Learn from the best: BSU’s Belinda Tad-awan, as an epitome of a peoples' researcher

Dr. Belinda A. Tad-awan is an administrator, professor and researcher of Benguet State University. She is the current Director of BSU-HERRC and Research. Prior to her designation as HERRC Program Director, she was the Dean of the BSU College of Agriculture. She was also designated as the Department Chairman of Agronomy for a decade; Regional Technology Program Coordinator and College Secretary.

As a current Professor VI, she teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in Agronomy, Plant Breeding and Genetics, Biotechnology, Crop Physiology, Sustainable Agriculture and others. Dr. Tad-awan is also considered as a senior faculty researcher of BSU for having completed 16 projects and currently implementing seven projects on crop improvement, genetic resources conservation and stress physiology.

Dr. Tad-awan scored 50 publications in various forms (scientific papers, abstracts, technology and book chapter) published in indexed and refereed journals, proceedings, copyrighted books, forum and technology primers.

She finished her doctorate degree in BSU with her dissertation conducted at the Ben Gurion University of Negev Israel. Her Master of Science in Plant Breeding degree was obtained at the University of the Philippines – Los Banos. She graduated Magna cum laude in Bachelor of Science and Agriculture in her undergrad degree in BSU.

Dr. Tad-awan is also an active member of several scientific and professional bodies; from our nation’s Organic Agriculture Society of the Philippines, Philippines Society for the Study of Nature, Conservation Farming Movement, Mycological Society of the Philippines, Philipppine Association of Agriculturists, Crop Science Society of the Philippines, Philippine Phytopathological Society, Society for Advancement of Vegetable Industry, University of the Philippines – Los Banos Alumni Association, and Shalom Club Philippines to the International Society for Tropical Root Crops.   

Photo grabbed from Dr. Belle Tad-Awan social media account

Research as a tool to help the farmers

She started as a research assistant for special projects fresh from graduation. She then started with survey projects. She admittedly however, researches was never inside the range of her field. It was only later that she learned the potential in researches. She begun to understand that research work, mostly in agriculture, can extend beyond the walls of the university to deliver services to the needy marginalized sectors of farmers in our locality. From thereon, seeds to serve the people were planted in her head. She saw research as a tool to help aid our less-privileged and marginalized farmers sprout from the rubbles of primitive farming towards development.

Client-researcher two way development

Even when she knew that research works can help elevate her towards promotion, she always kept it secondary to her intentions as she maintained her aspirations in helping her target clients.  

Promotion and development according to her is two way progression coming from both the researcher and the beneficiaries. Development for the researchers in agriculture should emanate from the clients’ liberation from the bondage of undeveloped conventional farming.

Mining for ideas through community immersions

Field works and community immersions brought her closer to the agriculture sector’s plights. There, she developed further her intra-personal skills where she conducted interviews as she witnessed and experienced first-hand different situations our farmers are facing. Aside from data gathering, these community immersions, are also her candy store of inspirations for her future project proposals. Best researches are separated from the pile of good researches through community immersion.  

It was the Sweet Potato plant along with her mind-set to help the local Sweet Potato producers and consumers that served as her plane ticket overseas. Our locality is overflowing with potential to be promising researches, and according to Dr. Tad-awan, we don’t have to go far beyond our borders because ideas are already in front of us. The only thing left for us to do, is to learn how to harvest from this bounty for our researches. The best way of doing this is through community immersions and there is no substitute for that.

Molding new breeds of researchers   

Dr. Tad-awan also holds dearly the lessons and mentoring of her superiors during her grad school studies. Their lessons and techniques bestowed upon her along with the mind-set of helping the farmers, is her framework in molding new breeds of researchers in BSU. Mentor’s job are not merely to teach but mainly to encourage young minds of the vocation that they are shadowing according to her.

Hesitant at first, Dr. Tad-awan persuaded was by her mentors to submit research proposals for the International Foundation for Science (IFS), which she thinks, during that time, was out still of her league. Lacking in confidence, she felt that her proposals will be rejected by the international arena. But due her mentors relentless encouragements and her personal knowledge of the topic, which she owe to the community that hosted her immersions, her research proposals were granted funding by the international research funding instruments.

In her grad school classes, Dr. Tad-awan’s medium of instruction mostly came from her concluded researches. By doing this, you’ll be imparting greater knowledge to the students according to Dr. Tad-awan. Her students were molded to report not for the sake of reporting but to report research results which they were a part of. Though it may seemed hard, its Dr. Tad-awan’s way of training her students for them to be great researchers.

Countless research assistants were also mentored by Dr. Tad-awan, however most of them moved on to other government institutions because of the lacking positions here in BSU. Though unfortunate, Dr. Tad-awan saw this still as an achievement on her part for being able to influence army of researchers whom she have nursed with the mind-set to serve the people, and now are sprouting as good researchers at different government offices.

