TBT

IBP: Celebrating 40 years, 1973 - 2013
September 2012
CJ Sereno calls for reflection. IBP President Libarios and CJ Sereno pose with the other members of the 23rd POLA Executive Committee
At 23rd POLA Confab
INTL BAR LEADERS ADOPT

MANILA DECLARATION
CJ Sereno delivers first public address
The leaders of 18 national bar associations and

international bar federations concluded the 23rd Conference of the Presidents of Law Associations in Asia
(POLA) in Manila with the signing of the Manila Declaration, a historic document reaffirming the objectives
of the 22 year old organization and providing special
emphasis to the plight of migrant workers and victims
of trafficking and cross-border crimes.
The 23rd POLA Conference was held at the Marriott
Hotel from August 27 to 29
and was hosted by the Inte- IBP FULL HOUSE CROWD
grated Bar of the Philippines.
The draft of the Manila Declaration was presented for
discussion by IBP President
Roan Libarios, Chairman
of the 23rd POLA, during
the Presidents Meeting on
August 29 and was unanimously passed after the inclusion of enhancements to
the original draft.
ABAD PRESENTS AFFIDAVIT

RULE TO IBP SRO CROWD
A new Supreme Court
rule that is changing the
litigation landscape was
the topic of an IBP Public
Forum held September
17, 2012 at a packed
JBL Reyes Hall.
Called the Judicial Affidavit Rule, the document
was approved by the Supreme Court in an en banc
session last September 4
after going through pilot
testing early this year in the
Justice Roberto A. Abad
courts of Quezon City. Approval of the rule was recommended by Senior As- see page 7
- see page 4
10
POLA Nights
to Remember
12
VP Binays
speech in POLA
Legal Aid via

Facebook
23
MESSAGES FOR THE IBP EASTERN VISAYAS CONVENTION
Renewing Our Oath, Reliving Our Mission

From the National President
The national
leadership of the
Integrated Bar of
the Philippines
joins me in saluting the IBP
Eastern Visayas
Region on its 10th Regional Convention, to be held at the Oriental
Hotel & Resort in Palo, Leyte, from
September 20-22, 2012.
I also extend my warmest handshake to the IBP Leyte Chapter for
hosting this event that celebrates a
decade of service of the IBP Eastern Visayas Region, which brings
together our brothers and sisters from Cebu, Cebu City, Bohol,
Leyte, Biliran, Southern Leyte, Samar, Eastern Samar and Northern
Samar.
Under our present circumstance
as a nation, there is perhaps no
theme that is more appropriate
and timely for our profession than
Renewing Our Oath, Reliving Our
Mission. As we live in increasingly
complex and challenging times, we
regularly need to be reminded of the
simplicity of the basics and the rule
of law, upon which the solid foundations of our democratic institutions
must firmly stand. We need a constant re-examination and renewal
ask ourselves: are we doing the
right thing? -- so we may fully live
our mission of serving the ends of
justice wherever we may be.
This reaffirmation of mission
was once again highlighted in the
The
Bar TriBune
Vol. 8
No. 6
Official Publication of the
Integrated Bar of the Philippines
15 J. Vargas Ave., Ortigas Center, Pasig City

Tel. No. 63.2 6313014 Telefax No. 63.2 9100417
Website: www.ibp.ph Email: ibp_national@yahoo.com
From the Regional Governor

recently concluded 23rd Conference of the Presidents of Law Associations in Asia (POLA), which
your organization -- the IBP hosted last month. A high point of the
POLA Conference was the passage
of the Manila Declaration, in which
the presidents of 18 national law
associations and international law
federations, unanimously committed themselves to promote human
rights and peace, protect migrant
workers from abuse and enhance
access to justice for low-income
and
marginalized
individuals,
among other key initiatives. These
are the same critical issues that the
IBP has stood up for, as sentinel of
law and democracy.
I wish to conclude this message with a special congratulatory
note to Governor Manuel Enage,
Jr. I am informed that the College
of Maasin, a school of modest beginnings which he helped establish, has produced five new lawyers
this year, a tribute to the patience,
persistence and singular focus of
its founders and certainly an encouraging best practice many law
schools can learn from.
Once again, to our esteemed
colleagues in IBP Eastern Visayas
Region, keep the faith and the fire
burning.
It is my distinct honor to greet and

welcome to the beautiful province of
Leyte the guests and delegates of the
10th IBP-Eastern Visayas Regional
Convention with the theme Renewing
Our Oath, Reliving Our Mission. This
gathering will certainly be a perfect
avenue for us to rekindle our fraternal
bond and feel once more the warmth
of our enduring friendship, bound by
our steadfast commitment to the rule
of law and to our justice system.
As we face the reality that lawyers
play a vital role in every civilized and
democratic society, it is indeed a great
challenge for every lawyer to continue
protecting and upholding the rights of
our citizens. Our people have reposed
their trust and confidence in our profession such that we could not afford
to jeopardize the future of our nation
by abusing our oath and responsibilities. This convention is therefore the
best opportunity for us to rekindle our
vow to become instruments of justice
and with the end view of uplifting our
vocation to new and greater heights.
I also congratulate the officers and
members of the Integrated Bar of the
Philippines-Leyte (IBP-Leyte) Chapter
for successfully hosting this bi-annual
event.
Congratulations and Mabuhay!

God bless and Mabuhay!
ROAN I. LIBARIOS
MANUEL L. ENAGE, JR.
National President
IBP Governor for Eastern Visayas
Aurora G. Geronimo, Jaryl Ann V. Ranchez,

Vivian C. Capiznon, Myla L. Bernal, Cherryl M. Artajo, Jerome M. Abella
Staff
Jose E. San Diego, Jr.

Editorial Consultant
Eumir C. Lambino
Layout Artist
We welcome feedback and suggestions. Please write to ibp_national@yahoo.com
The Bar Tribune
IBP EASTERN VISAYAS HOLDS

10th REGIONAL CONVENTION
IBP Eastern Visayas Region will
hold its 10th Regional Convention at
the Oriental Hotel & Resort in Palo,
Leyte, from September 20-22, 2012
with the theme Renewing Our Oath,
Reliving Our Mission. Convention
host is IBP Leyte Chapter.
IBP Eastern Visayas is made up of
the provinces of Biliran, Bohol, Cebu,
Eastern Samar, Leyte, Northern Samar, Samar, Southern Leyte and
Cebu City.
Meanwhile, aside from its participation in the Eastern Visayas Regional Convention, IBP Cebu Chapter has
also lined up activities for Law Week
2012 commemoration, including a Jail
Visit & Legal Consultation at Mandaue
City Jail on September 17; a Dialogue
with CJ Ma. Lourdes Sereno and SC
Associate Justices on September 19;
and a Free Legal Clinic on September
22.
Manuel L. Enage, Jr.
Programme HigHligHts
DAY 1
R.A. 7279, Lina Law
Lecturer: Atty. Jose D. Lina Jr.
Updates in Intellectual
Property Law
Lecturer: Atty. Ramon S. Esguerra
Fellowship Night
Guest Performers
Chapter Presentations
Raffle
DAY 2
Updates in Criminal Procedure
(Substantive & Procedural Law)
Atty. Ramon S. Esguerra
Oral Advocacy (Legal Writing &
Oral Advocacy)
Lecturer: Atty. Israelito P. Torreon
Updates in Civil Procedure
(Substantive & Procedural Law)
Lecturer: Atty. Vicente M. Joyas
Duties of a Lawyer to His Client
(Legal Ethics)
Lecturer: Atty. Dennis A.B. Funa
The Code of Professional

Responsibility (Legal Ethics)
Lecturer: Atty. Dennis A.B. Funa
Dinner / Socials
DAY 3
Special Protection for Women &
Children (Substantive &
Procedural Law)
Lecturer: Atty. Cecilio D. Duka
Labor Arbitration (ADR)
Lecturer: Atty. Cecilio D. Duka
Plenary Session & Approval of
Resolutions
Closing
Pre-Convention: September 19, 2012
Leyte Park Gym
Magsaysay Street,
Tacloban City
Sports Events: Basketball, Chess,
Badminton
Eastern Visayas Chapter Presidents
Roy Percival M. Perez Meljohn B. De La Pea
Governor, Eastern Visayas

President, Leyte Chapter
President, Southern Leyte Chapter
Host Chapter
President, Biliran Chapter
Cristifil D. Baluma
Ferdinand A. Pepito
President, Bohol Chapter
President, Cebu Chapter
Earl M. Bonachita
Jose Vincent R.M. Opinion
Rolando P. Dubongco
Cesar T. Mabansag
President, Cebu City Chapter
President, Eastern Samar Chapter
President, Northern
Samar Chapter
President, Samar Chapter
IBP: Celebrating 40 years, 1973-2013
September 2012
- Intl Bar... from cover
The Manila Declaration includes a
6-point commitment by POLA member
countries and associations to encourage
lawyers to promote human rights and
peace, promote awareness of UN conventions on the protection of migrant workers
and victims of international trafficking and
cross-border crimes, commit to the protection of migrant workers among POLA
members, recognize the need for strong
and independent bar organizations for
the competent and efficient delivery of
legal services, strengthen cooperation in
promoting legal aid programs for migrant
workers, and provide legal aid in an equitable and accessible manner.
The Presidents Meeting discussed
three other draft resolutions corporate
social responsibility; human trafficking,
drugs and cross-border crimes; and promotion of labor standards in globalized
employment markets which are still subject to further discussions in POLA.
SECOND TIME FOR IBP
Represented by the IBP, the Philippines won the privilege of hosting the 23rd
POLA Conference during the 22nd Con-
ference held June last year in Taipei. The

IBP first hosted the POLA in 1996.
The 23rd POLA Conference in Manila
was keynoted by Vice President Jejomar
Binay while newly appointed SC Chief
Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno graced the
third day of the conference with a luncheon talk (see separate story).
Conference sessions revolved around
the theme The Legal Profession and the
Renewed Challenges of Globalization
and included topics on human trafficking
and cross-border crimes, labor standards
in globalized employment markets, crossborder legal practice and services, and
corporate social responsibility.
Each conference session had a moderator and a panel of reactors from POLA
members. The IBPs National Director
for Legal Aid, Atty. Rosario Setias-Reyes
moderated the session on labor standards
in globalized employment markets.
IBP WELCOME
In his welcome remarks, IBP President and Conference Chair Roan Libarios noted the special significance of the
event. No other conference can claim to
bring together the Presidents of the leading Bar organizations in Asia Pacific than
Snapshots from the 23rd POLA Conference held at Marriott Hotel
this POLA assembly, he said. Aside from

the 18 heads of bar associations, also
present were the presidents of four leading international bar federations, namely:
the International Bar Association, Lawasia, Inter-Pacific Bar Association and Union Internationale Des Avocats.
Libarios walked the delegates through
the programme for the conference, making special mention of the Manila heritage tour sponsored by the Department of
Tourism. From this (heritage) tour, Libarios said, you will understand why Manila
is a virtual microcosm of POLA, a melting
pot of cultures And perhaps from this
tour, he added, you will realize that we,
members of POLA, all share an interlocking culture and heritage.
KEYNOTE
In his keynote speech, Vice President
Binay focused on POLA topics that relate
directly to his responsibilities, such as human trafficking, drugs and cross-border
crimes as well as the globalized employment market. (See VP Binays speech on
page 12.)
These are issues we take seriously
because they relate directly to the core of
our efforts to raise the quality of life and
The Bar Tribune

session i: Combating Human traffiCking and Cross-border Crimes
session ii: Promoting Labor standards in gLobaLized emPLoyment markets
session iii: resPonding to Cross-border LegaL PraCtiCe and serviCes
session iV: Promoting CorPorate soCiaL resPonsibiLity

the very future of our labor-supplying nation, he said.
Binay is Presidential Adviser on Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) Concerns,
Chairman Emeritus of the Inter-Agency
Committee on Anti-trafficking in Persons
(IACAT) and Chairman of the Presidential
Task Force Against Illegal Recruitment
(PTFAIR).
According to Binay, human smuggling
and illegal recruitment by criminal syndicates and non-licensed fly by night recruiters are the countrys biggest problem.
They flourish in part, Binay said, because
destination countries do not complement
the efforts of labor-sending countries at
combating these twin evils in labor migration.
He announced that the International
Labor Organization has put forward a
rights-based approach in labor migration, one that clearly defines the obliga-
tions between country of origin and country of destination in the enforcement of

overseas workers rights. He said pushing of adoption of the ILO framework as a
convention is the shared responsibility of
every country.
Meanwhile, newly installed Chief Jus-
tice Ma. Lourdes Sereno spent part of her

second day at work with a luncheon talk
on the third day of the conference.
In her first official address after being sworn in as Chief Justice, Sereno discussed the current issues on governance
by working back through the lens of history.
Sereno asserted that the Philippines
is a young nation yet in terms of political
NEW CHIEF JUSTICE
September 2012
- from page 5
cooperation and governance and the experience of the modern People Power revolts is helping us get started in manifesting such power in governance structures.
(See separate story on CJ Serenos talk.)
CJ BARES CHALLENGES
NON-LEGAL TALK
It was not always legal talk for the
conference of, for and by lawyers. General Electric Philippines CEO J. V. Emmanuel De Dios, who is himself a lawyer,
talked about GE technological innovation,
investments in ASEAN and transformational leadership.
Department of Tourism Undersecretary Atty. Apolonia Jr. gave a glimpse of
Philippine culture and explained why Its
More Fun in the Philippines. There was
also a bit of irreverent history courtesy of
social commentator John Silva.
The 24th POLA will be held in Japan
next year while the 25th will be held in
Australia. (JESD)
FIDA Regional Convention

