Julie Anne S. Sollano JD 2 Legal Profession Sat 5-6 P.M.

COURT OBSERVATION

The law profession is regarded as one of the most noble profession in the country.
It is a profession that is connected with administration of justice in the country, thus, a
profession which is very essential in nation building.

As a law student, observing court proceedings is observing the field that we are
preparing into. At school we were taught about the law and how to pass the bar while
in observing court proceedings, we were taught on how to handle such different
situations.

There are three different cases that I observed - criminal case, a civil case and a
special proceedings case. These cases speak differently about their nature.

On the Criminal Case:

I observed the case on People of the Philippines v. Jonel Zuniega, R-CEB-17-

07572-CR which is a case for violation of Sec 5 (8) of R.A. 7610 or the Special
Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act. It was a
continuation of initial presentation of witnesses for the defense. I have observed that
the petitioner took the stand and answered questions from the Defense Counsel. It was
my first time seeing in person an actual “interrogation” from a lawyer to a petitioner. I
noticed that the questions made first by the Defense Counsel and subsequently the
Judge have questions himself. The questions that were being asked were a narration
and a clarification on the part of the petitioner on the facts of the case. On the
subsequent questions made by the Judge, I have noticed that his questions were
merely clarifications on the statement made by the private petitioner.

On this criminal case, what I realized is that if there is a slight doubt in the case,
there will still be no final judgement by the judge and in this particular case, there are
still unclear and unresolved issues. Therefore, the Judge rescheduled another trial.

On the Civil Case:

I observed the case on Carolina D. Gingoyon v. Joven P. Napal, CEB-41072 for

Declaration of Nullity of Marriage. When I observed this particular case, there were
no lot of events that happened since it was only a pre-trial. Both parties were
represented by their respective lawyers and such there was a presentation on the facts
of the case and the evidences which support their contentions. There were settlement
offers that were made.

What I had realized in this particular case is that between the criminal case and
this particular civil case, in the criminal case in the presentation of their evidence, the
statement of the accused is taken into consideration while on the civil case, a
procedure is being followed when presenting evidence. A mere oral statement made
by the other party does not bear that much proof of the contention assailed.
 On the Special Proceedings Case:

I observed the case on In the Matter of the Petition For the Adoption Of
Minor Jor-Ell Greno With Prayer for Joint Custody And Change of Name to Jor-
Ell Greno Atkins Spouses Jo-Ann Greno Atkins and Kevin John Atkins,
PetitionerR-CEB-17-07068-SP. This is still a continuation of the presentation of
the witnesses. It was stated in the facts of this particular case that the petitioners
prayed for a resolution on this particular matter since 2015. It was an ongoing
case until this point and still, there were no amicable settlement nor any
resolution for this particular matter. After the presentation of the witness, still this
particular case does not end yet and the parties still have to wait for another
hearing.

What I have realized in this particular case is that in special proceedings,

detailed facts is a must. This case also helped me realized that cases such as this
is not automatic to arrive at a resolution nor a settlement. This is a slow-progress
case wherein lives may be affected. Until now, the child had already grown up
but the case is still on going.

Visiting and observing the court is such a remarkable experience. As a law

student I was able to avail and see for myself the reality on how to apply the laws
that the law makers intended. The laws are in action. They are not simply found
on the books that we read, but laws should be lived, and from what I had
observed the laws are in motion. Justice can really be served and it is for all.