To her research assistants, Dr. Tad-awan annoys them with daily check-ups and updates to their each assigned task. Dr. Tad-awan recognizes how distinct the youth today, which emanates from her her research assistants. According to her, some of her research assistants practices initiative while others don’t. Instead of looking down at them, she motivates them while she help guide in seeing their true potential.

“I let my research assistant do the draft for our presentation then I do the finishing touches” said Dr. Tad-awan when asked of her technique of being frequently awarded the best paper.

Photo grabbed from Dr. Belle Tad-Awan social media account

Re-echoing your locality to the world

In her conferences and overseas visits, Dr Tad-awan is conscious in establishing linkages and friendship outside our boarders. She would always seek the advices during her trips from fellow researchers mostly scientists. According to Dr. Tad-awan, you’re not only gaining wisdom from the international delegates, but also voicing the plights of the farmers through your research to the international arena.

In the international arena you act like the ambassador for not only the University but for your clients as well. 

During her trips, Dr. Tad-awan saw how diverse the international researcher’s community is. She saw that there are no age barriers for a researcher to do his research. Differences in the levels of academic attainment in the scientific world also has no bearing in conducting researches even after retirement, as witnessed by Dr. Tad-awan overseas.

Looking forward with hindsight of going back

But in her countless travels acquiring knowledge while echoing our farmers’ concerns, Dr. Tad-awan always finds herself returning back to Philippines, most especially to the rural areas where our farmers dwell.

Never had she thought of settling down overseas despite the opportunities being presented to her. It is her passion to serve the needy local farmers, her roots. A testament of this is seen in all of her researches which are with local concerns.   

Photo grabbed from Dr. Belle Tad-Awan social media account

 Researchers should always read and write

“Researchers should read”, emphasized Dr. Tad-awan. Researchers should explore all various information mediums like journals and not to limit themselves to the materials from the social media. To teachers, this would helped greatly in updating your syllabus, and what better way to update your syllabus than to enshrine your current research in its words. “You’re an effective teacher, if you have research and you’re an effective researcher if you’re a teacher”, said Dr Tad-awan.

Dr. Tad-awan always carry with her a notebook for her to take down in her travels, conference and simple trip to the market. Notes taken according to her will then be reviewed, and if it has merits, it will serve as a foundation for future research proposals.

Serving the people through research is a social responsibility

Dr. Tad-awan underscored, ‘Sino ngay ti ag-reseach noh haan nga datayo?’ (If not us, who will conduct research for us?). She added that, don’t expect people from Laguna to come here and conduct researches for the local needy farmers. If there are any, it is always best that our local researchers are the ones to conduct the researches. Locals who are the direct witness to the conditions of the farmers. Local researchers should embrace this endeavour as their social responsibility to their locality.

Dr. Tad-awan recalled when her teaching units, notwithstanding whether if it is full, did not curtail her in writing research proposals. Even if these written research proposals have no funding. As her gesture of helping and enlightening her students to their social responsibilities, Dr. Tad-awan will offer these written proposal to her students for their thesis. Most proposal were crafted by Dr. Tad-awan intentionally to be conducted in the hometowns, mostly in the rural areas, of the students.

Said research proposal to be conducted by her students does not stop there. Dr. Tad-awan sees through it that all her proposals will be put into trial in different parts Benguet or Cordillera.
     

“Never stop doing proposals”, stressed Dr. Tad-awan. According to her, proposal writing should be inherent to every researcher. Researchers should be ready at any time if they were asked for their proposals. Researchers should have no reason as to why they can’t write proposals, because our communities, here in Benguet alone, are overflowing of ideas.

Photo grabbed from Dr. Belle Tad-Awan social media account

BSU is now the big brother in research among the rest of the SUCs in CAR. And as a big brother to his smaller sibling, BSU is now required to adopt and guide fellow SUC in conducting research. This is one way of uplifting also the research functions of other SUCs in their faculty departments which will eventually develop their instruction function.

Even now after having secured the Professor VI position, Dr. Tad-awan still conducts research while at the same time mentors young researchers. To her, her position is just an appellation of her good work. According to her, serving the people whether through research or any forms, is a social responsibility which each and every one of us must hold.        

BSU, home of the first IP student mass action

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet — Through the years, Cordillera students have always been in the forefront of every street demonstration from registering their opposition to several issues including: against unjust increases in tuition fees in urban Baguio, to the environmental destruction and human rights violation plaguing the rural home areas in the provinces. This sense of militancy is a glowing spark left by our ancestors, who for more than three centuries, have managed to ward off Spanish Colonizers in most parts of the Cordillera.

When the Americans came, Baguio became a model American colonial City and La Trinidad as the gateway to Cordillera. It was also around this time when special provinces were created. Among them, is Mountain Province which was established for the Igorots. This move was devised to economically benefit the colonizers more. The American colonizers saw our ancestors to be weak, passive and easily preyed upon by their Christians neighbours and therefore submissive to their demands.