to be held in Cebu
Two months after the IBP hosted
the 23rd Conference of the Presidents
of Law Associations in Asia (POLA),
another international gathering, this
time of female lawyers, will be held in
the Philippines.
The Federacion Internacional de
Abogadas (FIDA), Philippine Branch,
Inc. is playing host to the Asian Regional Convention of FIDA International on
October 3-5, 2012 at Marco Polo Plaza
Hotel, Cebu City.
The Asian Regional Convention
of FIDA is an opportunity to once again
showcase the Philippine hospitality and
rich culture, said IBP President Roan
Libarios in a message to FIDA Philippine Branch. More importantly, it will
also serve as an international forum for
discussing issues that promote human
development, particularly the welfare of
women and children.
An ongoing thrust of the IBP is legal diplomacy, involving the establishment of a global network of networks
of lawyers to facilitate legal action on
wide ranging issues such as international trafficking and other cross-border
crimes.
Members of the POLA Executive Committee pose with CJ Sereno
Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno

spent part of her second day in office addressing delegates to the 23rd Convention of the Presidents of Law Associations
in Asia (POLA), which was hosted by the
IBP at the Marriott Hotel.
In a speech rich in historical introspection, Sereno said the judiciary has to
undergo a process of redefining itself in
order to be responsive to high public expectations.
A major need of the judiciary, Sereno said, is to define its engagement
with the litigants, and the members of
the general public as well as who are inevitably affected by the decisions of the
judiciary even if they are not direct parties
to a judicial controversy.
PARADOX
The first female Chief Justice -- and
the second youngest to hold the post -said that while the Philippines and other
countries in the Pacific region all have judicial systems in place, there are characteristics that make the Philippine situation
different, describing it as a paradox.
While the Philippines has the distinction of being the first, or among the first in
the Asian region to have formal, sophisticated engagement in Western political
and governance philosophies, it is paradoxically one of the least experienced in
Asia in social and political cooperation
and independent governance. Sereno
observed.
HISTORICAL ROOTS
She said that during its colonial occupation, Spain secured the colonial government presence by divorcing the civilian native population from its indigenous
base, describing the local populations
ties with one another as fragmented.

That meant that Filipinos had very little
experience in social and political cooperation when the Spanish administrators of
the Philippine colonies left, Sereno said.
While acknowledging experiences in
cooperation like bayanihan -- when people helped each other transfer native huts
from one location to another -- or communal activities like fiestas and church processions, Sereno said cooperation among
the early Filipinos had almost nothing to
do with governance issues that national
and local government units now face.
The situation would mean, according
to Sereno, that when the US colonizers
tried to make its governance structures
work, the necessary social, intellectual
and political structures that would make
those governance structures take root
were simply not there. The Philippine
masses were just used to the Spanish
overlords exacting tributes and compulsory servitude. Their only experiences were
survival, subsistence and injustice.
PALAKASAN, SIPSIPAN
The effect of Spanish colonization,
Sereno asserted, was to make such social intercourse revolve around the activities of the Catholic Church. Informal social organization rose primarily to facilitate
what was good for the social and economic rise of the clan without regard for the
rest of society.
Sereno also touched on the evolution
of the Philippine elite to explain why the
country had almost no experience in constructive social and political intercourse
for the general good when the Americans occupied the country at the start of
the 20th century. The Philippine elite
learned that the best way to rise in the
Spanish-overseen economic and social
The Bar Tribune

structure was to engage in what we call
in the vernacular palakasan or sipsipan.
She defined palakasan as elbowing each
other out to gain a place in the sun while
sipsipan refers to sucking up to the powerful through flattery and more unsavory
practices for personal gain.
AMERICAN OCCUPATION
Recalling the milieu the early Filipinos
found themselves in at the turn of the century, Sereno said when the Americans
tried to introduce concepts such as a professional civil service, the Bill of Rights,
the division of government into three independent and co-equal branches, and
democracy, there was little fertile soil that
these concepts could take root in.
The sector of the population that
was hungry for those ideas consisted of
the very small foreign-educated members of the social elite, and very rarely,
people from the lower social strata, such
as Andres Bonifacio, the organizer of the
first general rebellion against Spain, who
on his own read about the enlightenment
movements in other countries.
She said Filipinos joined the 1898
Revolution not because they fully understood the concepts of liberty, equality and
fraternity but that they were simply too
oppressed that they had enough. In our
words, tama na, sobra na.
Citing the observations of scholars,
Sereno said the pattern of our people
bursting out in action because they have
had enough, and not because they already have a developed understanding of
the principles of democracy was demon-
- Abad presents... from cover
Associate Justice Antonio T. Carpio
sociate Justice Antonio Carpio, Chair of

the mother Committee on the Revision of
Rules.
strated in EDSA People Power I, EDSA

People Power II and in the responses to
the governance of former President Gloria
Arroyo.
THE 70s & 80s
Significantly, Sereno highlighted the
1970s and 1980s the martial law and
People Power period -- as the period that
our people started to experience cooperation and collective action more fully. In a
sense, therefore, the soil that would be
necessary for democracy to bear fruit in
our country has only been cultivated in the
past few decades.
Sereno called for restraint in using
terms of national pride, saying that Filipinos are setting themselves up for deep
disenchantment when referring to the
first democratic revolution in Asia or first
democracy in Asia with untempered
pride. Those revolutions and our democratic form of government came when,
from the human point of view, the social
and economic base necessary for the actual and consistent observation of those
political concepts were simply not present. (W)e really never had the wherewithal to sustain those concepts and turn
them into success.
terms of our social and political interactions in the sphere of governance and
be thankful for ushering in a unique phenomenon such as People Power, and
now we have started introducing into our
governance structures the manifestations
of People Power in different forms.
ENVIRONMENT & TECHNOLOGY
What we had, Sereno pointed out,

were simply the promises of democracy,
and what was required of us was to build
the halls of democracy brick by brick.
She suggested that Filipinos look at
the Philippines as a young country in
Sereno concluded her luncheon talk

by drawing attention to the profound environmental and technological changes
taking place in society, to which she said
the judiciary must be able to respond effectively.
She said the threat of natural disasters must move the judiciary to think of
our judicial records and how to ensure
their physical integrity when disasters
strike. She also urged less dependence
on the use of paper, the subject of a recent SC Rule, to minimize the cutting of
trees.
Sereno also declared that the SC has
to think about its internal communications
strategy and external relations, noting the
emergence of modern communication
tools like social media. We have a young
population that is technologically savvy,
whose ideas are shaped no longer just by
the school, traditional media or the family,
but also by the insistent influence of social
media.
Because the environmental and
technological changes are taking place
fast, we in the judiciary also have to move
fast to improve the delivery of service in
this changing environment, Sereno emphasized. (JESD)
The judicial affidavit rule, which will

take effect on January 1, 2013, provides
for the submission of judicial affidavits by
the parties and witnesses to a case, instead of giving direct testimonies in court,
thereby speeding up the hearing and adjudication of cases and helping decongest
court dockets.
Forum guest speaker was SC Associate Justice Roberto A. Abad, the main
proponent of the new Judicial Affidavit
Rule. Panelists included Maria Filomena
Singh, Presiding Judge, RTC Branch 85
of Quezon City; Quezon City Prosecutor
Irene Resureccion (representing Chief
City Prosecutor of Quezon City Donald T.
Dee); and Atty. Tranquil Gervacio S. Salvador III, Past President of the IBP Quezon City Chapter.
There was a huge turnout of participants at the JBL Reyes Hall who lis-
tened to the talk of Justice Abad, whom

IBP Governor Leonor Gerona Romeo described as a truly dedicated advocate of
reform in the judiciary.
One of the eye-opener experiences
shared by Prosecutor Irene Resurreccion,
involved a 10-year old case that she said
was going nowhere. Applying the judicial
affidavit rule, Resurreccion was able to
submit the case for resolution only after a
period of 6 months.
IBP President Roan Libarios said the
IBP fully supported the judicial affidavit
rule as it expedites the flow and disposition of cases. It will go a long way in improving the judicial system of the Philippines. he said, noting that in neighboring
countries, case settlement usually takes
about a year while in the Philippines, it
takes about five years to settle cases in
court.
PROMISES OF DEMOCRACY
September 2012
The 23rd Annual POLA Conference
MANILA DECLARATION
For the Protection of Migrant Workers and Victims of
International Trafficking and Cross-Border Crimes
WE, the PRESIDENTS OF LAW ASSOCIATIONS IN ASIA

(POLA), have convened in Manila, Philippines for the 23rd Annual POLA Conference from 27-29 August 2012 for the purpose
of re-affirming our shared commitment to exchange information
and extend mutual cooperation regarding the organization and
operation of the law associations; to provide regional cooperation for the promotion of peace and human rights activities; to
conduct joint efforts for the enhancement of the rule of law; to
cooperate in advancing the status of lawyers, in developing the
legal profession and the scope of its activities and in strengthening the activities of the law associations in the region; to cooperate with related international or global organizations such as the
United Nations (UN); to encourage public interest advocacy; to
strengthen norms of professional ethics; and to foster the development of regulatory systems which ensure transparent and
rule-based governance.
WE re-affirm our commitment to the foregoing goals and
WE resolve to further promote the regime of human rights and
the rule of law in the region by addressing the plight of migrant
workers in globalized employment markets as well as victims of
international trafficking and cross-border crimes.
Moreover, WE affirm the Basic Principles on the Role of
Lawyers, issued by the U.N. High Commissioner for Human
Rights, which provides that governments and professional associations of lawyers shall promote programmes to inform the
public about their rights and duties under the law and the important role of lawyers in protecting their fundamental freedoms with
special attention to assisting the poor and other disadvantaged
persons to enable them to assert their rights.
TOWARDS THIS END, WE commit, subject to the respective organizational mandate and national laws of member organizations, to:
1. Encourage lawyers and members of the Bar to play a
significant role in promoting human rights and peace,

particularly in protecting migrant workers from abusive
conditions in globalized employment markets as well as
those victimized by international trafficking and crossborder crimes;
2. Promote awareness of existing UN Conventions and
protocols on the protection of migrant workers as well
as victims of international trafficking and cross-border
crimes;
3. Commit to the protection of migrant workers where the
required legal protection and assistance will be more
effective with the cooperation and coordination of the
efforts of POLA members within the framework of this
Declaration;
4. Recognize that strong and independent Bar associations
are necessary and important to the delivery of competent and efficient legal services that promote access to
justice for low-income and marginalized individuals, particularly migrant workers and victims of illegal trafficking
and other cross-border crimes;
5. Maintain the ties of friendship and to strengthen cooperation on the basis of equality, mutual interest, trust and
respect, in promoting legal aid programs in their respective countries for migrant workers, as well as victims of
international trafficking and cross-border crimes; and
6. Acknowledge that legal aid is a service of fundamental
public interest, which should be provided in an equitable
and accessible manner to migrant workers and victims
of international trafficking and cross-border crimes, in
the form of counseling, assistance or representation by
POLA members in host countries, within the framework
of this Declaration.
The Bar Tribune

Signed this 29th day of August 2012, Manila, Philippines.
MA. CATHERINE GALE
DIETER YIH
KUMAR RAMANATHAN, SC
President
Law Council of Australia
President
The Law Society of Hong Kong
Chairman
Hong Kong Bar Association
PRASHANT KUMAR
ALOYSIUS HARYO WIBOWO
JUSTIN DOWD
President
The Law Society of New South Wales
Honorary General Secretary

Bar Association of India
KENJI YAMAGISHI
NGUYEN DANG TRUNG
LIM CHEE WEE
President
Japan Federation of Bar Associations
President
Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association
President
Bar Council of Malaysia
JONATHAN TEMM
ROAN LIBARIOS
LOK VI MING
President
New Zealand Law Society
President
Integrated Bar of the Philippines
Vice-President
Law Society of Singapore
DAVID LIOU
YOUNG MOO SHIN
ISOMI SUZUKI
President
Taiwan Bar Association
President
Korean Bar Association
President-Elect
Inter-Pacific Bar Association
President-Elect
LAWASIA
Head of Department of
International Cooperation
Perhimpunan Advocat Indonesia
DRISS CHATER
AKIRA KAWAMURA
President
Union Internationale Des Avocats
President
International Bar Association
23rd POLA Chairman Roan I. Libarios presides over the POLA Presidents meeting for the adoption of the Manila Declaration
September 2012
POLA NIGHTS TO REMEMBER

CULTURAL NIGHT
CLOSING FELLOWSHIP
Expectations for the

POLA Cultural Night at Sofitel Hotel were set high when
IBP President Roan Libarios
told the delegates on opening day: We will delight you
to a sumptuous Filipino fiesta, filled with lively and
memorable cultural extravaganza like no other in the
world. So dont you dare
miss tonights enchanting
affair or you will regret it for
the rest of your life. I promise you.
Fellowship Night at the

Manila Hotel was just as
lively, with the all-male, alllawyer group Chorus Juris
wow-ing the crowd with their
perfectly blended voices.
(They brought to mind the
Tux group of a few years
back.)
Manila Mayor Alfredo
Lim, the host for the evening, lauded the POLA initiatives to battle human traffickHost: Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim
ing and other cross-border
crimes. Fighting crime has always been his priority,
he says, since he started his career as a policeman.
at Sofitel Hotel, Pasay City
at Manila Hotel, City of Manila
Host: Pasay Cong. Aimee CalixtoRubiano with City Administrator

