Last weekend, I attended a meeting of what was
once a premier organization in Washington, D.C.
Formerly called the Philippine Lawyers Association (PLA), it became
Philippine American Bar Association (PABA) to reflect what the first stanza of
its theme song that says:
“In
the richness of its diversity
It
offers to the community
Services
full of legality
Fighting
for one’s liberty”
Seated (left to right) Ben Maynigo, Julie Watlington,
Roland Lee, Ludy Cabanas, Mrs. Fernando Tonolete. Standing (left to right)
Fernando Tonolete, Tony Cabanas, Dodong Tecala.
Founded in the fall of 1977 by a group led
by the late Dr. Anthony Azores and Dr. Julio Macaranas, Jr. who became the
first Chairman of the Board and President, respectively, the lawyers’ group had
the following objectives:
1.
To serve as a medium for the nonpartisan discussion
of significant legal issues;
2.
To foster public understanding of human and
civil rights secured by law;
3.
To assist in obtaining adequate legal
representation for those unable to secure counsel to defend human and civil
rights;
4.
To promote high standards of moral integrity and
professional competence among its members; and
5.
To provide relief for the poor and distressed,
and eliminate prejudice and discrimination.
Having just escaped with my family from
Marcos’ dictatorial regime, it was the right group to join not just because of
my profession but more so because of its given objectives.
Recognized
and respected by both the US and Philippine governments, the organization
freely promoted and implemented its programs and activities as its members
listened and discussed with guests like the late Chief Justice of the
Philippine Supreme Court Claudio Teehankee, Court of Appeals Justice Coquia who
advocated the need for closer cooperation between then PLA members and the
Integrated Bar of the Philippines, and Professor Enrique Syquia, the first
Asian president of the International Law Association (ILA) who talked at length
on the legal system in the Philippines and the role of ILA in promoting higher standards
and greater cooperation among lawyers all over the world.
Having the Honorable Gilbert Colon, Deputy
Assistant to the US President of the United States explaining to the group the
intricate requirements for employment in the Federal government and also underscoring the
urgency of Filipino Americans closing ranks and asserting themselves as a
potent force in American life, inspired many of its members to join the US
government either as civil servants, political appointees, or elected
officials.
Highly
motivated, the group worked very hard to elect one of its former Presidents
(David Valderrama) as the first elected State Assemblyman in Mainland USA. Some of its members (Valderrama and Maynigo)
also managed to have one-on-one meeting with Presidents Reagan and George H.W.
Bush and brought the concerns of Filipino Americans regarding the loss of
freedom under Marcos.
The Fil-American
Multicultural Center where we had our PABA meeting was one of Valderrama’s
achievements as a politician and public servant in Maryland.
Indeed,
the PABA Theme Song whose lyrics I humbly wrote during my presidency said it
all:
“PLA rich in its history
PABA continuing legacy
Leadership, enlightened ambition
Membership, proud of mission
Programmed vision, many hopes and
dreams
Projects galore deal with complaints
and screams
Legal aid and “Leadership on Wheels”
Activities, each member feels
Human rights and fighting veterans
Voting rights, issues we take a
chance
Democracy equals Filipino
Equality we share with the ‘kano”
Eating all the crabs that we could as they were cooked right
then and there, accompanied by “lechon”, corn, and rice, we were ready to
celebrate by biting, chewing, and swallowing all the so-called “Filipino crab
mentality” both literally and figuratively.
Congress makes the
laws. The President and the implementing agencies execute the laws. The Supreme
Court and the judiciary interpret the laws.
Ours is a government of laws.
But laws are made for the service of, for, and by the
people. If some laws do not serve the people, they are either amended or
repealed. If laws are violated, misused,
and/or abused by people, the latter get prosecuted to find the truth. For this
reason, defenders become necessary to protect the defendants’ rights also
provided by law.
Yes, life is all
about law. Law covers all facets of life. Be they Criminal, Civil, Commercial,
Corporate, Employment, Administrative, Constitutional, Educational,
Intellectual Property, even Cyber or Internet, Health, Environmental, Taxation,
or International, there are laws that cover them. If one life behavior is not
covered, it will be, sooner or later.
Indeed, we live under the Rule of Law. One profession that
studies all these facets of life covered under the Rule of Law is the legal profession. All have general knowledge with skills to
find where the relevant laws are or some have specialized knowledge based on
their majors, masters, and/or fields of expertise based on their practice and
experience.
Reflecting on all of
these, more than ever, I thought that PABA really plays a very important role
in the promotion and enforcement of the Rule of Law at this point of our
history – be it American or Filipino.
The Principle of Separation of Powers, Checks and Balances,
Freedom of Information, Anti-Political Dynasty, International Treaties and other
International Laws, Human Rights violations, Human Trafficking and Slavery, and
many more require the attention of those in the know.
From the days of
Martial Law in the Philippines to the time of Ambassador Gaa, the Philippine
government respected, recognized and sought the cooperation of then
PLA/PABA. That is not so today. Perhaps,
Ambassador Cuisia and his underlings do not know that we exist or they just do
not feel the force of our existence.
This has to change.
After all, the last stanza of the PABA Theme Song said it best:
Philippines,
beloved native land
America, adopted home
in hand
Happiness for all our
families
Number one in our
priorities