American education for non-Christrians

With this our American colonizers, under the Harrison Administration in 1914 adopted an approach imploring that non-Christian (Igorots) tribes be integrated to the larger Filipino populace instead of being isolated. And only through the colonial education did their brand of integration aid our Igorot ancestors to “smoothly” adjust to the culture of the greater subjugated population.

However, on a judicious political-economic view, American education during that time was a double edged sword. A humanistic and progressive education for all on one side, and a tool of suppression or a propaganda instrument vs. the militant Igorots, on the other. The American colonial education that time can also be construed as a mere ‘showcase of democracy’ inside American colonies to the outside world.

Unfortunate it may seem, our Igorot ancestors, who then were students, notwithstanding the shady intent of the American education, sustained the Igorot militancy that had protected them from Spanish occupation or colonization. The deceptive education to suppress IP militancy did not completely tame the IP students from protecting their culture and welfare that was long safeguarded against the three centuries long Spanish occupation. In fact, the earliest recorded IP student protest movement happened in the Trinidad Agricultural School (TAS) now Benguet State University (BSU).

OLD LaTrinidad: Vast lands mostly donated by couple Clemenete Laoyan I and Esposa Maltini to Trinidad Agriculture School, were devoted education and agriculture   

The TAS 1927 IP student protest

In a research documented by BSU history professors, Dr. Stanley Anongos and Tecah Sagandoy, and from compiled news articles published in The Philippine Herald, the said protest was against then TAS Principal James A. Wright.

In the reports dated March 18, 1927 by The Philippine Herald said that on the night of Febraury 28, 1927, 205 TAS students, led by officers of the Student body, forced a meeting to confront issues over policies of TAS that they opposed. They met Wright, along with spouses Thomas and Ethel Herold, teachers of TAS and part of the Bureau of Education who just came from a party in Baguio City.

The meeting between the students and Wright led to altercations and resulted to some physical confrontation. The hostility ended when Thomas came to the rescue of Wright wherein he held out a gun. One version according to Bonifacio Marines an author of the The Igorot Diary, claimed that Wright was thrown into the Balili River and was rescued by Bado Dangwa who at that time served as a driver for Wright.

The following day, said student leaders went room to room and organized a student walk out as their gesture of opposition against Wright and how he was running the school. They claimed that Wright exploited the Igorot students by compelling them to wear G-strings in front of visitors and by forcing them to perform cultural dances before dignitaries at Camp John Hay all for the sake of their amusement.

Students were also overworked by which they were deprived of the privileges of Sunday breaks and holidays. Moreover, they were also asked to work for the friends of Wright without any compensation. There were even recorded instances that some students were forced to work for the nursery stations of the Bureau of Forestry at Pacdal in Baguio in an arrangement that was vague.

The students portrayed Wright as a callous administrator who was fond of insulting and mistreating them. At times, Wright allegedly would express racial slurs like ‘dirty pigs’ and ‘wild carabaos’ against the students.

The imposed performance of cultural dances for the amusement of visitors, the wearing of g-strings and tapis were in the first place contrary to the whole idea of education and progress, as perceived then which was meant to change traditional ways of Igorots so that they would be at par with their lowland brother and sisters.

Gerard Finin, in his book, The Making of the Igorots stated that “…apparently feeling they were being mocked displayed in a manner which mocked their educational achievements, the last thing the young students wanted was an uninformed American watching the film to think of them as ‘backward people’. This was after their performance was filmed by the American Moving Picture Company.

The TAS 1927 protest gained audiences that prompted the Director of Civil Service and the Director of Education to create an investigation committee dubbed as the Gil-Summers Committee. Though the investigation leaned against the students, it was still a victory on the part of the students who reminded the administration of Wright that the IP students of TAS are not to be bullied around. Also, the said protest confirmed the real view and reinterpreted the American standards on equality, democracy and education.

The TAS 1927 protest showcased also an Igorot trait, a very essential key ingredient to what is Cordillera now. It is our culture of collectivism that safeguarded Cordillera through the years. This culture was once again demonstrated by IP students in 1984 when they flooded the streets of Baguio to register their opposition against the environmental degradation happening in their provinces, from the Chico Dams in Kalinga to the Cellophil logging concessions in Abra, and the cultural bastardization most apparent in Baguio.

