(I yield this space to Atty. Marven Daquilenea who delivered the following message at his inaugural July 3 as president of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines – Iloilo Chapter for 2009 – 2010.)

I thank my fellow lawyers who came tonight though most of them including Governor Niel Tupas, did not vote for me. They did not bother to vote in the elections because my slate ran unopposed. But a lot of them were present in the fellowship up to 3 AM eve of the elections. The next day less than half showed up; even some candidates for the board almost failed to make it to the nomination.

Thank you, compañeros and compañeras, for coming tonight even though it is against your nature. It is against the nature of lawyers to appear without a fee.

In a way lawyers are more fortunate than actors or models whose appearance fees is directly proportional to their appearances. Lawyers get paid an appearance fee regardless of their appearance. Lawyers are luckier: in many cases, those who are not good looking get higher appearance fees. I believe we should change the term “appearance fee” – because in legal jargon, that is “misleading”.

At this time I will not dwell on the outstanding stewardship of President Nene Teruel and the outgoing Board as their achievements will all be presented later in this program. It was an honor and a pleasure to have worked with them. A good and competent team, they were, so let us give them a round of applause please.

Let me begin where I ended in taking my oath. This oath end with the words “SO HELP ME GOD”. Have you ever wondered why oaths of office always close with those words? An oath is defined as “A solemn appeal to God for the declaration of the inviolability of a promise or undertaking.”

When I took my oath just moments ago, I made five solemn vows. (1) To maintain allegiance to the Republic of the Philippines, (2) to obey laws and orders of duly constituted authorities, (3) to do no falsehood, (4) not to sue any groundless, false or unlawful suit, (5) and not to delay any man for money or malice.

A diocesan priest on the other hand, when ordained, does not make oath, he only makes only one promise. It is the promise to obey his bishop.

That is why it is easier to do wrong as a President of IBP Iloilo than to sin as a priest.

It is on this context that I address you tonight. While I took my oath and the many vows in it, I will only make one promise. That is a promise that to the best of my knowledge and discretion we will make this small organization relevant to our society in the next two years.

When are we irrelevant as an organization of lawyers? We are irrelevant when we are so parochial —- that our fees, our MCLE completion numbers, and our grudges against the bench, the prosecution service, and fellow lawyers are more important than what is right and what is just. We are irrelevant when we are so consumed by self-preservation that profit rather that the advocacy of truth and fairness is our primary motivation. We are irrelevant when our people are abused and our democratic institutions are challenged while we sit indifferently and read our law books in the airconditioned comforts of our offices.

And how are we to be relevant? We are relevant when we, as an organization, can influence what is happening around us. We will condemn if we have to. We will sue if necessary. We will march in the streets when needed. But we will act and make a stand as an organization of lawyers in every issue and controversy that affects our people. There will be times that your Board of Officers will be right and that we will be with the popular sentiments. There will be times when we will not be popular and when we may be wrong. Nonetheless, we will always act and act swiftly at every opportunity. And we will act with conviction so that IBP Iloilo will be here to speak for you whether your persecutor is a barangay tanod or the Secretary of Justice.

I stress the need to speak out for our people and our country because of a story that inspired me. It is the story of a German theologian, Martin Niem”ller cited in the self-written obituary of the editor-in-chief of the Tamil Guardian, who was gunned down, execution style, last January 2009. The story tells that Niem’ller in his youth was an anti-Semite and an admirer of Hitler. As Nazism took hold in Germany, however, he saw Nazism for what it was: it was not just the Jews Hitler sought to extirpate, it was just about anyone with an alternate point of view. Niem”ller spoke out, and for his trouble was incarcerated and very nearly executed. While incarcerated, Niem”ller wrote a poem that stuck hauntingly in the mind of the dissident journalist: The Niem”ller poem goes:

First they came for the Jews
and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Communists
and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists
and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left to speak out for me.

Let me repeat that:

Then they came for me
and there was no one left to speak out for me.

