A Second Wind From My College Professors

“okay” is a negative word.
again, how are you?
---- prof. cruz, english 1

what you see, hear and do will affect what you believe
...and what you believe shall affect your life!
---- atty. chua, taxation

the best defense is to make yourself unassailable...
---- prof. torres, fundamental principles of management

it is harder in real life..
---- atty. banzon, obligations and contracts,
law on negotiable instruments,
law on partnerships and corporations

you are consistently inconsistent
...what are your priorities in life?
---- atty. abadilla,
law on sales, agency and special contracts,
persons and family relations

be careful of what you are saying,
...choose the right words for the right person.
---- prof. santos, principles of finance,
managerial accounting

little knowledge is dangerous.
---- atty. jimenez,
labor relations,
labor standards

lahat ng tumataas...bumababa,
parang spaghetti.
---- atty. culling, legal research and bibliography

huwag kang hangal!
---- dr. galang,
rational psychology,
experimental psychology

it is better to have something when you need it
... rather than having nothing when you need it most.

---- atty. santiago, statutory construction

there are spanish classes because
...there are still spanish professors alive and kicking!

---- prof. galang, public administration

history repeats itself.
people repeats history.

---- prof. yanga ,
asian history, world history

life is basic accounting.
is there any reason to fail?

---- prof. lee,
fundamentals of accounting

A Muslim Gift For Christmas

I'm speechless.

Yes. I received a special ecru-colored turban/”balabal” as a gift from my law school classmate, who is a devout Muslim, her name is Bai Ampatuan. The Ampatuan clan in Mindanao is a well-known and influential family in both local politics and Islam religion. As what I’ve heard, she belongs to a Muslim royal family. She had just arrived from Saudi Arabia after having her “Hajj” Pilgrimage during our Christmas break. And she bought the turban/”balabal” there after the said event.

Why a turban/”balabal”? I don’t know.

I saw it on my table just this afternoon. I was really surprised.
I just told her that I had the chance to go to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia together with my whole family but I wasn’t able to buy anything that will remind me of that tour/visit. Or maybe, she heard me telling one of my classmates that I really like Ed Lingao’s and Abner Mercado’s turban. Or she just thought of buying it for me to compensate for the tutorial sessions. Hehehe..

Anyway, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, BAI!!!

This special turban/"balabal" costs 65 Rials.
Just convert it to Philippine Peso.

Don't ask me to translate it.
It's enough that it's imported. Hehehe..

Thank you very much. I really appreciate it.
(I can’t say “God Bless!” because of an obvious reason. Hehehe..)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By the way, “Bai” in Muslim language means, “Princess”.
Nothing.

Part Two: Sembreak Fever

Whew! As I continue exposing my activities during the past semestral break, I noticed that I was able to achieve almost 90% of the pre-planned activities that I’ve scheduled before the break starts. Hence, God has been so great that He gave me the chance to accomplish almost all of the things I wanted to do before the second semester begins. Moreover, I learned many things about the essence of time management, discipline and perseverance in achieving the goals, whether it will have short-term or long-term effects.

For a two-week semestral break, every activity or appointment must be strategically scheduled. Time is of the essence. And every minute that passes by should be spent for remarkable and highly-valuable tasks or pursuits.

Here is a quick yet extensive preview of what I did for the second and ‘almost’ last week of the semestral break:

WEEK TWO: THE MARATHON

Sunday, October 29, 2006: INCOMPLETE YET COMPLETED

• Ate Joy’s family went to their ‘usual’ family reunion. (It has become ‘usual’ because it seems that they have it many times as they want in a year. I don’t know why. Let’s leave it up to them. Hehehe…) Plus, Haydee has not been attending in the church for a couple of weeks. (I don’t know her reasons, but we hope she can go back again. She and her boyfriend have been rumored with so many issues. I hope by the time she comes back, she’ll be ready to answer them. Hehehe…) Hence, we have to do some abrupt changes in order to make the regular Sunday Service possible. (Connection? Our regular afternoon Sunday Services are usually held at their house. Gets?!) Thank God, Bro. Roland, the head of their family, did not join the family reunion instead he helped us in fixing and preparing for the afternoon Sunday Service.
• Long before this Sunday comes, I already sent messages to both Jerry and PJ (our former churchmates/friends) to help us out because our drummer will not be around. Jerry did not reply, but thank God, PJ did. Surprisingly, they came together that Sunday. Jerry yielded to PJ, so PJ became our drummer. We also had Ptr. Manuel as our guest speaker. His message/testimony was so inspiring. We learned so many things about God’s providence and church-planting. Check it out: www.ccc-sm.blogspot.com
• That Sunday was a miracle. The whole story testified to that statement.