BAGUIO 1984 - Photo of the violent dispersal against the IP Students 

If the 1984 IP student protest through a legislation is now annually commemorated as the Kaigorotan Youth Week, may this historical note rekindle support for the same to happen for the TAS 1927 student protest. This way, our fellow IP youth in this generation will be reminded of their historical social responsibility to nurture unity and the tradition of militancy to effect genuine change, now, for the progress of the kaIgorotan, and for the whole country. #nordis.net

Martial Law, then and now

“Defiance is necessary to rid the state from tyranny” — Zach Dela Rocha

January 1970, Former President Ferdinand Marcos was welcomed by enraged students in a series of street demonstrations right after his speech in the Halls of Congress. This was a demonstration of youth and students who took to the streets to protest the alleged election manipulation that resulted to an overkill electoral victory of Marcos for a second term as president. The series of large demonstrations and protest gatherings continued from January to March 1970 now known as the First Quarter Storm. This was one of the factors that led Marcos to declare Martial Law in 1972 in the last two years of his term.

The cruel implementation of: curfews, the suspension of civil law,  civil rights, suspension of habeas corpus, and the application or extension of  military law or  military justice to civilians was widely imposed. With this, the Marcos rule held the record of a huge number of human rights violations and extra-judicial killings. These were difficult times for student leaders fighting for student’s welfare and rights like Brenda Dacpano back then.

Last week, in a press conference led by Samahan ng mga Ex-Detainees at Aresto (SELDA), Manang Brenda with other martial law survivors recalled their grim martial law experience before the press. Manang Brenda’s story struck me the most.

During the martial rule, academic freedom was curtailed whereas, students deprived of the right to engage in group discussions on any topic, or promote openly advocacy to certain eco-political issues were picked up for questioning. Furthermore, student rights like free speech, right to gather and organize (just to name a few) were also denied to students. With this, Manang Brenda in defiance fought for what is right and helped arouse, organize and mobilize her fellow students. Sadly as answer to her selfless act, the state vilified her, illegally arrested and detained her at an early age.

Now after hearing her experience, I cannot help but relate to her story because until now shadows of student oppression, similar to what happened during the martial rule still lurks around in our current academic institutions.

Today even after martial law and the so-called restoration of democracy, academic freedom still remains as an illusion. Based on my experience when I was a student we were limited to explore other topics in our research focus for our thesis subjects. What’s more, academic institutions nowadays dictate what authors of books to be read, restraining students to explore other ideas and principles.

Also, like martial law, progressive student organizations get blacklisted causing denial of organizational privileges, services, mobility, access or recognition. Worst, these progressive organizations and its leaders with their members get vilified or red-tagged as fronts of some underground organization. It is quite ironic that being assertive of your rights and being critical is by the way a mandatory trait of every citizen inside a democratic country, but it is dangerous though against democracy itself.

Martial law terrorized our nation for nine long years. Now, the case of manang brenda and other martial law survivors are more than enough for us to say, “Never again to martial law! Never again to student oppression! Never again to academic repression! Never again to student and organizations being vilified! Let’s learn from the struggles and experiences of the survivors. Lest we forget that Martial Law was a cowardly reaction of the state leaders to the rise of activism among students, workers and other sectors who were together asserting their nationalist and democratic rights.

Martial Law should not just be viewed as an isolated case of the absence of democracy but as a reflection of the unjust societal system that continues until now – the ruling class using the government, the State, and even the State’s military forces to protect and promote their interest and to preserve their top position in the social pyramid. This means Martial Law can actually happen any time when the people of the ruling class feel that the masses are at work to change the social system, that is, ang pagbaliktad ng tatsulok. At the same time, the 1972 Martial Law showed how Filipinos would sacrifice themselves for the liberation of the oppressed and for a democratic nation. # nordis.net

Fellow would-be lawyers, let me tell you about Atty. 'Extra Legal' Kissack

Known to many, most law students are the most conservative and timid type of students. Conservative in a way that they don’t want to involve themselves with any student demonstration that advocates social change. And timid, because they cower behind their law books memorizing provisions and learning its wisdom but fail to impart it to society that is exploited due to the complex legal sphere which law students, lawyers and the chosen few can only comprehend.

FOCUSED AND ON TARGET WITH HIS PRINCIPLES TO SERVE THE PEOPLE. Atty Kissack goofing around mimicking a rifle out of his makeshift cane before he discusses IP rights to FPIC to the people of Kalinga. April 2012   

As a young law student

This however was not the case with the late Attorney Kissack Gabaen during his time in law school. Kissack as a young law student in Baguio Colleges Foundation (BCF) used his knowledge of the law for the benefit of the student sector in the late 90’s. He practiced his knowledge simultaneously with the student struggle wherein he found himself leading one of the most historic student mass mobilizations in Baguio. This was the first victory he and his fellow student leaders could claim on the side of the oppressed student sector.

They, he and other student leaders who are now also lawyers, barricaded BCF in protest against unjust tuition fee increase. For three straight days, they picketed and fenced the five entry gates of BCF which paralyzed its operation. The institution then eventually gave-in to the demands of the students and the school had to refund the unjust increase to its students. This was a scene in BCF where the long lines of students were not to pay but to withdraw their tuition from the cashier’s window.

