1

Speech delivered by Chief Justice Maria Lourdes P. A. Sereno during the

Awarding of Scholarships under the Foundation for Liberty and Prosperity

(FLP) Scholarship Program on December 1, 2016 at the University of the

Philippines Bonifacio Global City Campus, Taguig City

Thank you, friends. Please take your seats. Good evening to all of you. May I

please first start with saying that indeed, this is a very, very important occasion that

I am attending simply because I think it will be the presage of something that is

grand in our lifetime. So allow me to first acknowledge Chief Justice Artemio [V.]

Panganiban whose tireless effort to contribute to the rule of law can be seen in his

manifold activities all the way from being the leader of an important foundation, to

his very thoughtful columns, to participating continuously in Supreme Court

activities when asked to do so. Gratis et amore, Chief Justice.

To (Ret.) Justice Delilah [V.] Magtolis (Chief, PHILJA Academic Affairs Office)

and (Ret.) Marina [L.] Buzon (PHILJA Executive Secretary), my colleagues in the

judiciary and [those] who are now serving the judiciary in the capacities of very

important officers of the Philippine Judicial Academy, good evening. Mrs. Evelyn

Toledo-Dumdum, (President, Foundation for Liberty and Prosperity [FLP]), whom

everybody knows as Evelyn, the ever reliable person who is facilitating everything

that is important to judicial reform for more than a decade now. I have so many

stories that I can share with you about how she has been very, very important in the

life of the judiciary even if she is not a lawyer, but she loves justice by heart.

(Lyceum of the Philippines University College of Law) Dean [Ma. Soledad] “Sol” [D.]

Mawis, the president of the Philippine Association of Law Schools, and the various

deans who are here now—may I ask all the deans to please rise and be

acknowledged as well. Atty. [Ma. Cecilia] “Cecile” [L.] Pesayco of Tan Yan Kee

Foundation and Madam [Juanita Tan Lee], the [assistant] treasurer of the Tan Yan

2

Kee Foundation. I’m really sorry, of course, Assistant Ombudsman Jennifer [J.]

Manalili, thank you very much for your wonderful introduction. That was exactly

how I wanted it. Thank you.

Professor Ryan [P.] Oliva, who is representing Dean Danilo [L.] Concepcion,

soon to be sworn in as president of UP (University of the Philippines), thank you for

the generosity that the dean and the faculty of the College of Law of UP and UP at the

Fort have shown us by hosting this important occasion. And most important of all,

the awardees, the 11 brilliant young scholars who just shared the stage with me, as

well as their parents and loved ones. It is to them that we should give the biggest

round of applause. (applause)

Before anything else, let me say that I admire the staff and partners of the

Foundation for Liberty and Prosperity (FLP) for all their hard work and

professionalism in administering the FLP Scholarship Program. Of course, the

excellence of this idea comes from no less than the prolific mind of retired Supreme

Court Chief Justice Artemio V. Panganiban. So allow me to tell you that his very

creative imagination has been put to use in many arenas including advising this

present Chief Justice on many of her problems. So I thank you, Chief. This is just a

very small contribution on my part to your continuing effort in turn. We, Chief

Justice Panganiban and I, share a soft spot for law students and the need to

encourage, support, and recognize their academic achievements as well as the

formation of their ethics and values and motivation for nation-building, starting

with the period of their initial legal studies. Like our 11 winners, both of us were

also fortunate to be the recipients of scholarships in law school at the time when we

needed help the most.

3

And therefore, I would also like to acknowledge the fact that this night would

have not happened were it not for the very important contribution of my fellow

jurors in those competitions, Atty. Pesayco, Dr. [Edilberto C.] de Jesus (former

Department of Education Secretary), Evelyn, and Dean Sol Mawis.

However, allow me to devote a greater part of what I will share with you

tonight by way of a continuation of my conversation with the 11 awardees. Good

evening, all of you. It was my privilege a few weeks ago to have gotten to know all 11

of you in the brief time we spent conversing in one of the Court’s rooms. As Chief

Justice Panganiban told you, not many people have been able to enter those rooms.