Dennis Acorda (inset)
Rondalla greets delegates
And the Conference Chair didnt disappoint as the

culinary and cultural feast hosted by Pasay City Mayor
Antonino Calixto featured the best of the Philippines.
Even the Philippine delegation was mesmerized
by the Nayong Pilipino Dance Troupe which presented 12 native dances (plus a demonstration of ways
to wear a Malong) from various regions, including the
Sakpaya and Bumaya / Uya-Uy (Ifugao); Paseo de
All-lawyer group, Chorus Juris, charmes the crowd
Mayor Lim called for international cooperation and

information exchange in battling crime and urged the
POLA delegates to help pass laws that will strengthen
the criminal justice system, such as the witness protection program; the formulation of a magna carta for
police enforcers; imposition of heavier penal sanction
- see next page
Nayong Filipino dancers wow POLA delegates
10
- see next page
Mr. Kenji Yamagishi receives a souvenir from Mayor Lim
The Bar Tribune

- Cultural Night... from page 10
- Closing... from page 10
Iloilo, La Jota Moncadea, Vinta/Silong, Singkil (Lanao); Maglalatik (Bian, Laguna); Binasuan (Pangasinan), Sayaw sa Bangko, Kadang, Kalatong / Bulaklakan / Subli and perhaps the most popular of all, the
Tinikling, which a number of foreign delegates tried
Line dancing the night away
for corrupt judges, prosecutors and law-enforcers,

and a stronger system of checks and balances.
Mayor Lim invited the foreign delegates to enjoy
the Philippines, echoing the tourism slogan Its more
fun in the Philippines.
POLA foreign delegates try tinikling and Filipino dances
out for themselves, all without a foot caught between

the bamboo shafts.
The evening was capped with songs from soulful
singer Bayang Barrios and her band.
President Roan Libarios offered profuse thanks Mr. Yasushi Higashizawa, lawyer for Filipina comfort women in Japan,
to the City of Pasay, represented by Cong. Emi Ca- impressed the audience with his rendition of Spanish song La Bamba
lixto-Rubiano, for the warm reception and hospitality.
The delegates then let their hair down, so to say,
Cong. Calixto-Rubiano is the sister of Mayor Calixto with non-stop line dancing, an exhilarating and calo(who was not able to make it to Sofi- rie-burning climax to POLA Manila 2012.
tel as he was in Naga to pay respects
to the late Secretary Robredo).
Dancing the swing with gusto

Delegates in fiesta setting while Bayang Barrios (inset) belts out local
songs
11
September 2012
An exciting time to be around,

to be a lawyer and to be part of an
organization such as POLA
Keynote speech of Vice President Jejomar C. Binay during the opening ceremonies of the
23rd POLA Conference, August 28, 2012, Marriott Hotel, Pasay City.
I am most delighted to welcome

you, Presidents of Law Associations in
Asia and your respective delegations,
to the Philippines. I am informed this
is the second time your conference is
being held in this country----this gives
us an opportunity to do better as hosts
than the first time.
I trust that under the dynamic
leadership of IBP President Libarios,
this 23rd Conference of POLA will live
up to your highest expectations.
You come at a time when the Philippines legal history is the focus of
considerable attention, because of the
appointment of a new Chief Justice of
our Supreme Court. But whatever the
season, the rule of law is a constant
concern among our people, not only
judges, lawyers and law professors.
The topics of your first two sessions, namely, combating human
trafficking, drugs and cross-border
crimes and the globalized employment market: challenges and responses, directly relate to my official
cabinet responsibilities as Presidential
Adviser on Overseas Filipino Workers
(OFW) Concerns, Chairman Emeritus
of the Inter-Agency Committee on An-
ti-trafficking in Persons (IACAT) and

Chairman of the Presidential Task
Force Against Illegal Recruitment
(PTFAIR).
These are issues we take seriously because they relate directly to the
core of our efforts to raise the quality
of life and the very future of our laborsupplying nation.
Every year the Philippines deploys
more than 800,000 workers abroad.
Their earnings constitute one of the
major contributions to our economic
development. For the first semester
of 2012 alone, overseas Filipino workers remittances reached US$10.128
billion, up by 5.1% from the 2011 level. This sector, while not an offshoot
of state policy, is nonetheless regulated by government. But thugs and
criminal syndicates have been able to
insert themselves in the process, deploying unsuspecting persons through
clandestine channels to work in sweatshops and brothels, not to mention
other low-paying and questionable
jobs. There have been instances also
when OFWs were used as drug couriers. This is the dark picture of labor
migration in transitional economies in
our region.
In the Philippines, we
criminalized trafficking in
persons in 2003. In 2006,
we filed twenty-four (24)
complaints against traffickers in various courts,
resulting in seven (7)
convictions. Last year,
we saw 63 convictions,
almost twice the number
12
from 2003 to 2010.

Human smuggling and illegal recruitment by criminal syndicates and
non-licensed fly-by-night recruiters
constitute our biggest problem. This
appears to be true in all the laborsending countries in our region, according to the International Labor Organization.
In 2003, the ILO estimated that between 60 and 65 million persons were
economically active in a country other
than their own, with as many dependents. This means overseas workers.
A great number of these overseas
workers, according to the ILO, were
without authorization, with a clandestine, sometimes criminal, industry abetting them. They come from
countries in Asia with deficits in employment and work and were mostly
concentrated in the Arab region, especially in the Gulf Cooperation Council
(GCC) countries, mainly employed in
construction, manufacturing, services
and domestic work.
In 2009, the ILO reported that
Asian workers now outnumbered Arabs and most of these workers came
from India, Pakistan, the Philippines
and Bangladesh, among others. The
paper finds, too, that migrant women
were employed mostly in domestic
services with only a minor presence in
other branches of economic activity.
They were not covered by the national
labor laws of most host countries.
Also, in these countries, according to the ILO report, terms and conditions of employment of foreign workers bore no comparison to that of their
The Bar Tribune

own nationals. Among countries of
destinations of overseas workers, the
Arab region gave the lowest pay for
domestic workers. A report on Asian
womens labor migration mentions
cases of abuse against domestics, including long working hours, no days
off, restriction on freedom of movement and association, lack of pay, and
physical and sexual violations.
There are no accurate statistics on
the extent of abuses committed by foreign employers on their foreign workers. Documentation and data gathering are hampered mainly by the lack
of cooperation by host countries and
the fact that foreign workers who went
through clandestine channels and
without authorization do not appear in
the rosters of workers of their country
of origin. Nevertheless, from the sheer
volume of overseas workers it may
safely be assumed that the figure of
human rights violations could rise to
very high levels.
Human trafficking and human
smuggling or illegal recruitment flourish in part because destination countries do not complement the efforts of
labor-sending countries at combating
these twin evils in labor migration.
They also lack a strong legal mechanism to underwrite recruitment or labor policy that keeps to human rights
standards as defined in the International Convention on the Protection of
Migrant Workers and their Families,
the International Bills of Rights and related international instruments.
The ILO has put forward a framework for a rights-based approach in labor migration, delineating obligations
between the country of origin and the
country of destination in the enforcement of the rights of overseas workers. Pushing for its adoption as a con-
vention is the shared responsibility of

every country. But even if it becomes
a binding form of international law, like
similar instruments, its enforcement
remains an option for host countries.
Ideally, in mature economies and
democracies, work should be a consensual transaction between the employer and the employee, whether it is
in overseas or domestic employment.
State intervention should come only
during emergency situations and under exceptional circumstances.
But sadly, the world is an amalgam of countries with different political outlooks, historical experience
and level of economic development.
To simplify, we can dichotomize the
world into the labor-sending countries
and the countries of labor destination.
The former goes with a transitional
economy, the latter a mature or developed economy.
As before, mature economies
usually dictate the rules of the game
in trade and commerce, monetary
exchange and financial placement,
among others. They source cheap foreign labor for their manufacturing and
service industries that produce goods
and services pandering to the appetitive pleasure and material comfort of
their people, not to mention their utility
for trade.
In the Arab region, especially the
GCC countries, the social milieu assumes added traits. Here, most countries have a culture governed by ultraconservatism and monarchism. Their
societies tend to be exclusionist. Their
experience with Western colonialism
and imperialism forms another cultural overlay on their national consciousness, with negative consequences on
the introduction of liberal and egalitarian ideals from the West. Given these
circumstances, labor-sending countries must exert every effort to secure

the best possible deal for their overseas workers within a bilateral rather
than a multilateral framework.
Voices from the grassroots are
being heard and amplified through the
power of technology and social media, giving rise to such phenomena as
the Arab Spring and many other social
movements big and small in communities across the world.
It is, indeed, an exciting time to be
around, to be a lawyer and to be part
of an organization such as POLA, for
which, as with most of us, the best is
yet to come. The past 22 years has
been marked by enormous challenges, but I am sure the next 22 and beyond will be even more exciting. The
rule of law will continue to be tested
everywhere as technology advances
and societies are transformed.
POLAs path is clear. Throughout
its existence, POLA has advanced the
creation and development of Asia-Pacific law societies, led the movement
for the professional independence of
bar associations, strengthened relationships within the Asia-Pacific legal
community, encouraged a greater
commitment to public interest advocacy, called attention to human rights
violations, raised awareness of the
responsibilities of the legal profession and highlighted the importance
of constant review of legal education
systems throughout the region. The
future will expect POLA to do more.
Once again, I thank POLA for
choosing the Philippines as the venue
of this conference, and i hope you will
all leave Manila with some positive
thoughts about what we are trying to
do here in the Philippines.
Thank you and Mabuhay!
13
September 2012
ANTI-TRAFFICKING CAMPAIGN:
THE PHILIPPINE EXPERIENCE
(Speech delivered by Justice Undersecretary and former IBP President Jose Vicente B. Salazar
at the 23rd POLA Conference, Marriott Hotel, August 28, 2012.)
of exploitation and victimization
are sub-human. Putting an end to
them called for an expansive and
formidable front.
like to cite two examples.
First, just last week, we signed

several Memoranda of Agreement
with the Kingdom of the NetherToday, much of our efforts lands for stronger partnership and
have paid off; the Philippines has cooperation with respect to trafficking in persons, programs and
marked significant success.
initiatives, specifically, in the esTwo developments, among oth- tablishment of a Victim Processing
ers, attest to this success.
Center and an Anti-trafficking in
Persons Database.
One, the recognition of our efHeres a second example.
forts by the US Department of
State.
Also recently, the Philippines
And two, the growing support became a member of the interfor our efforts from the international national organization called the
community. I would like to expand Financial Coalition against Child
When asked to describe our on each briefly.
Pornography. This was upon the
enemies in the human trafficking
invitation of this very influential orfront, two adjectives come to mind.
The Philippines today is no ganization. From our perspective,
One, expansive. Two, formidable. longer in the watchlist of the US we view both the invitation and our
State Department. US State Sec- membership in this organization
Expansive because the nem- retary Hillary Clinton had publicly as a recognition and affirmation of
eses keep growing their network recognized what she referred to as the significant contribution we can
and alliances; and formidable the high level of commitment of make in the fight against child trafsince they have tapped the power our government in the war against ficking, child pornography and simof modern technologies
ilar evils.
The Philippines is called a source nation.
and continue to enhance
Its not really the label we are primarily worried
their war chest.
I am often asked: to
about; our concern is the exploitation of our people what would the Philipby our enemies in the human trafficking front.
When asked what kind
pines attribute its gains in
of efforts we have put The forms of exploitation and victimization are the fight against human
against them, two adjecsub-human. Putting an end to them called for
trafficking?
tives come to mind. One,
an expansive and formidable front.
expansive. Two, formidaMy answer: there are
ble.
human trafficking. And, Washing- three pillars upon which much of
ton itself affirmed the feat when the the Philippines success rests.
We have no option; we can do US Department of State gave one
no less. The Philippines is called a of our prosecutors the Global AntiFirst Pillar: Legislation. Second
source nation. Its not really the la- trafficking Hero Award.
Pillar: Collaboration. Third Pillar:
bel we are primarily worried about;
determination.
our concern is the exploitation of
The recognition has come not
our people by our enemies in the only from the United States, but
Legislation. Collaboration. Dehuman trafficking front. The forms from other partner-nations. I would termination.
14
The Bar Tribune

trafficking cases in our courts.
There is a third pillar upon
which our gains in the fight against
ly.
human trafficking is based. This is
By putting the necessary laws determination. It refers to the colin place, our government made lective will to overcome obstacles;
sure there are no ad hoc efforts or to push and sustain the efforts destructure in the fight against human spite the odds; and, to not rest on
trafficking. A law created the Inter- ones laurels and avoid complaagency Council against Trafficking cency, until the job is completed,
(IACAT) which now leads this fight. and done.
The same law clearly defined the
So, where do we go from here?
actions which constituted human
trafficking and imposed serious
penalties for such acts.
Let me explain each pillar brief-
But today, these sectors work

more cohesively, forming an expansive and formidable phalanx
against the human trafficking syndicates.
Four, increasing the number of

processing centers and shelters
for victims.
Five, developing programs to
eliminate the demand for commercial sex.
On this note, allow me to use
this forum to reiterate an earlier
warning we have aired. The
warning goes to syndicates
and other criminal eleele
ments whose targets
for exploitation are our
children. Let notice be
served that the Philippine governments
deadline for eradicating these elements and their operations has been
shortened.
Let me now go to the second

pillar. Its called collaboration.
It was clear to us that legislation would be nothing
more than a scrap of
paper if various concerned sectors do not
stand up and rally behind the fight against
human
trafficking. And so, once
the law was set in
place, we called on
both our partners in
government and our
allies in the private
sector. And we were
not disappointed with
the response we got.
They came and rallied
behind the cause: non-governmental organizations, faithbased institutions, the business
community. Many of them have
long been involved in the campaign: helping out in surveillance
and law enforcement; assisting in
the prosecution of suspects; conducting public information campaigns; and helping victims of human trafficking get back on their
feet.
Three, tightening the noose on

government employees who aid in
the operation of trafficking syndicates.
This only means

one thing: we have
put a major portion of
efour resources and ef
forts to put an early end
in child trafficking and child
phaprostitution. The solid pha
lanx formed by collaboration
and determination is now behind
this campaign.
T h e
road ahead
We know that much more need
has been mapped out. The directions are clear. Plans are in place. to be done. Thus, we need to continue to tap the strength of the
After making our initial gains, three pillars legislation, collabowe are now focused on the follow- ration and determination to make
our counter-efforts even more foring priorities.
midable.
One, intensifying efforts to inWe are confident that greater
vestigate, prosecute and convict
both labor and sex trafficking of- success lies ahead.
fenders.
Thank you and good day.
Two, clearing the backlog of
15
September 2012
First Lady CJ
SERENO MAKES HISTORY