The young law student Kissack also gave legal consultations and advice to fellow students regarding their vested student rights when he was elected Secretary of the Supreme Student Government (SSG). The SSG office in BFC was open to all students thus it was always packed with students seeking services, like those who were barred from taking the exams because they were not able to secure permits. Kissack along with others acted as a negotiating panel of sorts to argue in behalf of the students to take their exams. Their office was also tagged as the dirtiest because of the scattered placards, streamers, flags and paint. But despite this, their SSG office was crowned as the student center of BFC during their time.

BEFORE THE COMMON MASSES. Here, we see Kaizak discussing the IP right's to Free Prior Informed Consent (FPIC) before the delegation of the 30th Aldaw Kordilyera held inside a community in Kalinga that is awaiting to be at the receiving end of corporate exploitation.

Prior to this discourse, Kaizak endured an approx three kilometers vertical hike, navigating through the Kalinga rice paddies in going to the venue. Kaizak belonging to the PWD sector, did not impede him to extend his unsolicited services to the hard-to-reach IP communities. 

As a law graduate and a volunteer paralegal

Fresh out of graduation, Kissack volunteered with the Cordillera Indigenous Law Center or Dinteg, (the ibaloi term for law) a law center that provides free legal services to the indigent locals of Cordillera. Here, he gave free legal education services and trainings to students and to different communities especially to communities that were then at the receiving end of the destruction brought about by the construction of San Roque dam.

Kissack also extended his services to other downstream agriculture areas that were affected by the Lepanto mining company. He conducted numerous discussions on the legal remedies which the communities can use against the destruction being perpetuated by Lepanto mining on their means of livelihood, the environment and dwelling areas.

He functioned like a lawyer even when he was but a paralegal volunteer long before he even passed the Bar exam and not just as any lawyer but as a people’s lawyer.

As a family man

After having witnessed and experienced the issues plaguing the indigenous communities of Cordillera and its neighboring provinces, Kissack devoted himself to aiding the needy, sadly even when it called for him to leave his family for a while. Karl, his younger brother never did understand Kissack’s decisions where he isolated himself and chose his “work” over his family. It was only during Kissack’s wake as people came to give him tribute that Karl realized the rationale behind why his older brother took the less-traveled-road to helping the needy. Here, Karl gained closure to the pain he carried against his older brother not being able to attend his wedding years ago.

Kissack did not only think of his family’s welfare and future but also the majority of the needy indigenous people as well. He fought not only for the future of his children but also for the future of the voiceless children. His children never understood this until his wake where they heard testimonies after testimonies of people who Kissack had worked with and numerous people from the communities whom Kissack helped and extended his services.

As a people’s lawyer

While reviewing for the Bar, Kissack squeezed time from his limited studying hours to join rallies in Manila and tagging along his review buddies. His review buddies include Atty. Manja Bayang and Atty. Randy Kinaud. When Kissack also secured his license as lawyer, he joined the National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL), a nationwide union of people’s lawyers that aims to protect, defend and promote human rights, most especially for the marginalized populace.

Most of Kissack’s early clients were from the urban poor, youth, students, labor and indigenous peoples, among them were mostly political activists and human rights defenders. This continued even when he was employed as the Regional Presiding Officer of the National Commission of Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) in Region Four.

His employment with government through NCIP did not make him veer away from the path of a people’s lawyer. In fact, Kissack helped remind the NCIP officials in Region 4 of the real intent and wisdom of the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA) to uphold the welfare of the IPs. A clear testament of this is the pending administrative case Santos vs Gabaen, wherein Kissack denied an almost half a billion worth project in Region Four. An implied gesture of being on the side of the affected IPs over the multi billion foreign investment.

Kissack’s love for serving the IPs did not stop there, on his spare time mostly on the weekends if he was back in Baguio, he would always find time for events and forums in need of his expertise as a resource speaker or to inspire audiences. He would travel to the far-flung communities of Cordillera to render legal services as NUPL. Among which were travels to the outskirts of Ifugao threatened by a proposed 390MW hydro power dam.

The people then resisted and started organizing their ranks, then their leaders were sent numerous death threats. Even the office staff of the Ifugao Peasant Movement (IPM) were sent an envelope containing a photo of an Ifugao cloth used to wrapped their dead with the phrase “Gray-May, June-Gloom, and No Sky-July”. This prompted Kissack to return to Ifugao with hopes to boost the morale of the people so they could assert their rights to the protection of their Ancestral Domain and not to cower in fear despite the threats.

Prior to him being employed by NCIP, Kissack was a member pool of lawyers in the James Balao case. He also acted as one of our outside BIBAK university advisers in University of Baguio. He stayed behind us all the way, most especially during the time when all of our officers were issued an exclusion order by the University. He shared his expertise in the table negotiations that helped greatly in lowering the sanction against us then from exclusion to probation. All of us who were issued exclusion, graduated. Some were even inspired by Kissack and now are enrolled in law school including this author.