So a lot of lawyers would give a lot to have been able to enter the places that you

were allowed to enter in the Court just so that you could have our conversation take

place. Now, when we, the jurors went through your essays, don’t ever think that we

were looking at the grammar, the style of writing, whether you would make the

grade in the literature class. What we were trying to look for was your heart, really.

And I found that for tonight at least, I want to continue this conversation by telling

you that I found that there were two threads common in your narratives and

expositions on the concept of liberty and prosperity under the rule of law in your

essays. And namely, these are the significant role of lawyers in this endeavor to

promote both liberty and prosperity under the rule of law, and the continuing need

for public discourse and debate in policy-making and that this should not just be left

to the politicians alone.

For Tess Marie Tan—she is not here with us today, she is trying to do our

country proud by competing in Beijing—a junior at the University of San Carlos Law

School, she said that “the right to life, liberty, and prosperity are so closely

intertwined that the impairment of one necessarily impacts the exercise and

4

employment of the other.” In an imaginary letter “to the random law students

studying in the corner,” she offers the following advice “to remind you why we are

here: to humanize the law, to be vanguards of the Constitution, to do what we do

because if not us, then who?

Let me tell you that I missed her physical presence then as we continue to

miss her physical presence. I was really actually encouraging all 11 of you to bond

together as brothers and sisters in a common cause. But I enjoyed the thought that

technology has allowed us to breach that physical divide where I had to express my

admiration for Tess Marie when she was able to follow our conversations through

Skype despite the fact that the telco (telecommunications company) connection is

not necessarily that reliable. This is a message to somebody here from one of the

telcos. (laughter)

I actually enjoyed that, and when I was seeing how she was much she was

straining her head just to make sure that she could capture the entire conversation;

it spoke to me of the endless possibilities of continuing this kind of discourse with

thoughtful young people like you. And it refreshed my spirit.

Kaycelle Anne Castillo, who took up accounting before studying law at FEU

(Far Eastern University) in Makati, opines that all efforts to secure liberty and

prosperity by government policymakers will “be in vain if there is no good justice

system to promote the rule of law.” Thus her personal vision “is to help more people

attain [the] autonomy of living a victorious and prosperous life under the rule of

law” by becoming a lawyer serving as a barrier against injustice.

Rexlyn Anne Evora of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, who also

has Anne as her second name, echoes her namesake’s opinion of the significant role

5

that lawyers play in safeguarding liberty and nurturing prosperity under the rule of

law. She writes that lawyers must be the “grindstone,” by which the people keep

their rights bright and sharp. And I remember that it was with this same kind of

spirit that she was actually challenging my assumption that it would be difficult to

educate the greater masses of our people of the importance of due process of law. So

my challenge to her was, “Show me how.” And I remember this challenge. And while

it is a challenge to her, it is also a challenge to me to be able to be a Chief Justice who

can communicate with her people at the gut level on why due process and the rule

of law are important.

San Beda College of Law Alabang’s Violeta Najarro, Jr.—I called her Junior

then—declares that she “is not just a student of law.” She says, “Above all, I am a

citizen freely exercising this liberty that was granted to us by law and the prosperity

that comes with it, and I know that I have the duty to protect it in any way I can.”

Sean James Borja of Ateneo de Manila University School of Law, who has

already hurled many challenges to his batchmates and has pleaded with us to

continue trusting in them and believing in the brightness of the future that awaits

them, believes that lawyers are the agents and advocates that bridge the gap

between the goals of liberty and prosperity and their beneficiaries. Thus, the

lawyers “must learn the power of advocacy and become the voice that resonates

when others go silent.”

Ervin Frederick Dy, a student at the UP College of Law, has already committed

himself to government service, plotting a career path from the Office of the Solicitor

General to either the Court of Appeals or to the Sandiganbayan, where he can help

promote the philosophy of liberty and prosperity by helping attain judicial stability.