By Annie A. Laborte, Supreme Court Benchmark
The then 50-year old lawyer-academician was President Aquinos first appointee to the Supreme Court on August 16,
2010. The youngest to be so appointed in
this century, Chief Justice Sereno brought
with her years in active law practice, particularly in the field of local appellate and
international arbitration, and rich scholastic achievements.
She was a professor at her alma mater, the University of the Philippines (UP)
College of Law, for almost 20 years, starting November 1986. She challenged her
students to strengthen their understanding
of the architecture and philosophy of the
law. She also taught law and economics
at the Philippine Judicial Academy; international trade law at the Hague Academy
of International law, University of Western
Australia, and Murdoch University; electronic commerce law at the AIM, and international trade law at the Department of
Foreign Affairs-Foreign Service Institute.
Prior to her appointment to the SC,
Chief Justice Sereno was Executive Director of the policy think-tank of the Asian
Institute of Management since February
2009; and, from April 2000, President of
the Accesslaw, Inc., which had provided
the first electronically-searchable original
legal annotations on general statutes and
tax issuances in Philippine law.
From 1995 to 2002, she was Consultant for Judicial Reform, working with
the United Nations Development Program, the World Bank, and the United
States Agency for International Development. She wrote the first judicial reform
framework for the UNDP, an international
agency, wherein she connected judicial
performance with economic development.

Among the offshoots of this project is the
first major judicial reform program of the
Supreme Court.
For 14 years, or from 1994 to 2008,
she engaged in active law practice as legal counsel in various government agencies: Office of the President, Office of the
Solicitor General, Manila International Airport Authority, Department of Agriculture,
Department of Trade and Industry, World
Trade Organization-ASEAN Free Trade
Area (WTO-AFTA) Commission, and the
Philippine Coconut Authority. Thus, at the
age of 38, she handled various international trade and investment law disputes
in WTO in Geneva, International Centre
for Settlement of Investment Disputes
(ICSID) in Washington DC, and in International Chamber of Commerce's International Court of Arbitration (ICC-ICA) in
Singapore and in Paris, employing bilateral dispute resolution mechanisms.
She was co-counsel for the Republic
in its cases involving the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3.
Chief Justice Sereno has had a short
stint as Commissioner and Chairperson of
the Steering Committee in the Preparatory Commission on Constitutional Reform
in 1999.
In 1999, at the age of 39, Chief Justice Sereno was selected as the only female member of the 1999 Preparatory
Commission on Constitutional Reform.
She was elected Chairperson of the Commissions Steering Committee. Here, she
devoted her legal expertise in assisting
various committees involved in constitutional reforms.
She was a Director, from 1996 to
1999, at the Institute of International Legal
Studies at the UP Law Center. From July
to October 1998, she was Counsellor to
the WTO Appellate Body in Geneva, serving as assistant to members of the Appellate Body (judges).
She also served as Deputy Commission at the Commission on Human Rights
after working as a Junior Associate in one
of the known law firms.
The first and key writer on law and
economics and the Constitution and Judicial Review of Economic Decisions,
Chief Justice Sereno also drafted the legal framework for the operations of the
16
History was made when Associate

Justice Maria Lourdes Aranal Sereno was
appointed as the first lady Chief Justice of
the Philippine Supreme Court by President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III on August 24, 2012. She is the countrys 24th
chief magistrate.
Only 52 years of age, Chief Justice
Sereno will be one of the longest-serving
justices, second only to the first Chief
Justice, Cayetano S. Arellano, who had
served for 18 years and 10 months. Justices mandatorily retire at the age of 70.
Humble Beginnings
first paperless trading of securities in the

country for the Bureau of Treasury.
In 1998, Justice Sereno was recognized as one of the Outstanding Women
in the Nations Service in the field of law.
Chief Justice Sereno was given a De
Witt Fellowship and a Ford-Rockefeller
Scholarship to pursue her Masters of
Laws at the University of Michigan, Ann
Arbor.
Indeed, Chief Justice Serenos parents had nurtured in her a passion for
learning and personal excellence. Her
father Margarito, a native of Siasi, Sulu,
and her mother Soledad, a public school
teacher and native of Bay, Laguna, provided her second-hand books that she
would enjoy reading. The young Chief
Justice Sereno completed her elementary
and secondary education with honors at
the Kamuning Elementary School and
Quezon City High School, respectively.
Through scholarship, she earned an Economics degree at the Ateneo de Manila
University, and Bachelor of Laws degree
at the UP College of Law, graduating valedictorian cum laude in 1984, and placing
14th in the Bar exam results of the same
year.
Upholding the Endearing Values
of the Rule of Law
Access to justice is one of the centerpiece advocacies of Chief Justice Sereno.
Asked on July 26, 2010, the third day
of the public interview of the candidates
for the next Chief Justice conducted by
the Judicial and Bar Council, Chief Justice Sereno has this to say on her judicial
philosophy: I believe that justice, in order
to be justice, must also be rendered in a
credible manner. And that every Justice
and every judge must look to the North
Star that the country has chosen -- which
is the Constitution and uphold the enduring values that the rule of law contains.
Interviewed by the Benchmark when
she was appointed to the Court in August 2010, she said, Law and life has the
same foundation. It must be animated by
the search for truth.
Chief Justice Sereno is married to
Mario Jose E. Sereno. They are blessed
with two children, Maria Sophia and Jose
Lorenzo.
The Bar Tribune
BREAKING TRADITION, MAKING HISTORY

A Tribute to Chief Justice Sereno
The following is a testimonial of Roan I. Libarios, IBP National President and member of UP Law Class
of 1984, in honor of the new Supreme Court Chief Justice, Ma. Lourdes Aranal-Sereno during a dinner
tendered by the UP College of Law and its Alumni, on September 14, 2012 at the Manila Polo Club. The
talk was delivered before UP Law alumni, which included Vice President Binay, Senator Angara, Senator Drilon, former Chief Justice Davide, Justice Perez, Sol Gen Jardeleza, UP Law Dean Concepcion,
several CA justices, Members of the House of Representatives, former deans, professors, and officers
of the alumni association. (JESD)
Tonight, we are gathered to render tribute and partake of this shining moment of distinction earned
by an illustrious member of the
UP Law Class of 1984, to which I
also belong. As a proud member
of this class, I find it fitting to also
acknowledge the other members of
our batch. Ladies and Gentlemen,
let me present to you the men and
women of UP Law Class of 1984,
the ruling class for the next 18
years.
Way back 28 years ago, our
class was indicted for bringing disaster, if not dishonor, to the UP College of Law. In 1984, we broke tradition by becoming the first class of
UP Law which failed to produce any
bar topnotcher. Not a single member of our class made it to the top
10 in the bar exams. At that time,
this was completely unprecedented, the first in UP Law history, an
all-time worst performance in the
bar exams.
When our batch entered the College of Law in 1981, UP dominated
the bar exams with three topnotchers and 100 percent passing percentage. When we left the College
four years later, in 1984, there was
not a single bar topnotcher and the
passing percentage plunged to below par. As a result, we became the
infamous class of 1984. And over
the years, we were treated like an
outcast, below the grade, the lost
class of 1984, like the lost people
in the Orwellian novel of the same
title, 1984.
CJ Sereno escorted by Atty. Danilo Concepcion, UP Law Dean, (left) and Atty. Alfonso Reyno,
Jr., Director of UP Law Alumni Association (right)
Fast forward 28 years later, in

the year of the Dragon, 2012. Our
Class of 1984 has once again broken tradition, this time bringing honor to UP Law beyond the bar exams.
The outcasts, once in the bottompit, are now, to use the language of
Malcolm Gladwell, the outliers.
Our class has achieved the singular distinction of producing the
first female Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in the person of our
Valedictorian, Ma. Lourdes AranalSereno. At 52, she stands tall as
the second youngest Chief Justice
in the history of the Supreme Court.
And she will outlast not only the present political administration but also
the next three succeeding administrations. She will retire at the age
of 70 in the year 2030, and by that
time, she would be the longest serving Chief Justice in modern history.
Tonight, as we proudly celebrate

the ascent of our classmate to the
summit of judicial authority, we also
reaffirm the status of our alma mater, the UP College of Law, as the
premier law school in the country.
(I hope lawyers from other schools
would allow me this indulgence).
Our class was a child of the tumultuous 80s, a period of political
turbulence, awakening and unrest.
It was marked in infamy with the
murder in cold-blood on August 21,
1983 of Ninoy Aquino, the revered
symbol of the political opposition.
And UP, the Diliman Republic, became the center of student activism
and vanguard of the protest movement.
Those who lived through the period could not forget the use of the
strong arm of the law by the State
to muzzle dissent, which came by
17
September 2012
many names, the ASSO (Arrest language, 18 years of possibilities of the dissertation entitled The InSearch and Seizure Order), the of building generations of judges terface Between the National Land
PCO (Presidential Commitment Or- committed to lives of uprightness Law and Kalinga Land Law -der), and the PDA (Preventive De- and judicial excellence and a viThe issue of preservation as
tention Action). It was a time when sion of a judiciary that is truly noble, opposed to usurpation of ancestral
the State called its violence law upright, independent, learned and land is the central theme of the inwhile the dissent of an awakened excellent.
terface between national and indigpeople, a grave crime.
A week later, in a mock poll enous land laws. xxx At the heart
In this political cauldron of tur- conducted by the IBP Governors of the issue is the colonial and unbulence and awakening was mold- and national officers, she placed a just Regalian doctrine, the bedrock
ed the young aspiring lawyer, Ma. strong second among the 22 nomi- upon which national land laws are
Lourdes Punzalan Aranal. Meilou, nees. A month later, on August 25, based. This legal fiction of the Reas she was fondly called, excelled 2012, she was anointed by Presi- galian doctrine provides the justifiin academics and campus activi- dent Aquino as the 24th Chief Jus- cation for the massive appropriation
ties. She was bubbling with life and tice of the Supreme Court.
of ancestral land. It has also been
bursting with energy. In her first year,
Tonight, I am tasked to share used to deny native title to ancesshe was crowned Miss Lawfest. In a brief testimonial on our distin- tral land by the legal fiction that beher senior year, she was crowned guished honoree, the new Chief fore a Filipino can claim ownership
Mrs. Jong Sereno. She tackled the Justice of the land.
to land, he must prove title from the
rigors of scholarship, school-relatAt the outset, let me tell you that State as evidenced by documentaed concerns and marital duties but she is a woman of many fine quali- tion. xxx
still found time to
The aspiring
join protest activilawyer did not only
" She was initially reluctant to accept the
ties, revealing her
dissect the conflict
strong sense of nomination and sought the advise of a nun. The between Regalian
social consciousdoctrine and annun
told
her
that
it
may
be
Gods
design
for
her
to
ness and responcestral land rights
become Chief Justice and the only way to divine but also called for
sibility.
Two decades Gods plan is to accept the nomination. Otherwise, recognition of inlater, on August
digenous peoples
how
else
would
she
know
that
it
was
Gods
plan
16, 2010, the
native title and the
for her to become the Chief Justice. And so she legitimacy of their
young
aspiring
lawyer of Class
accepted the nomination. The rest, as they say, struggle to pre1984 was cataserve their ancesis
'herstory.'
"
pulted to the hightral lands. It was a
est court of the
ground-breaking
land. At age 50, she joined the Su- ties. But tonight, let me focus on dissertation which, in later years,
preme Court as its youngest Asso- what I consider as her three defin- was reprinted in book form by the
ciate Justice. Two years later, she ing qualities as a person that could UP College of Law, published and
became a nominee for Chief Jus- greatly shape her performance as cited in several international jourtice.
Chief Justice -- a high sense of so- nals, indexed in international law liOn July 20, 2012, she appeared cial consciousness, strong inner braries, and extensively cited in Suin the IBP Forum on the Search for courage, and sturdy spirituality.
preme Court decisions. By the way,
the Next Chief Justice where she
Early in our college days at Mal- may I also add, by way of obiter, that
presented for the first time her ju- colm Hall, our Chief Justice already I co-authored that seminal dissertadicial philosophy of Vision, Cour- displayed a strong sense of social tion which helped legal advocacies
age and Accountability. Before the consciousness and bias for the un- on ancestral land rights.
members of the bar, she revealed derprivileged. To illustrate, let me
As Associate Justice of the Suthat her past 52 years have not cite a dissertation published in 1984 preme Court, our honorees strong
been young years; they have been in the Philippine Law Journal where sense of social consciousness
years of adversity; years of paying she critically tackled the conflict be- found its way into her decisions. A
the price of convictions, of incon- tween the Regalian doctrine and case in point is her vigorous Dissent
venience, of having to work dou- national land laws vis--vis ances- in the coconut levy cases, where
bly hard, of avoiding shortcuts and tral land rights. For clarity, allow me she ruled to protect the interest of
easy road. She presents, in her to quote some relevant passages the coconut farmers over the San
18
The Bar Tribune
IBP National President Roan Libarios and CJ Ma. Lourdes Sereno poses with members of UP Law Class of 1984
Miguel Shares and warned against