Monday, October 30, 2006: SORTING OUT

• I woke up late. (And there’s nothing new about it. Hehehe..) I stayed at home and tried sorting out different documents that I have since I began going to school. Bulks of papers are cluttered in my room for a long time; and I badly needed to sort them properly---an inevitable task in the life of a student.

Tuesday, October 31, 2006: UNEXPECTED BLESSING

• I stayed at home. I was writing a blog entry when my Mom called and asked me if I can preach in our Midweek Service at Cornerstone Christian Church-San Mateo. She had this idea because she knew that I have been preaching at DAR Christian Fellowship many times, especially when there are no pastors around. At first, I was surprised, but then I gave in. I prepared my message for our Midweek Service. I asked God for anointing and supernatural wisdom and revelation. God responded actively. And I had my message about assessing one’s net worth and using it for God’s glory. In fact, you can read my message outline in my previous blog entry: “Don’t Just Live, Get A Life!”.
• Dad and Mom went home very early. I invited them to watch the movie, “Laws of Attraction” of which they enjoyed very much. Then we went to our Midweek Service afterwards.
• During the Midweek Service, I was bit nervous because it’s my first time to preach to a familiar congregation, unlike at DAR Christian Fellowship, of which I don’t know most of them personally. Then, I started preaching God’s word for our church. The whole Midweek Service went well. Everybody was blessed. And I gave all the credit to God for He alone deserves to be glorified in what I did.

Wednesday, November 1, 2006:
HEAT STROKE IN CHRISTMAS SEASON/WHOLE DAY OUT

• It’s All Saints’ Day. It’s a holiday as declared by Malacanang.
• Dad, Mom, Ate and I went to Paco, Manila to attend the wake of one of our relatives---my Mom’s cousin. (I forgot his name.) He died due to heat stroke. He had three wives. He had children to each of them. But the most active or “punong-abala” during the wake was his second wife. Surprising!! We were shocked upon knowing his story. He is not a Muslim, but he managed to have three wives all at the same time. To be technically correct, one legal wife and two paramours. (That’s the effect of taking up Criminal Law. Hehehe….) Upon hearing the story of the second wife, I remembered the Pinoy movie, ‘Ako Legal Wife’. The whole story is almost the same, of course, minus the wealth. I don’t know what to feel upon hearing his story. All I understand is that after all he is accepted and greatly loved by his three wives, who were present during the wake, and also his children, even at the point of death.
• Then we went to Market! Market! (Again! This place has become a part of us, because of Aling Nene’s Sinigang sa Miso. Try it. Hehehe..) to eat dinner. Of course, we ate at Aling Nene’s again, with the same food order. Then, we went over the tiangges to check out for new arrivals. We bought few articles and accessories, as usual. My Dad initiated to go home, as always, so we can’t help but to obey. Actually, it’s already late in the evening that’s why we agreed to go home.