He was too modest to say that there was one more step that he wanted. (laughter)

6

Vanessa Vergara of the Ateneo de Manila University School of Law, for her

part, believes that for law to be a guarantee of liberty and prosperity, it must

address the actual realities that people live in and that those in the legal profession

can help in this regard in three ways: first, by the upholding of the importance of

dialogue; second, in lawyers’ capacity to represent other people’s points of view;

and third, in lawyers’ role of supporting the everyday lives of people.

FEU Makati’s Kevin Ken Ganchero is of the same mind, seeking to promote the

rule of law through an informed and civilized public discourse by an educated

citizenry that is aware of their rights and responsibilities. In his future law career,

he plans to teach and volunteer as a lecturer in legal education for non-lawyers.

Another accountant, Dion Ceazar Pascua of the San Beda College of Law,

opines that liberty and prosperity can be attained if properly made and forward

thinking laws are diligently followed by its citizens. Dion calls for greater public

participation in upholding the rule of law, exhorting that “we must never forget our

roles as citizens of the Republic.”

Jose Noel Hilario of the UST (University of Sto. Tomas) Faculty of Civil Law

wrote that law schools are the key institution to propagate the philosophy of liberty

and prosperity under the rule of law by honing future lawyers to take that

philosophy into consideration in every area of their work as lawyers.

His fellow junior at UST Law, Ma. Janine Padernal, points out that prosperity

makes sense only if there is respect for human rights. Janine also said that law

students should include the needs of others in their own goals; and that when they

become lawyers, they must “not only dwell on the legal aspect but also on the

political, social, economic, cultural, and psychological aspects in their work.”

7

As you can see, Chief Justice Panganiban, that is why I did not need to prepare

a speech, I just had to read excerpts of their excellent essays. And I could see that

basically, the 11 and I and the Chief [Justice] and so many of the law deans here are

of one mind. In fact, I had a sneaking suspicion that Ombudsman [Conchita] “Chit”

[Carpio] Morales actually got their essays, and that became the basis for her very

famous speech now.

I am actually deeply encouraged to hear those words from a very

thoughtful, mature, and wise set of young people. We must not forget that they

are part of the country’s youth who, in [Jose] Rizal’s own words, are the hope

of our country and its future as well. This night belongs to them; I think this

audience will all agree.

But allow me now to try to continue that conversation along the gut

level that I try to start with you. Remember how you thought I was asking

quite very aggressive and hostile questions by asking you why you continue to

study law if you cannot prove that there are people who still believe in law?

Tinanong ko kayo noon, “Bakit pa kayo mag-aabogado kung hindi naman pala

importante na ang batas?” (Why are you going to take up law if the law is not

important anymore?) And remember that, somehow, some of you were

challenged by the thought that I had provoked then because I followed it up

with the question, “Do you think, in fact, that people are already tired of

hearing about due process and they would rather go for expediencies and

shortcuts?” But some of you told me, “No, Ma’am.” We think that, first, Noel

tried to tell me that it goes all the way to the very foundation of the formation

8

of values which is all the way from childhood education. And immediately, I

was reminded of Chief Justice Panganiban’s project which is to integrate

values education with a component that will try to promote the rule of law

even at an early age, and that was the challenge to me.

Am I as Chief Justice thinking about the future of our country where I

am looking at my role as possibly helping, together with my fellow lawyers in

this country, the rearing of our youth to be law-abiding citizens but lovers also

of the rule of law, due process, and fair play? So, I encourage everyone to look

at this possibility that here you are talking to people, who according to Sean,

represent the so-called “temperamental brats,” but I don’t think that they are

temperamental in any way nor are they brats. I believe that, rather, the

challenge that they are posing to us is of those of the older generation,

whether we have dug the roots deep enough so that the fountain of justice will

really flow into the very soil that nurtures our country’s soul. And then I

reflected deeply, and I thought that actually there seems to be a disconnect.

Are we lawyers just talking to ourselves and to law students who

themselves want to be of our kind? And have we forgotten to talk with our

people? That’s why Kaycelle was telling me it is how we explain it, and she

was just so impassioned with explaining law to non-lawyers that she would be

willing to devote a great part of her life to continue doing that, together with

somebody else.