the triumph of revisionism of our
history on martial law and crony
capitalism. For clarity, let me again
quote some pertinent passages of
her Dissent where she equated the
quest for the recovery of ill-gotten
wealth to the material and moral
recovery of the nation -All properties from the unlawful
and wrongful exploitation of ones
public position during the Marcos regime is necessarily ill-gotten wealth
and is subject of forfeiture. xxx
The recovery of ill-gotten wealth
and of the governments own properties involves, as a matter of public
record and knowledge, the material and moral recovery of the nation, marked as the Marcos regime
was by the obliteration of any line
between private funds and the public treasury and abuse of unlimited
power and elimination of any accountability in public office. For
if there is a lesson that should be
learned from the national trauma
that was the rule of Marcos, it is that
kleptocracy cannot pay.
Under the scheme of our democratic government, the judiciary, in
conjunction with its main task of dispensing justice, acts as an official
repository of the countrys history
through the decisions it renders.
Lest the forces of martial law revisionism triumph in the future and
crony capitalism be slowly erased
from public memory, the present

opinion is offered so that the people may be afforded the opportunity
to judge for ourselves now or in the
future. xxx
(And) when the time comes, xxx
the opportunity to revisit the ruling
of this Court may present itself, and
Philippine history may be redeemed
in part.
Such stirring language in the Dissent effusive in its clarity and unrestrained in its poignancy -- bears
the indelible mark of the Makibaka
generation where the character of
our Chief Justice was moulded in
part.
Our distinguished honoree is not
only defined by her strong sense of
social justice. She is also a woman
of inner courage and conviction.
Nowhere is this more eloquently
demonstrated than in her stand to
charge a colleague in the Supreme
Court with plagiarism and her defense of UP Law professors when
threatened with contempt by her
colleagues. To borrow a familiar
phrase, she refuses to swim with
the current, even as a matter of
style. Her dissents in controversial
cases speak for themselves. Res
Ipsa Loquitor.
Beneath her strong inner courage and social conscience lies her
sturdy spirituality, her North Star.
You have read it, heard it, seen it,
she attributes her appointment as
Chief Justice not to the lobby by

any political or business group but
solely to Gods will.
And I can understand where she
is coming from. In our conversation
on why she accepted the nomination as Chief Justice, she recounted
to me how it happened. She was
initially reluctant to accept the nomination and sought the advise of a
nun. The nun told her that it may
be Gods design for her to become
Chief Justice and the only way to
divine Gods plan is to accept the
nomination. Otherwise, how else
would she know that it was Gods
plan for her to become the Chief
Justice. And so she accepted the
nomination. The rest, as they say,
is herstory.
To our dear classmate and Chief
Justice, you have made our class
truly proud. You have 18 long years
ahead to build history and make a
difference in the life of the judiciary
and the nation. And to quote from
the French philosopher Voltaire,
with great power comes great
responsibility. To whom much is
given, much is also expected.
Madame Chief Justice, from
your proud UP Law Class of 1984
and the members of the IBP, please
accept our warmest congratulations. God bless, Godspeed and
Mabuhay!
19
September 2012
Republic of the Philippines

Supreme Court
Manila
A.M. No. 12-8-8-SC
JUDICIAL AFFIDAVIT RULE
Banc finds merit in the recommendation;
Whereas, case congestion and

delays plague most courts in cities,
given the huge volume of cases filed
each year and the slow and cumbersome adversarial system that the judiciary has in place;
Whereas, about 40% of criminal
cases are dismissed annually owing
to the fact that complainants simply
give up coming to court after repeated
postponements;
Whereas, few foreign businessmen make long-term investments in
the Philippines because its courts are
unable to provide ample and speedy
protection to their investments, keeping its people poor;
Whereas, in order to reduce the
time needed for completing the testimonies of witnesses in cases under
litigation, on February 21, 2012 the
Supreme Court approved for piloting by trial courts in Quezon City the
compulsory use of judicial affidavits in
place of the direct testimonies of witnesses;
Whereas, it is reported that such
piloting has quickly resulted in reducing by about two-thirds the time used
for presenting the testimonies of witnesses, thus speeding up the hearing
and adjudication of cases;
Whereas, the Supreme Court
Committee on the Revision of the
Rules of Court, headed by Senior Associate Justice Antonio T. Carpio, and
the Sub-Committee on the Revision of
the Rules on Civil Procedure, headed
by Associate Justice Roberto A. Abad,
have recommended for adoption a Judicial Affidavit Rule that will replicate
nationwide the success of the Quezon
City experience in the use of judicial
affidavits; and
Whereas, the Supreme Court En
(b) For the purpose of brevity, the above courts, quasi-judicial

bodies, or investigating officers shall
be uniformly referred to here as the
court.
20
NOW, THEREFORE, the Supreme Court En Banc hereby issues

and promulgates the following:
Section 1. Scope. (a) This Rule
shall apply to all actions, proceedings,
and incidents requiring the reception
of evidence before:
1. The Metropolitan Trial Courts,
the Municipal Trial Courts
in Cities, the Municipal Trial
Courts, the Municipal Circuit
Trial Courts, and the Sharia
Circuit Courts but shall not apply to small claims cases under A.M. 08-8-7-SC;
2. The Regional Trial Courts and
the Sharia District Courts;
3. The Sandiganbayan, the Court
of Tax Appeals, the Court of
Appeals, and the Sharia Appellate Courts;
4. The investigating officers and
bodies authorized by the Supreme Court to receive evidence, including the Integrated Bar of the Philippine (IBP);
and
5. The special courts and quasijudicial bodies, whose rules
of procedure are subject to
disapproval of the Supreme
Court, insofar as their existing
rules of procedure contravene
the provisions of this Rule.
Sec. 2. Submission of Judicial Affidavits and Exhibits in lieu of direct

testimonies. (a) The parties shall file
with the court and serve on the adverse party, personally or by licensed
courier service, not later than five
days before pre-trial or preliminary
conference or the scheduled hearing
with respect to motions and incidents,
the following:
1. The judicial affidavits of their
witnesses, which shall take the
place of such witnesses direct
testimonies; and
2. The parties documentary or
object evidence, if any, which
shall be attached to the judicial
affidavits and marked as Exhibits A, B, C, and so on in the
case of the complainant or the
plaintiff, and as Exhibits 1, 2,
3, and so on in the case of the
respondent or the defendant.
b. Should a party or a witness desire
to keep the original document or
object evidence in his possession,
he may, after the same has been
identified, marked as exhibit, and
authenticated, warrant in his judicial affidavit that the copy or reproduction attached to such affidavit
is a faithful copy or reproduction of
that original. In addition, the party
or witness shall bring the original
document or object evidence for
comparison during the preliminary conference with the attached
copy, reproduction, or pictures,
failing which the latter shall not be
admitted. This is without prejudice
to the introduction of secondary
evidence in place of the original
when allowed by existing rules.
The Bar Tribune

Sec. 3. Contents of Judicial Affidavit. A judicial affidavit shall be prepared in the language known to the
witness and, if not in English or Filipino, accompanied by a translation in
English or Filipino, and shall contain
the following:
a. The name, age, residence or business address, and occupation of
the witness;
b. The name and address of the lawyer who conducts or supervises
the examination of the witness
and the place where the examination is being held;
c. A statement that the witness is
answering the questions asked of
him, fully conscious that he does
so under oath, and that he may
face criminal liability for false testimony or perjury;
d. Questions asked of the witness
and his corresponding answers,
consecutively numbered, that:
1. Show the circumstances under
which the witness acquired the
facts upon which he testifies;
2. Elicit from him those facts
which are relevant to the issues that the case presents;
and
3. Identify the attached documentary and object evidence
and establish their authenticity
in accordance with the Rules
of Court;
e. The signature of the witness over
his printed name; and
f. A jurat with the signature of the
notary public who administers
the oath or an officer who is authorized by law to administer the
same.
Sec. 4. Sworn attestation of the
lawyer. (a) The judicial affidavit shall
contain a sworn attestation at the end,
executed by the lawyer who conducted or supervised the examination of
the witness, to the effect that:
1. He faithfully recorded or
caused to be recorded the
questions he asked and the
corresponding answers that
the witness gave; and

2. Neither he nor any other person then present or assisting
him coached the witness regarding the latters answers.
b. A false attestation shall subject
the lawyer mentioned to disciplinary action, including disbarment.
Sec. 5. Subpoena. If the government employee or official, or the
requested witness, who is neither the
witness of the adverse party nor a
hostile witness, unjustifiably declines
to execute a judicial affidavit or refuses without just cause to make the
relevant books, documents, or other
things under his control available for
copying, authentication, and eventual
production in court, the requesting
party may avail himself of the issuance of a subpoena ad testificandum
or duces tecum under Rule 21 of the
Rules of Court. The rules governing
the issuance of a subpoena to the witness in this case shall be the same as
when taking his deposition except that
the taking of a judicial affidavit shall be
understood to be ex parte.
Sec. 6. Offer of and objections to
testimony in judicial affidavit. The
party presenting the judicial affidavit
of his witness in place of direct testimony shall state the purpose of such
testimony at the start of the presentation of the witness. The adverse party
may move to disqualify the witness or
to strike out his affidavit or any of the
answers found in it on ground of inadmissibility. The court shall promptly
rule on the motion and, if granted,
shall cause the marking of any excluded answer by placing it in brackets under the initials of an authorized
court personnel, without prejudice to
a tender of excluded evidence under
Section 40 of Rule 132 of the Rules
of Court.
on re-direct. In every case, the court

shall take active part in examining the
witness to determine his credibility as
well as the truth of his testimony and
to elicit the answers that it needs for
resolving the issues.
Sec. 8. Oral offer of and objections
to exhibits. (a) Upon the termination
of the testimony of his last witness, a
party shall immediately make an oral
offer of evidence of his documentary
or object exhibits, piece by piece, in
their chronological order, stating the
purpose or purposes for which he offers the particular exhibit.
b. After each piece of exhibit is offered, the adverse party shall state
the legal ground for his objection,
if any, to its admission, and the
court shall immediately make its
ruling respecting that exhibit.
c. Since the documentary or object
exhibits form part of the judicial affidavits that describe and authenticate them, it is sufficient that such
exhibits are simply cited by their
markings during the offers, the objections, and the rulings, dispensing with the description of each
exhibit.
Sec. 9. Application of rule to criminal actions. (a) This rule shall apply
to all criminal actions:
1. Where the maximum of the
imposable penalty does not
exceed six years;
2. Where the accused agrees to
the use of judicial affidavits,
irrespective of the penalty involved; or
3. With respect to the civil aspect
of the actions, whatever the
penalties involved are.
Sec. 7. Examination of the witness

on his judicial affidavit. The adverse
party shall have the right to crossexamine the witness on his judicial
affidavit and on the exhibits attached
to the same. The party who presents
the witness may also examine him as
b. The prosecution shall submit the

judicial affidavits of its witnesses
not later than five days before
the pre-trial, serving copies of
the same upon the accused. The
complainant or public prosecutor
shall attach to the affidavits such
documentary or object evidence
as he may have, marking them
as Exhibits A, B, C, and so on. No
21
September 2012
further judicial affidavit, documentary, or object evidence shall be
admitted at the trial.
c. If the accused desires to be heard
on his defense after receipt of
the judicial affidavits of the prosecution, he shall have the option
to submit his judicial affidavit as
well as those of his witnesses to
the court within ten days from receipt of such affidavits and serve
a copy of each on the public and
private prosecutor, including his
documentary and object evidence
previously marked as Exhibits 1,
2, 3, and so on. These affidavits
shall serve as direct testimonies
of the accused and his witnesses
when they appear before the court
to testify.
Sec. 10. Effect of non-compliance
with the Judicial Affidavit Rule. (a) A
party who fails to submit the required
judicial affidavits and exhibits on time
shall be deemed to have waived their
submission. The court may, however,
allow only once the late submission
of the same provided, the delay is
for a valid reason, would not unduly

prejudice the opposing party, and
the defaulting party pays a fine of not
less than P1,000.00 nor more than
P5,000.00, at the discretion of the
court.
that public or private counsel responsible for their preparation and

submission pays a fine of not less
than P1,000.00 nor more than
P5,000.00, at the discretion of the
court.
b. The court shall not consider the affidavit of any witness who fails to
appear at the scheduled hearing of
the case as required. Counsel who
fails to appear without valid cause
despite notice shall be deemed to
have waived his clients right to
confront by cross-examination the
witnesses there present.
Sec. 11. Repeal or modification of

inconsistent rules. The provisions
of the Rules of Court and the rules of
procedure governing investigating officers and bodies authorized by the
Supreme Court to receive evidence
are repealed or modified insofar as
these are inconsistent with the provisions of this Rule.
c. The court shall not admit as evidence judicial affidavits that do not
conform to the content requirements of Section 3 and the attestation requirement of Section 4
above. The court may, however,
allow only once the subsequent
submission of the compliant replacement affidavits before the
hearing or trial provided the delay
is for a valid reason and would
not unduly prejudice the opposing party and provided further,
The rules of procedure governing quasi-judicial bodies inconsistent

herewith are hereby disapproved.
Sec. 12. Effectivity. This rule
shall take effect on January 1, 2013
following its publication in two newspapers of general circulation not later
than September 15, 2012. It shall also
apply to existing cases.
Manila, September 4, 2012.
GLOBAL BEST PRACTICES IN LAW: AUSTRALIA

