opposing counsel is a scoundrel, or the judge or justice are corrupt or biased or just plain stupid,” she added.
De Castro also advised new lawyers to always work hard in their chosen profession.
“Something as simple as diligence helps you to avoid playing politics, because you rely solely on your work’s merit to get ahead,” she said.
“It is pure folly to build a career on patronage whether you work in a private firm or a government agency. Not only will it hamper you in the proper discharge of your lawyerly duties, but it also does nothing to ensure job security,” she said.
De Castro admitted to the new lawyers that they will “encounter people who might be promoted ahead of you because of carefully cultivated, glittering persona and a talent for self-promotion and credit grabbing, instead of substantial accomplishment.”
It can be recalled that De Castro applied back in 2012 to become chief justice but then President Benigno Aquino III chose Sereno who was the most junior among the SC magistrates at that time.
“You will see it many times in your career that those who rise too fast often fall just as quickly,” De Castro said.
(photo by Czar Dancel)
“I exhort you to be vigilant as lawyers. Do not permit any fellow lawyer to defect from his or her fealty to the Rule of Law,” said Supreme Court (SC) Justice Lucas Bersamin before new lawyers Friday at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City.
The SC held an oath taking ceremony at the PICC for the 1,719 law graduates who passed the 2017 Bar exams.
“Without fealty to the Rule of Law, our Republic would not be firm but shaky, and our Nation would be fractured by regionalism, parochialism, religious bigotry, and cultural differences,” said Bersamin, who is the chairman of the 2017 Bar exams.
“The Rule of Law guarantees our freedom to live our own lives. It restrains the all-powerful forces of Government from invading the privacy of our homes and diminishing our valued personhood; deters rapes, killings, robberies, and other crimes from being committed with abandon; ensures that our children and their children will still have a safe haven and home as they come into their own; moderates the competing self-serving rights of individuals; and enables the oppressed to unshackle themselves from their misfortune,” he added.
In his speech, Bersamin reminded lawyers to refrain from publicly declaring their stance in a case.
“Still, Justices and Judges may not defend themselves in public. Nor may they engage in public argument and debate on issues passed upon or still to be passed upon by their courts,” the magistrate said.
It can be recalled that ousted Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno has been asked by the SC to explain why she should not be disbarred for violating the gag order by publicly speaking about the quo warranto petition against her.
Last May 11, the SC en banc voted 8-6 which granted the quo warranto petition to oust Sereno. Bersamin was among the justices who voted in favor of her ouster.
“Mechanisms for holding Justices and Judges accountable to the sovereign people are in place. They should not be bypassed by anyone who is disappointed over judicial results. Doing it differently may disturb the separation of powers and undo an age-old constitutional structure,” Bersamin said
“When, however, unreasonable resenters and intolerant skeptics exceed the boundaries of propriety and orderliness, they directly threaten the institution of the courts, and erode fealty to the Rule of Law,” he warned.
During the oath taking, soon-to-be-retiring Justice Teresita Leonardo-De Castro also backed the speech made by Bersamin.
“It is our duty to protect the dignity of our judicial institutions and help maintain repsect for the judicial processes. This is the underlying principle for the sub judice rule (gag order),” she said in her speech.
“The duty to give due respect to the courts does not end when the case is decided. Lawyers should be gracious in defeat. If you believe legal pundits on television and other media of today, you’d think no one loses a case on merits anymore but that the opposing counsel is a scoundrel, or the judge or justice are corrupt or biased or just plain stupid,” she added.
De Castro also advised new lawyers to always work hard in their chosen profession.
“Something as simple as diligence helps you to avoid playing politics, because you rely solely on your work’s merit to get ahead,” she said.
“It is pure folly to build a career on patronage whether you work in a private firm or a government agency. Not only will it hamper you in the proper discharge of your lawyerly duties, but it also does nothing to ensure job security,” she said.
De Castro admitted to the new lawyers that they will “encounter people who might be promoted ahead of you because of carefully cultivated, glittering persona and a talent for self-promotion and credit grabbing, instead of substantial accomplishment.”
It can be recalled that De Castro applied back in 2012 to become chief justice but then President Benigno Aquino III chose Sereno who was the most junior among the SC magistrates at that time.
“You will see it many times in your career that those who rise too fast often fall just as quickly,” De Castro said.