Ombudsman Morales talks about post-truth and I asked you, actually,

questions that sought your opinions on whether we can still find truth in

9

today’s violent and heated discourses, and you said you have not given up.

And the fact that you were saying that you have not given up, despite the

difficulty of trying to communicate plain and simple truths looking at constant

values in our country, meant a great deal to me. That means that I, myself,

cannot give up. In other words, from the pedestal of where the Supreme Court

has always been, which is a bit removed from the people, shrouded in

mystery, there is, perhaps, a new age that must dawn.

Now, for our people and I ask that, in fact, this be the beginning of a

genuine conversation between our people and the younger generations, those

who not only aspire to be lawyers, but all those who just aspire to have a just

and fair society. Can we really talk to them at the gut level?

Sisimulan ko po, halimbawa po sa Korte Suprema, nag-iisip po kami na

pa-iigtingin ang tinatawag nating “access to justice.” Sinisimulan po natin ito

ng paggagawa ng mga courts na magtatanggap ng mga reklamo na mga

maliliit na bagay ukol sa paniningil sa isang dispute na hindi lumalampas sa

halagang dalawang-daang libo. Paano po ba nangyari ang isipan at ang

patuloy na pag-inog ng gulong ng hustisya upang bigyan ng tinatawag na

“access to justice” itong mga small claims na ito? (I’ll start, for example in the

Supreme Court, we are thinking of intensifying what we call “access to justice.”

We start this by creating courts that will ask and receive minor complaints

regarding a dispute which will not exceed the amount of ₱200,000. How did

we come up with this thought and the continuous turning of the wheels of

justice in order to give the so-called “access to justice” for these small claims?)

10

Simple po ito. Marami ho sa atin siguro may mga kasambahay sa buhay.

Siguro po kayo, ginagawa ninyo pong generous ang inyong compensation

package sa kanila; tinutulungan ninyo sila sa lahat ng makakaya ninyo. Ngunit

sila, dahil po sila ay may trabahong nagkakaroon po sila ng sweldong

maaasahan ay inuutangan mismo ng kanilang mga kamag-anak—nag-

uutangan, nag-uutangan sa barangay, sa mga kamag-anak at hindi na ho

nagkakabayaran. Ganon din po ang mga OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers),

dahil sila po ang nakikita na “cash source” ng karamihang mga barangay, at ng

mga pamilya, at mga kaanak, napipilitan po silang magpaluwal ng pera ngunit

sa panahon na sila po ang nagigipit, hindi na po sila makasingil. (This is

simple. Many of us, perhaps, have domestic help. Perhaps, you are generous

with their compensation package; you are helping them in the best way that

you can. However, since they have jobs and a reliable amount of money, their

relatives would loan money from them—they loan from each other, they loan

from the village, and they are not able to pay the debts. The situation is the

same with the OFWs because they are deemed as the “cash source” in a

number of villages, and their families, and their relatives, they are forced to

shell out money, but when they are in need of money, they are not able to

charge them for debts.)