The Center for Asia-Pacific Pro Bono (CAPP), launched on July 16, 2012, is
an Australia-based clearinghouse that coordinates requests for pro bono legal
assistance from the Asia-Pacific region to Australia. It is a project of the Law
Council of Australia and the International Pro Bono Advisory Group and is funded by the Commonwealth Attorney Generals Department. The Law Council of
Australia is a member of the Presidents of Law Association in Asia (POLA).
The CAPP seeks to match requests from Asia-Pacific for pro bono legal
assistance with Australian legal practitioners and law practices.
Examples of projects eligible for pro bono legal assistance include:
Providing legal opinions, advice and support;

Establishing and helping coordinate community legal education programs;
Conducting legal education and training programs for lawyers and students;
Assisting government law officers to review and/or draft legislation and
regulations;
Capacity-building programs which may require legal skills such as preparing and reviewing contracts;
Assisting with advocacy;
Providing reports and advice on the impact of recent cases, legislation
and proposed reforms on community and business sectors.
To find out more about the CAPPB, including eligibility requirements for pro
bono legal assistance, visit www.cappb.org or email the CAPPB Secretariat
directly at cappb@lawcouncilasn.au
22
The Bar Tribune
Chapter News
IBP COTABATO TAPS

FACEBOOK FOR LEGAL AID
IBP Cotabato City President Noel Ben (seated) with volunteers at the IBP Cotabato Chapter
The IBP Cotabato Chapter has

launched an innovative legal aid project
that makes use of social media site Facebook to reach out to constituents needing
legal help.
Called the Karapatan Alamin, ePaabot Mo: An IBP-Cotabato Chapter
Cyber Free Legal Assistance Program,
the project was inaugurated on August
15, 2012 at Notre Dame University, Cotabato City in a unique launch ceremony
that saw IBP National President Roan Libarios, IBP National Director for Legal Aid
Rosario Setias-Reyes and IBP Governor
for Western Mindanao Florendo Opay
sending messages by phone patch and
posts in the Facebook wall of IBP Cotabato Chapter.
According to IBP Cotabato Chapter
President Atty. Noel Ben, the program
was primarily designed to help Overseas
Filipino Workers, victims of human trafficking, and women and their children who
are victims of different forms of violence
penalized under R.A. 9262, the Anti-Violence Against Women & Their Children
Act of 2004.
The process is simple, quick and inexpensive. Those who wish to seek legal
advise just send their queries via Facebook private message and the designated
Legal Aid Lawyer-Administrator will respond in kind with utmost confidentiality.

In an interview with the Bar Tribune a
month after the launch, Atty. Ben said the
response to the program has been very
encouraging, with the first query for assistance coming from a uniformed personnel
of the PNP.
Asked how the Chapter intends to
sustain the program, Ben said they are
relying on the spirit of volunteerism of
Chapter members involved in the program, emphasizing that the Cyber Free
Legal Assistance Program translates into
meaningful actions two of the IBP objectives, namely: to improve the administration of justice and to enable the Bar to
discharge its public responsibility more
effectively.
IBP President Libarios was all praises
for the project, the first of its kind in the
IBP. In addition, Libarios said the project
is remarkable in that it will not only provide free legal advice, but will also follow
through with immediate assistance to the
victims, hold the perpetrators accountable
and provide aftercare. This is made possible by the partnerships the project has
established with duty-holders and shareholders in government as well as in nongovernment organizations.
Among the government agencies who

are partners or invited partners are: OWWA-ARMM, POEA-ARMM, DOLE-R.O.
12 & ARMM, DFA-Cotabato City, CHRR.O. 12 and ARMM, NLRC-RAB 12, Prosecutors Office (Cotabato City & Maguindanao), NBI-ARMM, PESO-Cotabato
City, PNP (Cotabato City & PRO-ARMM)
Womens & Childrens Protection Desk.
For the NGO sector, the project is
working with: Center for Migrant Advocacy, Kaagapay-OFW, Mindanao Peoples
Peace Movement, Mindanao Tri-People
Women Resource Center Inc., Alyansa
ng mga Mamamayan Para sa Karapatang
Pantao, Philippine Association of Social
Workers Inc. (Maguindanao & Cotabato
City Chapter), Archdiocese of Cotabato
Social Action & Justice Center, IPDev,
Timuay Justice & Governance, Mindanao
Human Rights Action Center, International Organization for Migration-Mindanao,
ICRC-Cotabato, UNHCR-Cotabato, Community & Family Services International,
and UNICEF-Cotabato.
Among the projects media partners
are: Mindanao Cross, Radio Station
DXMS, Radio Station DXMY, Vera FilesCotabato and ABS-CBN Central Mindanao.###
23
September 2012
Chapter News
IBP ZAMBOANGA DEL NORTE

FETES NEW LAWYERS
IBP National President Atty. Roan
Libarios visited Dipolog City on August 30, 2012 for a meet and greet
with the lawyers from the bottled sardines capital of the country.
Libarios was the keynote speaker
of the Testimonial Dinner sponsored
by the IBP Zamboanga del Norte
Chapter on that day at the Plenary
Hall of Hotel Camila II to honor and
welcome the newest lawyers coming
from the province.
In his speech, Libarios called on
the new lawyers to live up to the mandates of the IBP. He also stressed
the need to value integrity and competence, and refrain from engaging in
activity that would place the profession and the administration of justice
in disrepute.
The national president also invited
the local lawyers to attend IBPs 40th
founding anniversary and National
Convention in Davao City on January
15-18, 2013 as well as the upcoming
IBP Mindanao Conference in Zamboanga City on October 8-10, 2012.
Libarios was accompanied by IBP
Western Mindanao Governor Atty.
Florendo Opay of Iligan City. In his
talk, Gov. Opay congratulated the local officers for their unity and active
involvement in IBP affairs.
The Testimonial Dinner, which is
scheduled annually, was organized
under the leadership of Attys. Michael
Ajoc and Kenneth Rosal, the IBP local
chapters current President and Vice
(Left to right) RTC Executive Judge Porferio Mah, IBP National President
Roan Libarios and IBP Zamboanga del Norte President Michael Ajoc.
President Libarios (center) and IBP Western Mindanao Governor Atty. Florendo Opay
(extreme left) pose with the new lawyers of IBP Zamboanga del Norte.
IBP Western Mindanao lady lawyers.
24
President, respectively.
Government lawyers, private
practitioners including incumbent and
retired trial court judges attended the
event, notably, RTC Executive Judge
Porferio Mah, MTCC Judge Dante Vittorio Dalman and retired RTC judges
Yolinda Bautista, Soledad Acaylar
and Primitivo Abarquez, Jr..
The newest IBP-ZN members are:
Attys. Ma. Liezelda Abas-Regaon,
Elma Awit, Arvin Bonbon, John Elumba, Adolfo Lopez, Jr., Patrick Mabaggu, Ivan Louie Pacatang, Jasmine
Pinsoy, Amalou Tumapon and Philline
Rosame Reluya who all passed the
November 2011 Bar Examinations
and who were admitted to the legal
profession early this year.
Chapter News
The Bar Tribune
IBP BICOLANDIA REGION

ENERGIZES IBP MASBATE CHAPTER
The IBP Masbate Chapter
hosted the bi-monthly meeting
of the IBP Bicolandia Region last
June. It was a three-in-one event
as IBP Masbate President Rizalito
Apoya also took the opportunity to
hold a Bar and Bench dialogue and
administered the oath to the new
bar passers from Bicolandia.
The event has energized the legal community in Masbate as it was
the first time in a long while that
they have been visited by House of
Delegates of Bicolandia, listened
to their concerns and took note of
their efforts to promote justice. The
mood was warm and encouraging
with the lively exchange of ideas
and renewed commitments to the
purposes of the IBP.
It was not all business, however, as former IBP Governor for Bicolandia Felimon Abelita III, determined to project the more positive
image of Masbate, took the group
for a day-long drive to the outskirts
of the province. First stop was a
ranch where the guests were treat-
ed to horseback riding, with herds

of cattle grazing about. The rustic
scenery of rolling hills, blue skies
and cool air made for a very invigorating experience.
Another surprise that awaited
the group was a stopover at a rehabilitation centre for drug dependents and other youth offenders.
Managed by a German volunteer,
the centre is located away from
the maddening crowds and patterned after projects of the Catholic
religious group Focolare that are
sustained by contributions from
overseas donors.
Inmates are recruited on a voluntary basis and stay at the centre
for a year. They earn their keep by
working in the ranch, the rice fields,
or the processing plant that produces fresh milk, butter, cheese,
and other milk products on a commercial scale.
The inmates also perform daily
chores and odd jobs that go with
running such a centre. What is
unique with the centre is that be-
(Left to right): IBP Masbate Chapter President Rosalito Apoya, IBP Camarines
Sur Chapter President Antonio Rivero, IBP Governor for Bicolandia Leonor Gerona-Romeo, IBP Camarines Norte Chapter President Atty. Elaine Gay Belen
and Masbate Vice Governor Vicente Homer Revil.
fore a task is begun, they would

have a short discussion about values, coupled with prayers.
At the end of the day and before they retire, the inmates gather
again and share how they lived out
the values they discussed in the
morning. The daily routine slowly
forms their character, which is very
crucial to their rehabilitation. The
year-long formation usually proves
to be the turning point of their lives.
The group visited the rehabilitation centres for boys and girls
which are situated far from each
other. They were impressed at this
Masbate effort to help the justice
system come up with positive solutions for people in conflict with the
law.
Everyone went back to their respective chapters armed with new
insights, not only about the local
IBP chapter, but of the province
as a whole. At the end of the day,
braving the treacherous sea to
cross the channel to Masbate was
well worth the trip. (LLGR)
At the Bench and Bar Dialog held during the Regional Meeting of the IBP Bicolandia Region in Masbtae: IBP Masbate Chapter Vice President Teofilo Tambago
(fourth from right) with guests from the Public Attorneys Office, Prosecutors Office and private practitioners.
25
September 2012
MINDA HR LEADERS
SEEK IBP LEGAL AID
President Libarios and NCLA Director Rosario Setias-Reyes met with officers of Makabayang Koalisyon ng Mamamayan on September
10. Also in photo is NCLA Deputy Director Ma. Gemma Oquendo.
The officers of Makabayan

Coalition (Makabayang Koalisyon ng Mamamayan) based
in Caraga Region have sought
legal assistance from the National Office of the IBP in connection with allegations that
their members are being subjected to political harassment
and killings by military and police authorities.
In a dialogue held at the
IBP National Office on September 10, officers of Makabayan
Coalition said the harassment
comes in different forms, such
as: filing baseless charges
against Coalition members;
wrongful accusation as members or supporters of the New
Peoples Army (NPA) and making warrantless arrests.
The Coalition leaders also
told the IBP that aside from
military and police authorities,

prosecutors and the judges
from Caraga Region also become party to the harassment
charges when they immediately
file baseless cases and issue
warrants of arrest without due
process.
The officers submitted to the
IBP a partial list of cases filed
against their members as well
as documented cases of political harassment. They also submitted a list of names of those
who have been killed as well
as an update on the status of
cases filed in court.
The Coalition said they
brought the matter to the attention of the IBP to seek to legal
protection and assert respect
for their constitutional rights.
They specifically request free
legal assistance from the mem-
26
bers of the IBP in their respective locations.