GIVER OF KNOWLEDGE. Kissack discusses the Cordillera People's clamor for 'Genuine' regional autonomy stressing that it should emanate from the grassroots and it will never be handed down from above on a silver platter  

What we will miss most of Kissack is his banter about his accomplishments as a student leader while he was a law student, and rightfully he should, because probably it was his way of encouraging us to go beyond his accomplishments as a student leader.

“Nalaka ti law school no ag field kayo” (Law school will be less difficult if you do field work and immerse yourselves inside the community), were the words that always comes out from his mouth every time he sees us with our annotated law books. True enough, because it is only through immersion where you can grasp and comprehend accurately the issues, and from there you can appreciate the application of law.

Kissack may have died at the young age of 43, but the way he lived his life fighting alongside the oppressed and marginalized, he has outlived those who existed for more than half of century who chose to live their lives at the side of the oppressors.

A TRUE CIVIL SERVANT. Kissack explains the unconstitutionality of the Pork Barrel system during a crowd gathering in Burnham Park. He also stressed on the reserve power of the people to legislate through the people's initiative under the 1987 constitution. He educates the people how to tango with the bureaucracy despite being employed in an institution under the office of the president 

We lived in feudal society where the oppressors, the ruling elite, those who monopolize political power and hog economic resources, tilt the scale of our justice system in their favor, living behind a trail of human rights abuses, oppression and exploitation. It is our responsibility as students of law not only to tip the scale of balance for the masses but also to educate and boost the awareness of the people about the prevailing social and economic inequities plaguing our country.

Let us break the culture of dogmatism among students of law and once again revive the militancy within them as agents of law. As what Kissack once said before we enrolled in law school, “true agents of law should advocate social change and should root their actions from the people’s struggle for justice not from the government, not from the law books, and most especially not from vested self interests”.

Thank you and farewell Atty Kissack 'EXTRA LEGAL' Gabaen. 

BSU grants more than 100 artificial limbs to amputees

LaTrinidad Benguet – Benguet State University (BSU) along with their partner, the Rotary Club, painted smiles on the faces of the less fortunate amputees by dishing out more than 100 limbs last Monday at the University open gymnasium.

This was the culmination of the ‘Artificial Limbs Project’ (ALP) that started last year with the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between BSU and the Rotary Club. Measurements were then taken last March 11-12 that was attended by 135 amputees not only from Cordillera but also from the neighbouring provinces as well.       

Ms. Felissa Pasayen of Bakun, Benguet now gets to stand and walk without the aid of her crutches. She was diagnosed with a rare disease caused by fresh eating bacteria which led to the amputation of her left leg at an early age.

“I first heard of the project from a friend” said Pasayen. Feeling agitated she bought a transistor radio where she waited patiently for the details of the said ALP to be announced. There, she was able to get a hold of the mobile number of Dr. Florence Poltic, one of the ALP coordinator and also the BSU Physician.

Pasayen plans to return back to her former employer in Manila and help her family financially once she will get familiarized with the mobility of her brand new prosthetic leg.

Another female beneficiary all the way from Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya voiced out her gratefulness for the said project as she humbly held back her tears. She has been a life time user of artificial limbs and was long enduring her outdated artificial limbs which she have during her teens.      

Meanwhile, BSU President Feliciano Calora said that this tie between BSU and the Rotary Club is just the first step of yet a very long journey of service towards their needy patrons. He added that development should go parallel to both BSU and its target patrons mutually.

Parties involved in the said activity and MOA were Baboo Kanan of the Rotary India, Linda Winter of Rotary Baguio, Dr. Florence Poltic and Dr. Jones Feleciano of BSU.

The activity is also part of the Centennial Celebration of BSU which will culminate this September 2016.  

The tie started 2015 during the stint of then University President, Dr. Ben Ladilad.

Benguet was their fourth destination for the year. They have been hoping from Laguna, Sariaya, Lipa in the first quarter of this year. For the coming months, they are set to proceed to Naga, Iriga, Vigan Makati and Caloocan.

Political puppeteering in Mountain Province and the disputed Gubernatorial installation

Election into office begets money and power. But in every luring glow of money and power commensurate negative returns because you cannot expect to appease everybody in your administrative function, decisions and in the disbursement of public funds. People tend to label public officials as corrupt once they saw them purchase properties even if it came from their separate personal funds and worse, a single mistake will arouse ridicule that can affect not only their public image but even that of their private life and family. Despite the risks, many people still venture to be elected into public office because of the obsession of power. This however, has exceptions because there are few elected good men who consider public office as a public trust and for public service.

More often, many disguised themselves as public servants but their personal interest always lords over public service. After them, their children, wives and extended families will succeed because then public service is now a family business, and like property, public service is now transmitted within the family circle, thus limited to the ruling few. Too bad, many poor constituents are more qualified in terms of honesty and integrity, service orientation and intelligence but they could not propel their way to power for lack of funds and machinery.