Hindi po ba nagkakaroon ng injustice sa malawakan at malalimang

paraan? Hindi po ba unjust na sila na nga ang nag-fi-finance sa kapwa nilang

maralita, sila rin po ang mahihirapan sa pagkuha ng hustisya kung sakaling

‘yung mga pina-utang nila ay magkaroon na ng kakayahang magbayad. Hindi

11

po ba ang hustisya ay dapat magsimula sa ating bahay mismo, sa pagtrato

natin sa ating kapwa, sa ating kapitbahay? Hindi po ba dapat tayo mismo na

mayroong isang seguridad sa hanapbuhay ay dapat maghanap po ng paraan

upang pagaanin ang ganitong kailangan nilang “access to justice?” Kaya’t

sinasabi ko po, ang hustisya po ba ay hindi ganitong kapayak? Kailangan po ba

nating pahirapan sila at sabihin na kailangan po kayo dumaan sa isang trial na

napakahirap? Maghihintay po kayo ng summons, maghihintay po kayo ng

ganito, at kailangan mayroon po kayong mga abogado? (Isn’t there injustice in

a broad and profound way? Isn’t it unjust that they are the ones financing

their underprivileged fellowmen, they are also the ones who will have a hard

time getting justice if ever their debtors would finally have the capability of

paying. Shouldn’t justice start at our homes, how we treat our fellow men, our

neighbors? Shouldn’t we, who are secured in our jobs, find a way in order for

them to easily get access to justice? That’s why I am asking, isn’t justice this

simple? Do we need to give them a hard time and tell them they need to

undergo a very hard trial? You will wait for summons, you will wait for this,

and you will need lawyers.)

Halimbawa po ‘yung sinabi sa akin ni Kaycelle, “Bakit hindi natin sabihin

na ang mamamayan mismo ay pwedeng magdulog sa korte ng kanilang

reklamo?” Paano sila lalapit kung hindi nila alam paano ipresenta ang kanilang

hinaing sa korte? ‘Di dapat ang korte maghahanap ng paraan para tulungan

silang gumawa ng kanilang testimonya. Pababalik-balikin po ba sila upang sila

ay ma-cross-examine, eh bawa’t isang araw po na naka-day off sila

12

magugutom na ang pamilya nila? Bakit hindi natin tulungan sila gumawa ng

affidavit at ‘yung kabilang panig rin ay turuan rin nating gumawa ng affidavit?

At sa pamamagitan ng isang huwes na husto ang pagka-train, titignan niya ang

mga affidavits na ‘yon at maaaring magtanong siya ng kaunti. Ngunit sapat na

dapat ang mga dokumentong ‘yon upang siya ay maghusga ng tinatawag

nating small claims. (An example is what Kaycelle asked me: “Why don’t we

tell them that the citizens themselves are allowed to file their complaints in

the court?” How will they come if they don’t know how to present their

complaints in court? The court should find a way to help the citizens write

affidavits of their own testimonies. Will they be asked to go back and forth for

cross-examination, for each time they get a day off, their families will starve?

Why don’t we help them make their affidavits and why not teach the other

side as well? And by way of a judge who is well-trained, he will check those

affidavits and he may ask a few questions. However, those documents should

already be sufficient in order for him to judge what we call small claims.)

Hindi ho kaya ang mga law students natin ay puwedeng lumabas sa mga

mamamayan natin at sabihing, “Kaya natin ang hustisya at tutulungan namin

kayong makakuha ng hustisya.” ‘Yung mga kamag-anak ninyong OFW,

dalawang linggo lamang naman po nandito sa Pilipinas, tulungan po natin

gumawa ng affidavit para pagdating nila sa Pilipinas, tapos na kaagad ang

kanilang problema. Hindi po ba puwede tayong bumaba kung saan tayo ngayon

nalulukluk upang pumunta sa mga tao sa gitna ng kanilang sitwasyon gaya ng

sinabi ni Vanessa ng Ateneo, dapat ang abogado kasama sa pang araw-araw na

13

realidad ng tao. Dapat nating balasahin muli ang ating pananaw ukol sa batas.

Ito ba ay napakahirap intindihin? Kailangan bang sabihin na ang

pinakamatatalino lamang sa wikang Ingles ang puwedeng maging dalubhasa

dito? Ngunit kaya po ba natin palitan ang ating pananaw at sabihing ang batas

ay mananahan sa puso ng tao? (Is it possible for our law students to reach out

to our citizens and tell them, “We can have justice, and we will help you get

justice.” Your OFW relatives, who will only stay for two weeks in the

Philippines, let’s help them make their affidavits so that when they arrive in

the Philippines, their problems will be solved immediately. Can’t we leave our

assigned position for a while to reach out to people in the midst of their

current situation like what Vanessa of Ateneo has said that a lawyer should be

part of the daily reality of the people. We should re-evaluate the value of our

insights with regards to our law. Is this hard to understand? Do we need to say

that the most intelligent people in the English language are the only ones who

can be experts here? But can we change our views and say that the law dwells

in the hearts of people?)