IBP President Libarios told
Coalition officers that the IBP
will investigate and verify the
allegations, in keeping with the
lawyers oath to uphold the rule
of law and defend the Constitution.
In the meanime, IBP Chapters situated in the affected areas in Caraga have been advised
to provide free legal assistance
to victims of human rights violations in their respective areas of
jurisdiction.
The Coalition is composed
of eight Philippine progressive
parties, such as Bayan Muna,
Anakpawis,
Gabriela,
Kabataan, COURAGE, Migrante,
ACT and Katribu.
The Bar Tribune
Roving Camera: IBP Forum, Sept 17
The press interviews the

Man of the Hour.
All smiles from Bicolandia:

IBP Governor Lee Gerona-Romeo,
with Peer Assistance Director Alice
Risos-Vidal checking her notes.
IBP HELP
SOUGHT BY
DENR
The cool Justice: Abad
answers a text message
Western Mindanao Governor Bob Opay:

all the way from Lanao del Norte.
NCLA Deputy Director Jun

Ambrosio with compaera.
Voice from the academe: De La Salle Law School Dean Chel Diokno (front row, right).
To his right: Peer Assistance Director Alice Risos-Vidal, Bicolandia Governor Gerona-Romeo,
Western Mindanao Governor Bob Opay and IBP Librarian Cherryl Artajo.
Generation next: young lawyers

on the road to change.
Emcees all: IBP National Executive Director Joe Cabrera, IBP Makati Chapter
President Grace Quevedo-Panagsagan and IBP Makati Director Arnold Corporal.
Attending to last minute details:

President Roan Libarios.
IBP PIO Trixie Cruz-Angeles

goes live on Twitter.
A shortage in lawyers has led

the Department of Environment
and Natural Resources (DENR)
to seek the assistance of the
IBP in the filing and prosecution
of reversion cases as well as in
the filing of cases against illegal
settlers in areas within Protected Landscapes.
Atty. Daniel Darius M. Nicer,
DENR Assistant Secretary for
Internal Audit and Anti-Corruption and Atty. Roland Antonio O.
Guia, Jr. recently met with the
IBP National Director for Legal
Aid Atty. Rosario Setias-Reyes
to inquire about the kind of legal
assistance the IBP-NCLA can
offer. Setias-Reyes has created
an IBP team to study the DENR
request.
The meeting was initiated
by Nicer to seek help in cases
against illegal titling of land, illegal settlers and illegal loggers.
Nicer has called on fellow
lawyers to be extra cautious in
dealing with such type of transactions as the consequences
to society and the environment
could be catastrophic, citing as
example the massive loss of
life and property damage in Cagayan de Oro province during
typhoon Sendong.
He said that a repetition of
the tragedy resulting from natural causes like Sendong can
be avoided if all lawyers act with
environmental impact in mind.
27
September 2012
EMPOWERMENT THROUGH
EDUCATION AND CONSCIOUSNESS-RAISING
Atty. Rosario T. Setias-Reyes, National Director for Legal Aid headed the training for paralegals
In celebration of the National Law

Week, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines - National Center for Legal Aid
(IBP - NCLA) headed by its Executive Director, Atty. Rosario T. SetiasReyes, conducted a paralegal training seminar-workshop with the theme
Empowerment Through Education
and Consciousness-Raising on September 15, 2012 at the J.B.L. Reyes
Hall of IBP Building. The whole day
seminar-workshop was participated
by 79 barangay officials from the 30
barangays in Pasig City.
Through the training program design ASK (A- Attitude, S- Skills, and KKnowledge), the participants were not
only reminded of their significant roles
as leaders in their barangay but also
given an overview on the following topics: human rights, legal remedies, barangay justice system, arrest, search,
seizure and detention, special laws,
mediation, investigation, and affidavitmaking. IBP- NCLA Senior Deputy Directors Rosalie J. De la Cruz, Minerva
M.B. Ambrosio, and Atty. Dante P.
Mercado, as well as Deputy Directors
Attys. Raymundo E. Rivero, Jr., Lucito
A. Tan, Eunice M. Sta. Maria, and Ma.
Gemma J. Oquendo, served as the
lecturers and facilitators during the
seminar - workshop which employed
popular education techniques to make
it an enjoyable learning experience for
28
LECTURERS
Atty. Ambrosio
Atty. Dela Cruz
Atty. Mercado
79 Barangay officials attended the paralegal training
the participants.
Upon request of Pasig Citys Association of Barangay Captain (ABC)
President Ferdinand Avis, a similar
training on Katarungang Pambarangay Law is scheduled to be held
soon in other barangays in Pasig City
in order to enhance the knowledge
of the barangay officials in effectively
discharging their functions.
Workshop
Atty. Rivero
The Bar Tribune
In memoriam: DEAN ERNESTO L. PINEDA

SEPTEMBER 9, 1939 - JULY 29, 2012
IBP GOVERNOR FOR CENTRAL LUZON, 1979-1981
SENIOR UNDERSECRETARY, DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
By Atty. Alicia A. Risos-Vidal
Dean Ernesto Pinedas career was

marked by one spectacular achievement
after another. He was considered by
many as a Legal Scholar, a giant in the
legal profession.
His was a life of high achievement:
Dean of the PLM Graduate School of
Law; Dean, College of Law, Pamantasan
ng Lungsod ng Maynila; a law practitioner
before his appointment as Senior Undersecretary of Justice; Professor of Law;
former Commissioner, IBP Commission
on Bar Discipline; former Governor, IBP;
former IBP Chapter President; Bar Reviewer in Civil Law, Legal and Judicial
Ethics, Criminal Procedure, Evidence:
UST, Ateneo de Manila, PLM, UE, Arellano University, FEU, San Sebastian College, University of Pangasinan, Siliman
University, Cosmopolitan Review Center,
University of San Carlos, University of
Negros Occidental-Recoletos, University of Manila; Editor-in-Chief, UST Law
Review (1964-1965); Bachelor of Laws,
Cum Laude (1964); Faculty of Civil Law,
UST; Lecturer, UP Law Center; PHILJA,
MCLE; Papal Awardee (Order of St. Sylvester (1983); President, Vanguard of the
Philippine Constitution; International AntiCorruption Movement of the Philippines;
Member, Rules of Court Revision Committee; former Member, MCLE Board;
Commissioner, HLURB
He was certainly not an accidental
author as evidenced by the numerous
law books he authored, namely: Persons

(Book I, Civil Code); Family Code of the
Philippines, Annotated; Property (Book
II, Civil Code); Succession and Prescription (Book III, Civil Code); Obligations and
Contracts (Book IV, Civil Code); Sales
(Book V, Civil Code); Partnership and
Agency (Book VI, Civil Code); Torts and
Damages (Book VII, Civil Code); Credit
Transactions (Book VIII, Civil Code); Legal Separation in the Philippines; Legal
and Judicial Ethics, and Criminal Procedure.
It is difficult to pinpoint what aspect of
law advocacy can be said to be his best
as he was great at almost everything. His
love for the IBP and his stint as IBP GOVERNOR was evident in the Preface of the
2008 Edition of the Family Code and 2009
Edition of the Legal Ethics Book.
He chronicled the IBP and his participation in the birth of the Committee
on Family Law which drafted the Family
Code which was submitted to the Civil
Code Revision Committee. He had also
the opportunity to study and comment on
the draft of the Code of Professional Responsibility which was first submitted for
approval to the IBP Board of Governors,
of which he was a member. He was subsequently appointed Commissioner of the
Commission on Bar Discipline in 1988,
together with Justice Jose Racela, Judge
Concepcion Buencamino, Justice Jose
Feria (Chairman), Justice Nestor Alampay
and Justice Venicio Escolin.
I wish to quote part of the preface of
his Legal Ethics book: The author had

advocated and is still advocating the making of legal ethics as the primordial and
cardinal subject in law and to increase
its weight from 5% to 10% in Bar Examinations. The author believes that, if only
Legal Ethics is given lasting EMPHASIS
and FOCUS, law students will be properly
inculcated and imbued with the proper
norms of conduct which they need in the
practice of law. A principled Bar is the answer to the peoples clamor for a strong,
independent and efficient administration
of justice.
Big words, but those with whom he
practiced law are living witnesses of his
adherence to the highest ethical and professional standards in the pursuit of justice. In fact, he successfully caused the
dismissal from the service of some nine
(9) trial court judges for various cases of
misconduct.
Dean Pineda is survived by his six (6)
children: Prosecutor Amador Y. Pineda,
Marilou Panganiban, Ferdinand Pineda,
Dra. Anna Marie Pineda, Dra. Catherene
Pineda and Alexander Pineda. His wife,
Virginia Pineda, passed away on October
10, 2010.
Usec Pineda was a great man who
toiled in the night in his days as a law
student up until a few days before he
passed away. The school and the country he served were enriched by his life
of service. I am sure he continues to toil
up there to make even heaven a better
place. Farewell, Dean!
Prosecutor Amador Y. Pineda, eldest son of Dean Pineda, received the welfare benefit assistance
check and Mass Card from Atty. Alicia A. Risos Vidal, IBP Peer Assistance Director.
29
September 2012
IBP, POEA SET UP LEGAL AID DESK

The IBP has signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency to
set up an IBP-OFW Legal Assistance Desk right at the POEA office in Ortigas Center.
According to IBP National Director for Legal Aid Rosario Setias-Reyes, a huge number of OFWs flock to
the NCLA to seek legal help, some of which involving issues that concern the POEA. The numbers have increased with the launch of the IBP-OFW Legal Assistance Unit in September 2011, coupled with the aggressive information campaign undertaken by the NCLA, said Setias-Reyes.
The situation prompted POEA Administrator Hans Leo L. Cacdac to formally seek legal assistance from
the IBP. It is a welcome development as it would strengthen and enhance the collaborative efforts between
IBP and POEA, said Setias-Reyes.
The signing of the IBP-POEA Memorandum of Agreement on September 18, 2012, as part of IBPs celebration of the National Law Week, is testimony that the IBP and POEA can work together not only in addressing the legal concerns of OFWs and their families, but also the personnel of POEA who, in the performance of
their functions, can also become victims of harassment and unwarranted suits, Setias-Reyes stressed.
At the IBP-POEA MOA signing (left to right, seated) Governor for Southern Luzon Vicente Joyas, President Roan Libarios, POEA Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac
and Deputy Administrator for Licensing and Adjudication Jaime Gimenez. Together with the other members of the POEA delegation, IBP leaders who witnessed
the ceremony were Governor for Bicolandia Leonor Gerona-Romeo (standing, left) and IBP National Director for Legal Aid Rosario Setias-Reyes (standing, center).
IBP Governor for Western Mindanao Florendo Opay paid a courtesy call on Major General Ricardo
Rainier Cruz III, Commander of the
1st Infantry Division last September 1 at the Army Camp in Pulacan,
Tukuran, Zamboanga del Sur. Aside
from promoting peace and environment concerns, Governor Opay also
requested road security for the 4th
IBP Mindanao Regional Convention
to be held in Zamboanga City from
October 8 to 10.
30
The Bar Tribune
4 September 2012
I am writing to congratulate you and the Integrated Bar
of the Philippines on the success of the 23rd POLA Conference.
The Australian delegation were impressed with the structure and content of the Conference program and its seamless delivery.
I also found the Presidents meeting to be valuable. I
think we need to look at how we can record and action
decisions for the future.
It was a great honour to be present at the first public engagement of your new Chief Justice and we will watch her
future career with interest.
Please accept my sincere thanks for your warm hospitality and I look forward to meeting you again at LAWASIA
in Bali later this year.
Again, congratulations and thank you.
September 17, 2012

On behalf of the LAWASIA delegation to the POLA
meeting in Manila, may I pass on our thanks to you, the
IBP and its staff for all that you did to make the meeting
a great success.
We all much appreciated your kind and generous hospitality as well as the warm and collegial welcome.
It was also very special for delegates to have the opportunity to hear the Chief Justice deliver her remarks
and added a good deal to an already interesting occasion.
CATHERINE GALE
And, it certainly was a lot of fun in the Philippines,
President
Law Council of Australia thanks to the efforts of the IBP.
11 September 2012
I write to acknowledge and thank you, and your colleagues, for the superb 23rd POLA Conference in Manila.
It was a memorable event, well organized and well run.
I wanted to convey my appreciation for everything
that you and your colleagues did to put on such a spectacular occasion.
You are also to be commended for the Vice-President
of the Republic of the Philippines open the conference
and to secure a speech by Chief Justice Sereno, as her first
public engagement.
JONATHAN TEMM
President
New Zealand Law Society
September 12, 2012
Thank you for organizing an excellent POLA Conference.
As President of Integrated Bar of the Philippines, you
and your team took great pains to make all the delegates
comfortable. During all the four sessions, we had qualitative discussions.
The evening programmes on all the three days were
excellent and enjoyable.
It was my first visit to Manila, I enjoyed my stay and
look forward to come back again to visit places outside
Manila especially the beaches. Please let me know if the
IBP need any legal advice/ assistance in India.
JANET NEVILLE (Ms)

CEO / Secretary General
LAWASIA
September 4, 2012
It was my great pleasure to meet you in POLA Manila. All delegates from Japan truly feel that the conference was a great success.
I am writing this email as the IBA conference in Dublin is getting closer.
The JFBA will hold a reception at the official residence of the Ambassador of Japan in Dublin.
We would really appreciate it if the IBP could join us
at this memorable event.
YUICHI KAWAMOTO
Japan Federation of Bar Associations
YAKESH ANAND
Bar Association of India
31
22
32
FRANCIS B. CALSIYAO
ABRAHAM F. DATLAG
WILSON K. KALANGEG
EMMANuEL C. RASING
Kalinga-Apayao
La union
Mountain Province
Nueva Vizcaya
IBP Office, Magsaysay St., Tabuk, Kalinga-Apayao

IBP Office, 2/F G.E.Antonio Bldg.,
San Fernando City, La union
IBP Office, Bontoc, Mountain Province
IBP Office, Justice Hall Bldg.
Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya
IBP Office, Hall of Justice, Cabarroguis, Quirino Province
(074) 752-8322
(074) 442-8937
(078) 844-1221
IBP Office, 2/F, Hall of Justice, Bangued, Abra

IBP Office, Hall of Justice, Baguio City
IBP Office, Hall of Justice, Carig, Tuguegarao City
IBP Office, Hall of Justice, Lagawe, Ifugao
IBP Office, 2/F, Marcos Hall of Justice
Laoag City, Ilocos Norte
IBP Office, Provincial Capitol, Vigan City, Ilocos Sur
IBP Bldg. Alibagu, Ilagan, Isabela
CASIANO C. SABILE
IBP Bldg., Capitol Compound

