‘All good and upright lawyers know for a fact that their job is primarily to ensure due process for their clients, but, as we know, the lure of wealth and power of their clients have driven many legal practitioners to break professional standards, as well as the law itself in the fabrication of evidence and the presentation of false witnesses.’
FORMER Ilocos Sur Gov. Chavit Singson may be right with actress Gretchen Barreto, who has been linked with businessman Atong Ang’s alleged involvement with the disappearances and alleged murder of 34 sabungeros. Even if she was quite close to Ang, Singson said it seems improbable that she had a hand in the heinous crime that Ang is accused of.
With her wealth and stature in the industry, Barreto would not risk putting them on the line by directly or indirectly taking part in the heinous crime. Her partner, billionaire businessman Tonyboy Cojuangco, would have advised her strongly against succumbing to any tempting offer that would have unwittingly plunged her into any criminal wrongdoing.
It was no surprise that veteran lawyer Lorna Kapunan has withdrawn as legal counsel of Ang. She stated that her legal chores in the prosecution panel of the coming impeachment trial of Vice-President Sarah Duterte were more important.
Her close friends in the legal profession may have warned her against heading and pursuing the legal defense of Ang. Kapunan, who headed the defense team of pork barrel scam queen Janet Lim-Napoles, is certainly unfazed by the complex web of crime suspects and witnesses of any high-profile case, but may be apprehensive about her negative impact on the families and loved ones of the missing sabungeros.
One said the travail of even very capable and honest lawyers is being identified with their wealthy and powerful clients, determined to apply their abundant resources against the lowly and nearly helpless families of crime victims.
Or does she have the same reason that compelled Justice Secretary Boying Remulla to decide to leave the Justice Department and opt to be appointed as Ombudsman? He has stated that the suspected mastermind in the case of the missing sabungeros is a very powerful and wealthy individual with strong and valuable connections with the police and the judiciary, including the justices of the Supreme Court. Kapunan may have also foreseen further bloodshed or mayhem in the case threatening other lives, including her own and that of her loved ones.
All good and upright lawyers know for a fact that their job is primarily to ensure due process for their clients, but, as we know, the lure of wealth and power of their clients have driven many legal practitioners to break professional standards, as well as the law itself in the fabrication of evidence and the presentation of false witnesses.
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The appeal of Jessica Soho for UP graduates to serve poor communities around them has been the earnest call of UP President Angelo Jimenez. The achievements of UP alumni have long dealt with excellence and less with honor. To Jimenez and former NEDA Chief and UP Economic Professor Solita Monsod, achieving excellence or success in their chosen fields of business did not speak well of honor, especially so when countless UP alumni have left abroad for a life away from their countrymen. And those who remained, except for a very few exceptions, have contributed to widespread corruption and thievery in the government and society.
The university curriculum genuinely needs a new set of elective subjects across most courses to plant a strong sense of history and culture and an essential and enduring grasp of the meaning and impact of kindly and compassionate service to the community.