Alam ng tao kung may katarungan, nararamdaman at nagliliyab ang

kanyang puso ‘pag nararamdaman niya na nagagawad ang hustisya nang patas

at mabilisan at nararamdaman rin po niya ang injustice ‘pag nakikita niya ang

patuloy na pag-aapi sa mga mararalita sa ating lipunan. Tama po kayo mga

kabataan, kayong 11. Sinabi ninyo nga po na talagang ang dapat bigyan ng

puwang sa ating puso ang mga pangangailangan ng ating mga kababayan.

Huwag lamang isipin ang layunin para sa sarili ngunit palawigin ang inyong

14

pananaw upang isama na rito ang pangagailangan ng mga maliliit sa ating

lipunan. Tama rin po kayo nang sinabi ninyo na hindi lamang po ang legal ang

tingnan ngunit ang sociological, cultural, historical at political na environment

natin ay dapat maintindihan ng bawa’t isang gustong manilbihan sa dambanan

ng batas. (People know if there is justice, they feel it and their hearts are

overjoyed whenever they feel that justice is being served fairly and just, and

they also feel injustice when they witness the continuous oppression of the

poor in our society. You, the youth, are right, the 11 of you. You said that what

we really need to have room in our hearts for are the needs of our fellow

Filipinos. Don’t only think of your own goals, but extend your vision in order

to include the needs of the minority in our society. You were also right when

you said that we should not only look at the legal aspect, but the sociological,

cultural, historical and political environment should also be understood by

everyone who wants to serve at the altar of law.)

Sa bandang huli, ang akin pong inaasahan ay itong labing-isa pong ito ay

magiging totoong katuwang ng hustisya, ng Korte Suprema, ng inyong mga

dekano, lalong-lalo na sa Philippine Association of Law Schools upang gawing

tunay na buhay ang hustisya sa ating bayan. Tayo pong isa sa bansang

napakadami pong mga kodigo, batas kodigo, na na-isulat na at pinag-uusapan.

Napaka-modern po ng iba nating mga batas. Totoong mayroong mga huli pa at

hindi pa moderno ngunit marami na po tayong mga modernong batas. Ngunit

hindi po ba isang pagbabalatkayo ang pag-iisip na tayo ay kayang magpatuloy

ng ganitong patakaran at kalakal habang ang kauhawan ng ating mga

15

kababayan sa tunay na hustisya na kanilang nararamdaman ay hindi natin

napapawi? Kaya po ba nating sabihin na mayroon talaga tayong ginawang

higit pa sa ating kakayahan upang abutin ang puso ng ating mga kababayan

upang sila ay maniwala ulit sa batas? Nagkausap-usap na po ba ang mga haligi

ng hustisya? Nag-usap usap na po ba tayong mga abogado tungkol sa estado ng

batas sa ating bayan? Tayo po ba ay patuloy na nananalig na batas, due

process, at fairness? Kailangang-kailangan ito upang tayo ay tuluyang maging

isang progresibong bayan. Hindi po puwedeng magkaroon ng economic

advancement kung walang katatagan sa larangan ng batas. Hindi

magkakaroon ng tunay na paglaganap ng kaluluwa ng ating mga kababayan

kung ang mga problema ng hustisya ay ating napapabayaan. (In the end, what

I expect from these 11 is for them to be true partners of justice, of the

Supreme Court, of your deans, especially in the Philippine Association of Law

Schools, to make justice real in our country. We are one of the countries that

have a lot of codes, law codes that were written and talked about. Some of our

laws are very modern. While it is true that there are some outdated laws that

are not yet modern, we already have many modern ones. But isn't it

hypocritical to think that we are able to continue this policy and practice

while the thirst of our people for true justice is not quenched? Can we truly

say that we have went beyond our ability in order to touch the hearts of our

fellow Filipinos so that they will believe again in the law? Have the pillars of

justice spoken to each other? Have we, lawyers, discussed about the state of

law in our country? Do we continue to believe in the law, due process, and

fairness? This is absolutely necessary for us to eventually become a

16

progressive nation. We cannot have economic advancement if there is no

stability in the field of law. There is no genuine fulfillment of the soul if the

problems concerning justice are left unresolved.