San Fernando City, Pampanga
Pangasinan
FARAH MARIE G. DECANO
IBP Bldg., Judge Jose R. De Venecia Sr. Memorial Hall,
(075) 614-3119
Bonuan, Tondaligan, Dagupan City, Pangasinan
Tarlac
ARNALDO P. DIzON
IBP Bldg., Tarlac City
(045) 982-7813
zambales
CHRISTOPHER LAWRENCE B. MONATO IBP Bldg., Ohio St., upper Kalaklan, Olongapo City
(047) 811-1534
SOUTHERN LUZON
Aurora
SHARON T. YLANAN
IBP Office, Brgy. Suklayin, Baler, Aurora
Batangas
LOIDA C. CONTI
IBP Office, Bulwagan ng Katarungan, Pollocan West, Batangas City
Calmana
EMILIANO A. MACKAY
IBP Office, 3/F, Aurelio Bldg., 9th Avenue, Caloocan City
Cavite
RENANTE C. BIHASA
IBP Chapter Bldg., E. Aguinaldo Highway, Imus, Cavite
Laguna
VIRGILIO B. GALEON
IBP Office, Don Tomas Dizon Hall, Hall of Justice, San Pablo City
Makati
GRACE P. QuEVEDO-PANAGSAGAN IBP Office, uG 39, Cityland Dela Rosa Condominium, Dela Rosa St., Makati City
Marinduque
MA. AuRORA P. SORI-ROMANO
IBP Office, unit 5, 3K Bldg., Barangay 2, Poblacion Gasan, Marinduque
Occidental Mindoro ALFREDO A. CASTILLO
IBP Office, San Jose, Occidental Mindoro
Oriental Mindoro
CHARLOTTE F. AGuBA-GOCO
IBP Office, Capitol Square, Calapan City
PPLM
PATERNO S. LARRACAS
IBP Office, Rm. 217, Pasay City Hall, F.B. Harrison St., Pasay City
Quezon
RONALDO A. SALAMILLAS
IBP Building, near RTC, Lucena City
Rizal
JuLIAN R. TORCuATOR JR.
Rizal Provincial Jail Compound, Cabera Road, Sitio Kaytikling, Brgy. Dolores, Taytay
GREATER MANILA
Manila I
FRANCISCO A. SANCHEz III
IBP Office, 1929 Tomas Mapua Street
Manila II
ROSARIO T. SETIAS-REYES
unit 427, Madrigal Building, No. 286, Escolta, Manila
0919-8184068
Manila III
GISELA F. LOOD
IBP Office, Rm. 504, Doa Amparo Bldg.
735-7275
Catalua Street, Sampaloc, Manila
Manila IV
YOLANDO F. LIM
IBP OffiCe, L2 F1 uG Floor, Bugundy Transpacific Place
0915-1804059
2444 Taf Ave., Malate, Manila
Quezon City
VICTORIA V. LOANzON
IBP Office, Rm. 235, 2Flr, Justice Hall,
925-7183
City Hall Compound, Quezon City
BICOLANDIA
Albay
VICENTE P. DEL ROSARIO
IBP Office, RTC Hall, Rawis, Legaspi City
(052) 4820281/
4814640
Camarines Norte
ELAINE GAY R. BELEN
IBP Office, Daet, Camarines Norte
(054) 440-0902
Camarines Sur
ANTONIO C. RIVERO
IBP Building, J. Miranda Avenue, Naga City
(054) 473-2042
Catanduanes
GREGORIO M. SARMIENTO, JR.
IBP Office, Hall of Justice, Capitol Compound, Virac, Catanduanes
(052) 811-2245
Masbate
ROSALITO B. APOYA
IBP Office, Hall of Justice, Masbate, Masbate
Sorsogon
WILLIAM E. ERLANO
IBP Office, Bulwagan ng Katarungan, Sorsogon City, Sorsogon
(056) 211-3272
Pampanga
(047) 921-1085
(044) 662-4768
(044) 600-2553 /
311-2106
(045) 963-5007
(072) 888-5579 /
0905 411-0640
(078) 805-1068
(078) 805-1068 /
0908 862-5152
0917 580-7360
(077) 772-0845 /
792-3045
(077) 722-3364
(078) 622-2323 /
0939 557-8257
Tel./Mobile
Address
Quirino
EDWIN O. BETGuEN
CENTRAL LUZON
Bataan
JuLIET S. SALARIA
IBP Bldg., Capitol Compound, City of Balanga, Bataan
Bulacan
CECILIO ALEJANDRO C. VILLANuEVA IBP Office, Provincial Capitol, Malolos, Bulacan
Nueva Ecija
LYDIA BAuTO-HIPOLITO
IBP Bldg., Ramos St., Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija
JOSE ROSARIO JIMENEz

NERIzA M. DASIG-CACATIAN
Ilocos Sur
Isabela
Chapter
President
NORTHERN LUZON
Abra
CONDE CLARO C. VENuS
Baguio-Benguet
FRANKLIN B. CALPITO
Cagayan
ORLANDO D. BELTRAN
Ifugao
ROMEO u. HABBILING
Ilocos Norte
MARIANO R. NALuPTA JR.
CRISTIFIL D. BALuMA
FERDINAND A. PEPITO
EARL M. BONACHITA
JOSE VICENTE R.M. OPINION
ROY PERCIVAL M. PEREz
NESARIO G. AWAT

ISIDRO L. CARACOL
CARLO C. BORROMEO
JONATHAN M. JOCOM
CASIANO S. RETARDO, JR.
CYNTHIA CARADO DOROMAL
GILBERTO M. MADuAY
ALPHON R. LAGAMON
ALFONSO S. CASuRRA
EDWIN M. MALAzARTE
Bukidnon
Camiguin
Davao City
Davao del Norte
Davao del Sur
Davao Oriental
Misamis Oriental
Surigao del Norte
Surigao del Sur
Compiled by Aurora Geronimo, Ron-ron Chu and Roel Lepasana

Encoded by Precious Cazeas
WESTERN MINDANAO
zambasulta
JOSE RIzALINO L. ORTEGA
Cotabato
NOEL A. BEN
Lanao del Norte
ALIzEDNEY M. DITuCALAN
Lanao del Sur
BASARI D. MAPuPuNO
Misamis Occidental DANIEL C. LAO
North Cotabato
VICENTE C. ANDIANO
South Cotabato
ELVIE E. ALBANO
Sultan Kudarat
RuTILLO B. PASOK
Samboanga del Norte MICHAEL L. AJOC
zamboanga del Sur EDGAR B. BONGALOS
zamboanga Sibugay RICHARD B. RAMBuYONG
Sarangani
ROSALIO C. CARIO
RuSTICO A. PEAS
Agusan del Sur
Romblon
MARK ANTHONY N. GANAN
Siquijor
ALFONSO L. SALCEDO
EASTERN MINDANO
Agusan del Norte
ARCEDEL I. LIBARIOS
Palawan
Northern Samar
ROLANDO P. DuBONGCO
Samar
CESAR T. MABANSAG
Southern Leyte
MANuEL L. ENAGE, JR.
WESTERN VISAYAS
Aklan
FLORA B. ALMERO
Antinque
CORNELIO P. ALDON
Capiz
LORENCITO B. DIAz
Guimaras
ROMMEL C. BELLONES
Iloilo
PAuLINO L. SALMON, JR.
Negros Occidental
FILOMENO B. TAN, JR.
Negros Oriental
ARTuRO M. DuPIO
Bohol
Cebu
Cebu City
Eastern Samar
Leyte
Chapter
President
EASTERN VISAYAS
Biliran
MELJOHN B. DE LA PENA
INTEGRATED BAR OF THE PHILIPPINES
2/F, Room 201, Hall of Justice, zamboanga City

Hall of Justice, Regional Complex, Cotabato City, Cotabato
IBP Bldg., Badelles Street, Iligan City, Lanao Del Norte
IBP Building, Bongon, Marawi City, Lanao Del Sur
Hall of Justice, Ozamis City, Misamis Occidental
Public Attorneys Office, Kidapawan City, North Cotabato
IBP Room, Hall of Justice, lagao General Santos City, South Cotabato
Magsaysay Avenue, Poblacion, Tacurong City, Sultan Kudarat
2/F, Hall of Justice, Dipolog City, zamboanga Del Norte
2/F, Hall of Justice, Pagadian City, zamboanga Del Sur
Ipil, zamboanga Sibugay
Rm. 206 Arenas Building, Pioneers Ave., General Santos
IBP Office, Beside RTC, Government Center, Patin-ay

Prosperidad, Agusan Del Sur
Free Legal Aid Office, Malaybalay, Bukidnon
Poblacion, Mambajao, Camiguin
2/F, Hall of Justice, Candelaria Street, Ecoland, Davao City
Solaon Building, Quezon Street, Tagum Ciyt, Davao Del Norte
IBP Building, Hall of Justice Compound, Digos City
Mati, Davao Oriental
IBP Bldg., Provincial Capitol Compound
Cagayan De Oro City, Misamis Oriental
IBP Office, Parola P. Reyes Street, Surigao City, 8400 Surigao Del Norte
RTC IBP Law Library, Palace of Justice Building,
Capitol Hills, Tandag, Surigao Del Sur
IBP Office, Capitol Building, Capitol Site, Butuan City
IBP Office, Hall of Justice, Godofredo Ramos Street, Kalibo, Aklan

San Jose, Antique
IBP Office, 2/F, Hall of Justice, Roxas City
M. Chavez Hall, Hall of Justice, San Miguel, Jordan, Guimaras
4/F, Hall of Justice, Iloilo City
IBP Building, Nursery Compound, Gatuslao Ctreet, Bacolod City
IBP Office, Hall of Justice, Capitol Area
Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental
G/F, Capitol Building, Capitol Compound, Fernandez St.
Puerto Princesa City, Palawan
Batiano, Odiongan, Romblon
Camangki, Enrique Villanueva, Siquijor
IBP Office, 2/F, Solite Building cor.

Vicentillos & Ballesteros Sts., Naval, Biliran
RTC-IBP Law Library, Capitol Bldg.Tagbilaran City, Bohol
IBP Building, Capitol Compound, Cebu City
IBP Building, Capitol Compound, Cebu City
IBP Building, Borongan, Eastern Samar
IBP Building Leyte Sports Development Center Comp.
Sta. Cruz., Tacloban City
Allen, Northern Samar
IBP Building, Court House Compound, Catbalogan, Samar
IBP Office, Bulwagan ng Katarungan, Maasin City, southern Leyte
Address
CHAPTER DIRECTORY
(062) 993-2899
(064) 421-3841
(063) 352-0328
(063) 352-0328
(088) 521-3306
(064) 288-5429
(083) 552-3221
(064) 201-3550
(065) 212-2638
(062) 214-3953
(062) 333-5704
(086) 826-6015
(086) 211-3414
(088) 856-4209
(082) 296-0070
(084) 400-5468
(088) 221-3225
(085) 342-5224/
342-8980
(085) 343-8847
(048) 434-8411
(036) 621-1499
(033) 329-6440
(033) 337-5224
(034) 433-1611
(035) 225-2624/
225-4579
(036) 621-1499
(053) 381-2191
(053) 321-3615
(038) 235-5919
(032) 254-7787
(032) 253-6713
(053) 500-9389
Tel./Mobile
FebSeptemberruary
2
September 2012
Bar Tribune September 2012

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IBP: Celebrating 40 years, 1973 - 2013

At 23rd POLA Confab

INTL BAR LEADERS ADOPT

The leaders of 18 national bar associations and

ABAD PRESENTS AFFIDAVIT

Justice Roberto A. Abad

Legal Aid via

MESSAGES FOR THE IBP EASTERN VISAYAS CONVENTION

Renewing Our Oath, Reliving Our Mission

15 J. Vargas Ave., Ortigas Center, Pasig City

From the Regional Governor

It is my distinct honor to greet and

Congratulations and Mabuhay!

MANUEL L. ENAGE, JR.

IBP Governor for Eastern Visayas

Aurora G. Geronimo, Jaryl Ann V. Ranchez,

Jose E. San Diego, Jr.

We welcome feedback and suggestions. Please write to ibp_national@yahoo.com

The Bar Tribune

IBP EASTERN VISAYAS HOLDS

Manuel L. Enage, Jr.

The Code of Professional

Eastern Visayas Chapter Presidents

Roy Percival M. Perez Meljohn B. De La Pea

Governor, Eastern Visayas

President, Biliran Chapter

President, Bohol Chapter

President, Cebu Chapter

Jose Vincent R.M. Opinion

President, Cebu City Chapter

President, Eastern Samar Chapter

President, Samar Chapter

IBP: Celebrating 40 years, 1973-2013

ference held June last year in Taipei. The

Snapshots from the 23rd POLA Conference held at Marriott Hotel

IBP: Celebrating 40 years, 1973-2013

this POLA assembly, he said. Aside from

The Bar Tribune

session ii: Promoting Labor standards in gLobaLized emPLoyment markets

session iii: resPonding to Cross-border LegaL PraCtiCe and serviCes

session iV: Promoting CorPorate soCiaL resPonsibiLity

tions between country of origin and country of destination in the enforcement of

Meanwhile, newly installed Chief Jus-

tice Ma. Lourdes Sereno spent part of her

IBP: Celebrating 40 years, 1973-2013

NEW CHIEF JUSTICE

FIDA Regional Convention

Members of the POLA Executive Committee pose with CJ Sereno

Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno

IBP: Celebrating 40 years, 1973-2013

ties with one another as fragmented.

The Bar Tribune

- Abad presents... from cover

Associate Justice Antonio T. Carpio

sociate Justice Antonio Carpio, Chair of

strated in EDSA People Power I, EDSA

What we had, Sereno pointed out,

Sereno concluded her luncheon talk

The judicial affidavit rule, which will

tened to the talk of Justice Abad, whom

IBP: Celebrating 40 years, 1973-2013

The 23rd Annual POLA Conference

WE, the PRESIDENTS OF LAW ASSOCIATIONS IN ASIA