In Mountain Province, power and money hungry individuals led to the forced installation of Atty. Kathy Jyll Mayaen-Luis into power even at the expense of our legal processes. They tried to cross against the path of the law in order to get some time into power and participate in the disposition of almost half a billion pesos still intact in its coffer. This greed is also the reason why they succeeded in convincing some professionals who worked during the elections to sacrifice their career, license and employment by awkwardly raising the hands of a disqualified candidate.

That deed folks is to execute a concerted act which will result only in a pure question of law. This however drastically shifted when COMELEC en banc denied the COC of Atty. Kathy Jyll Mayaen-Luis on May 7, 2016. The denial practically rendered null and void the proceedings and the raising of the arms of a disqualified candidate by the Provincial Board of Canvassers (PBOC). The PBOC is now currently facing criminal and administrative cases for their acts. First, for raising the hands of Atty. Kathy Jyll Mayaen-Luis despite the denial of her COC. Second, for proceeding with the canvass and issuance of a certificate of proclamation in the name of the deceased Leonard Mayaen whose votes is considered stray under the election code and lastly, for using the certificate of proclamation of Leonard Mayaen in the ceremonial proclamation of his daughter Atty. Kathy Jyll Mayaen-Luis. How did they convinced these professionals to against the will of COMELEC and will they be there to support them and their families during a lasting fight for their innocence?

It is presumed that Atty. Kathy Jyll Mayaen-Luis is to seat as the provincial governor of June 30, 2016 using the certificate of proclamation of the late governor. On retrospect, the late Governor prepared his family for a simple and peaceful life. He never trained his family members for politics and it was his best intention to end politics in himself. If it was his intention, he should have asked nomination from a registered political party which he usually did before so that a member of his family could legally substitute him in any eventuality. These individuals like the PBOC, are very comfortable in sacrificing their careers and we can stomach that, but to include the liberty of Atty. Kathy Jyll Mayaen-Luis?

June 30, 2016 is now nearing, more than enough for these power hungry individuals to mediate. They should try consulting neutral and seasoned lawyers and/or politicians to avoid collateral damage.

Atty. Kathy Jyll Mayaen-Luis has no document to enter into office. She was fooled and made to believe that she was proclaimed as Governor of Mountain Province thru the mere raising of her arms. In truth and in fact, she is standing on a blank document. What document has she got? Only the certificate of canvass and proclamation of her father and there was not even an annotation below or insertion above that her name is being proclaimed as substitute candidate for the late Mayaen.

She cannot legally absorb votes of her father because her COC was earlier denied. She was not given time to file a motion for reconsideration because she was ill advised to file her COC only on May 5, 2016 to give the COMELEC no time to deny it before the day of the election. However, COMELEC anticipated the act because of earlier publication and in the end, it was she who was not given time to file a motion for reconsideration and thereafter certiorari, which, would have been still pending on the day of election.

The allegation of the PBOC that COMELEC cannot just cancel her COC without due process has no anchor. First, her COC was filed late because the filing of COCs for independent candidates has lapsed in October 2015 and only registered political parties are allowed to do substitution thereafter. Second, the determination by the COMELEC of her COC does not need adversarial proceeding. Simply put, your ordinary applicant for license, passport or tax declaration, her application was administratively turned down for lack of qualifications.

Elementary is the rule, that an independent candidate cannot be substituted, the first initiatory action filed should have been a petition to admit her COC. Just like in any other judicial or quasi-judicial forums, you need to ask permission when your period expire or when your right is clearly misplaced. But they chose to just insert her COC in the middle of the night when COMELEC is napping and through the back door.

The Power hungry individuals even went to the moon and cited numerous precedence, however all of which were immaterial everything was cut short when her COC was denied on May 7, 2016 and no motion for reconsideration was ever filed. After all, the precedence cited were all misplace because the decease on those cases have political parties wherein the case of the late Mayaen is very distinct.

With the foregoing circumstances, Atty. Kathy Jyll Mayaen-Luis would be at lost if she will continue to hear wrong advises. She should not take her oath and insists on assuming office on June 30, 2016 without proper documentations. Persistence will result in the violation of the sanctity of an oath and/or perjury and every act constituting performance of the functions of a governor constitutes usurpation of authority. Especially if she dares to disburse public funds, it would now be a case of malversation and worse, plunder depending on the amount.

We care for Atty. Kathy Jyll Mayaen-Luis and we treasure the good legacy of her father. We hate to see her sacrifice her career, license and even liberty only to be exploited by the power hungry individuals. She is a doting mother to her children and a loving wife to her husband. In all indications, she’s just unfortunately manipulated, forced or influenced.