Kaya’t hinihimok ko po ang aking mga kaibigan, 11 FLP Scholars. Nawa’y

huwag na huwag kayong manghina sa inyong idealismo. Ano man ang

malaman ninyong katotohanan ukol sa kalakaran ng pag-abogasiya dito, hindi

dapat ito maging hadlang sa inyong panaginip ng magkaroon ng mas

malawakang paglaganap ng hustisya sa ating bayan. Nawa’y hindi po kayo

masilaw sa pangarap na magkaroon ng limpak-limpak na kayamanan ngunit

hanapin ninyo po ang tunay na kayamanan na ibibigay sa inyo ng busilak na

serbisyo sa ating bayan. Tignan ninyo po ang future with a long-term vision;

isipin ninyo po hindi lamang ang inyong henerasyon ngunit ang mga

henerasyon pang susunod. (That’s why I urge my friends, 11 FLP Scholars. May

you never be discouraged in your idealism. Whatever truth you may know

about the trend of law here, this shouldn’t be a hindrance to your dream of

having a widespread justice in our country. May you not be dazzled by the

dream to have enormous wealth but find real treasure in providing sincere

service to our country. Look at the future with a long-term vision; think not

only of your own generation but the future generations as well.)

Kung mayroon po kaming kakapusan, kaming mga henerasyon na nauna,

punan ninyo po at patawarin ninyo kami. Nag-iibayo po kami ng aming

pangako sa inyo na pa-iigtingin namin ang serbisyo sa aming bayan. Kami po ay

nag-uusap-usap at hindi po kami titigil hangga’t hindi po namin mapatunayan

17

sa inyong henerasyon ng hangga’t mayroon po kaming lakas, hindi po kami

tumigil sa paglaban para sa hustisya at sa karapatan ng mga tao. Lahat po ng

ito ay babasbasan ng ating Panginoon basta’t ang ating puso ay nasa tamang

lugar lamang. (If we have shortcomings, the previous generations, please

compensate for them and forgive us. We are fulfilling our promise to you that

we will improve our service to our country. We have been conversing and we

won’t stop until we have proven to your generation that while we still have

strength, we haven’t stopped fighting for justice and human rights. All of these

will be blessed by our God as long as our hearts are in the right place.)

So, napakaganda po ng experience ko nang na-meet ko itong 11. Chief

Justice “Art,” thank you na na-imbita mo ako. Thank you to the Tan Yan Kee

Foundation. Patuloy ninyo pong ibahagi ang blessing na na-ibigay sa inyo, sa

ating mga kababayan na kailangang-kailangan ng tulong. Tayo po ay mga

mapapalad na tao sa kwartong ito, nakakakain tayo ng tatlong beses sa isang

araw, magaganda po lahat ng ating mga kasuotan, kaya po nating lahat mag-

Ingles, ngunit marami po sa ating mga kababayan wala po noon. Marami sa

kanila, kumakalam ang sikmura nila. Marami sa kanila, kung anu-anong

pinapasukan umangat lamang ang antas sa buhay makuha lamang ang pinaka-

basic na pangangailangan. Hindi po ba panahon na tayo po ay magbigay ng

apaw-apaw sa sarili natin at hindi lang po ‘yung ating kaapawan ngunit ang

ating pinakabubuod. (So, it was a beautiful experience to have met the 11.

Chief Justice “Art,” thank you for inviting me. Thank you to the Tan Yan Kee

Foundation. Please keep sharing the blessing that has been given to you, to

18

our fellow Filipinos who desperately need help. We are blessed people in this

room, we eat three times a day, we all wear beautiful clothing, we can all

speak in English, but many of our countrymen don’t have those. Many of them,

they are starving. Many of them engage in various activities or jobs just to

elevate their status in life in order for them to attain their basic needs. Isn’t it

time that we give them not only our excess but also devote the entirety of

ourselves to the task of making their lives better.)

Maraming, maraming salamat po, at Congratulations!