That is why I envision IBP Iloilo to always be there to speak out for all and any of you when no one else will. In many occasions we have not acted and and we have not spoken as an organization. Sometimes because of indifference, but more often because it is difficult to have a consensus among 11 officers whose livelihood is to argue and disagree on what the other lawyer has to say. We, your present Board of Officers, have agreed that, when there is an important issue or concern we will deliberate and we will argue but before the end of the day we will always take a stand and speak out in behalf of our Chapter.

And what of our fellow lawyers in IBP Iloilo in the next two years? We plan an expanded coverage for our members to include hospitalization benefits as we also undertake to make an emergency facility at the Hall of Justice. Too many of us suffer illnesses or die from the stress of our profession. We will honor the most senior among our practicing lawyers during the law week as we will also have a memorial to old colleagues whom we remember in private but never in public ceremonies. We will extend our MCLE and MLAS services from merely hosting the seminars to monitoring deficiencies and assisting in the filing of the complete requirements. We will provide for free to all our members the 2009 Schedule of Minimum Fees and Directory of Members in digital format as it will also be incorporated in our website for access to our members. We will screen and evaluate aspirants to the judiciary and government service with the purpose of favorably endorsing applicants but we will not endorse those who are unfit and unworthy of elementary standards of fairness, industry, and integrity. These and many more are detailed in the plans and programs approved by the the new Board of Officers in our first organizational meeting last April 3, 2009.

We will be as relevant to our members as we will be to our society.

But I am here making a speech. Will I really be here to speak for you when this night is over?

Frankly my friends, I could only hope that I will live up to my promise because I owe too many people too much for this chance to address you as IBP President. Not the least is a hardworking Board – Maricar, Gene, BG, Noel, Cyril, Joann, Dan, Janet, Aloy, and Dennis, who all made this evening possible.

There are many among the lawyers here who could have easily defeated me in a contested election, you did not. Inspite of the goading and encouragement from some that this Presidency should not be given to me in a silver platter, you refused. Thank you for that. Many of you here refused to run against me because you consider me a friend so much so that your Board of Officers was elected by unanimous consensus rather than a bitter contest as we always had in the past IBP elections. This even when an unofficial division separates us into two camps when the election nears. The main personalities of the previous contests set aside their differences to field a common slate, I believe that as lawyers you also considered our qualities aside from our friendship and for that I am very grateful for the unanimity of your confidence.

I have too many of you here to thank that I will not have the time to name each and everyone of you individually. You helped in different ways. I owe even those of you who did not vote for us because it was an uncontested election. I owe a lot to our guest speaker and our VIPs for making time to be with us tonight and giving this occasion honor and
prestige by your presence. I owe a lot of you in a lot of different ways. Allow me to make two exceptions in my general expression of gratitude.

First, I would like to thank my Tatay. The original Basoy to many of you. He did not want to be here he told me because his coat that he last wore when he retired as Provincial Administrator ten years ago does not fit him anymore. Your many friends in the media and in Passi City are here as your Congressional candidate Niel Tupas is here as well. I want to brag to you in front of them that for a short time, in this little part of our country my peers have chosen me to be the first among equals. As I want everyone to know that what I am I owe a lot to you.

Second, I would like to thank my best friend who was my playmate since kindergarten, my girlfriend the last 34 years, and my wife for the last 23 years. Thank you for believing that I can be a capable President as long as I put my heart and soul and you put in all you can afford to spare for the necessary expenses.

The rest of you my friends, forgive me for making a general acknowledgment of my gratitude as there are just too many of you. The only way I can repay your trust is not by this public acknowledgment but in making and doing all that I can to make IBP Iloilo relevant. Relevant so that when others do not or will not speak out for you, this organization will.

That is not a vow. That is a promise that, as I have defined earlier, bears the weight and responsibility of the solemn oath that I affirmed in saying “SO HELP ME GOD.”

Sa liwat salamat gid kag maayong gab-i sa inyo tanan.

Leave a Reply