We call to uphold the rule of law, and stop the misleading the people using the legal narrative. Let’s forever be vigilant against these power hungry individuals. For the meantime, let’s not go gently and just wait for the Commission en banc from the national office to hand us the decision on a silver plater. The assertive masses of Mountain Province is still the decisive factor in guiding the authorities concerned in search of light inside the dark tunnel constructed solely to cloud the consciousness of the people of Mountain Province.     

Atty Sikyu, determination and intellectual drinking sessions

Atty Sikyu, determination and intellectual drinking sessions

   

“Everytime workloads clash with law school’s schedules and we feel the urge to flip our office table and throw our office chair at our boss, think of Roy Lawagan.”

Another Round of Intellectual Drinking hours before the COMELEC liquor ban  

This has been our soothing phrase with Karl Alangui, fellow working law stud, which we hum everytime we are stressed out because of work and law school. And so far it worked! Because me and Karl are still employed in our respective work places and we’re even performing well in law school. Well, our grades may not be that high but nevertheless passing numbers.

I recall when Karl and I were walking along Session road in search of a bar to flush our stress from work and law school away. While debating on which bar we should enter, Karl saw Roy mixing his ‘momma’ at the side of a local pub. Karl quickly went at his side and shook his hands. Roy was then a frustrated Barrister for having failed his attempt at our nation’s hardest professional examination. And what a timing that was because coincidentally, Roy was also looking for a place to doze his frustration away, I guess the three of us were placed at the same location that time for a reason.

That night, we drunk and exchanged discourses regarding the Bar questions that were asked during the 2014 exams. Among which were the Jennifer Laude case and territoriality issue over the freedom island. Said issues ate  most of our time discussing towards the wee hours because of the relevance of the cases during that time.

The same intellectual drinking echoed when the three of us once again bumped into each other along session road. This time, the Bar exams is just a month away and Roy was doing his self-review by squeezing his reading session during his breaks while working as security guard at the Commission of Audit in Latrinidad. Despite the approaching Bar exams, Roy insisted for another round of intellectual drinking which we quickly concurred. We were again placed at that same location for us to drown our stress and for Roy to relax in preparation for the Bar exams.

Karl, being the eldest, volunteered to do the ‘pitik’, a ritual being performed by elders to ask blessing from the gods before drinking starts. In the ‘pitik’, Karl asked the gods to shower Roy with knowledge, luck and peace as he will about to enter hell’s gate, that is the Bar exam. Here, Roy is in his second attempt to pass the Bar exam, but unlike the first one he did not enrol in any review centers.

Roy, months before the Bar month, did not file his application for leave from his work place unlike other barristers would, who isolates themselves from the rest, months before the Bar exams, for them to concentrate on their review.

In fact even during the Bar month, Roy continued to work in his agency as the watchman. And because of that, Roy would have to travel back and forth to Manila during Fridays and rent a 150php bedroom near the bus station for the four Sunday Bar examinations.

Along with his travels and nights at the bus station, would be his single set of extra clothes, photocopies of review notes, books, momma and gin. Like your typical Baguio boy, he dresses in his most comfortable shirt and blue jeans to be easily identified by fellow Baguio law students who are dishing out Bar kit goodies outside the gates of UST, the Bar site. His photocopied notes and books were for his last minute review, and his momma and gin, to help him rid of his anxiety during this Bar crunch time.

Now after surpassing the Bar exam, Roy landed in the national news and even overshadowed the Bar top-nocther because of his unique story and willpower to succeed despite the hurdles of being a working student and a family man. Roy became an instant celebrity and his story touched a lot of people when it was broadcast nationwide. But in spite all of this, Roy maintained his down to earth attitude as Karl and I witnessed when we had our recent round of intellectual drinking with him.

READ: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/783315/baguio-sikyu-is-now-a-lawyer

READ: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/783778/atty-sikyu-was-night-watchman-at-baguio-cemetery

During the said drinking, Roy was very thankful to all those who featured his story before the public joking that it’s a free advertisement for him in luring future clients. But on a serious note he said, he hopes his story will lift other working law students’ spirit and willpower in pursuing their goals of becoming one day as agents in the administration of justice despite their heavy workloads in their workplaces.

Looking back at his fellow barristers who did pass the Bar exam while recalling his first failed Bar attempt, Roy said, ‘’they should never be dismayed, one need to hit rock bottom in order to spark the determination within them because when you’re down, the only way is up’’.

As your drinking buddies in Olympian, Atty Roy, we send our sincerest thank yous for the inspirations you have bestowed upon us. We will hold these insights you’ve shown to help us fuel our depleting determination-juice to surpass law school. And may you forever supply us with bottles during our intellectual discussions.

   

And to end this writing on a serious statement, Roy vowed to protect the sanctity of our laws wherein he shall not allow or tolerate the use of any false, misleading, deceptive, self-laudatory or unfair claim about our laws or the legal profession with the intent to exploit less-educated masses. This is one of many Canon laws which a lot of the senior lawyers have overlooked in their practice of law.