Thursday, November 2, 2006: FAMILY-BONDING

• All Souls’ Day. It’s not a holiday anymore.
• Dad, Mom, Ate, Joshua and I went to the Department of Foreign Affairs to have our passport renewed. The renewal of passports is usually done every five years. So early in the morning, we hurried to DFA and started the bureaucratic process (Again!) of renewing our passports. Except for my Dad (He has been traveling all his life that’s why his passport is always active.), we all went through the process needed for the renewal. We almost got into the deceitful schemes of the fixers outside the premises of DFA. Praise God, we discerned early that the man, who initiated to lead us through the process, was leading us to the wrong direction. Therefore, we concluded that he is one of those fixers loitering around. By the grace of God, we were led by an official from the DFA and we finished the whole process less than an hour. (Of course, legally and take note, with no long queues?! That’s amazing! Hehehe…) We were really grateful that God led us through the right direction----legal, fast, and logical.
• Then we were choosing either to go to Rockwell, to Mall of Asia, or to Market! Market! to eat lunch. We ended up eating at Market! Market!. (Again. I told you this is the place to be this sembreak. Hehehe..) Then after eating lunch and a little bit of strolling, we went to Cubao. My Dad, Mom and Joshua went to Farmers Market, while Ate and I went to LTO Driver’s License Renewal Center. I left Ate and Joshua at LTO and I joined my Mom and Dad strolling and shopping functional items there. (Of course. Parents are parents. Everything needs to be functional. Hehehe…) When we met Ate and Joshua, Ate told us that she saw Jonathan, our former churchmate/church drummer. She told us that Jonathan didn’t notice my Ate’s presence even though the place is so small that only blind people can have mistakes for not identifying everybody in the room. However, we didn’t take it as a big deal. Anyway, everything’s fine with us. We just don’t know about them. After waiting for a long period of the release of my Ate’s renewed driver’s license, we peacefully agreed to go home because obviously, we’re all tired after the long day out.
• The sad part of this day, I wasn’t able to come to DAR Christian Fellowship. I don’t know what happened to them. I just hope that Bro. Romy did relay my message that I will not be able to come.

Friday, November 3, 2006: CALLING FAMILIES

• Ate and I went to Barrientos’s house. I drove and we stayed there. Surprisingly, the Gallana family was also there. They had a lunch out there. When we arrived, they were just about to go home.
• Ate and I had dinner with Sis. Elena (the matriarch), Maan and Jen. I love the ‘Dinuguan’. I’m very choosy on eating it especially if I don’t know who made it. I also love the commercialized ‘Sisig’ that Sis. Elena was selling. Jennifer showed us some of her pictures during her pictorials in John Robert Powers (JRP) taken by no less than the socialite professional photographer Dominic James. The pictures are great. Jen looks gorgeous and elegant.

Saturday, November 4, 2006: SURFED THE WORLD

• I had a business meeting with RJ. I proposed another business opportunity to him of which I hope he would gladly accept. Then, I had my regular haircut back at Bench Fix- Sta. Lucia, and not in Robinson’s Metro East because my stylist there is absent when I went there. Then I hurried going home.
• I went home early because it was raining. I just did the usual routine of surfing the net and getting updates from different sites. I was very happy to explore Daphne Osena-Paez’s photo album site in Flicker.com. I enjoyed looking at her pictures and reading her stories. Daphne is such an admirable woman for me. Honestly, I want a wife like her, if possible. She’s very smart yet very candid, beautiful yet very simple, elegant yet very low-profile, very independent, yet very submissive to her husband, very career-focused but very family-oriented, and a lot more outstanding traits that are very unique. How I wish I could be Patrick Paez and marry someone like her.

Whew!
That was a great sembreak.

Life has many things to offer.
Thank God I’m alive.

Part One: Sembreak Fever

Thank God! I relatively had the busiest and most sensible semestral break in my whole life. (O.A.?! Hehehe..) Instead of having the ordinary indoor routine that I had before like sleeping, eating, surfing the net, watching TV and DVDs; and of course, sleeping, eating, surfing the net and watching TV and DVDs. (Actually it’s cyclical, but it’s not obvious on my part. Hehehe…) I believe God heard my fervent prayers; or maybe He read my previous blog entry and realized that I badly needed one. (Hehehe...) It has been pre-programmed long before the semestral break starts. (I noticed this part after reflecting on the things that I’ve done. Hehehe)

But hey, this time, I assured myself that it would be a different one. And it SHOULD be different this time. I wanted to have a dynamic outdoor routine. (Wow! Flexible?!) Hence, I had to strategically fix my schedules and appointments so that everything will be organized and balanced. (Hehehe.. That’s the real show business, in other words the‘Star Complex’.)

Here is a quick yet extensive preview of what I did last semestral break:

WEEK ONE: THE BREATHING PERIOD

Sunday, October 22, 2006: AN ANSWERED PRAYER

• Our whole family went to the regular Sunday Service at Robinsons Novaliches. I just can’t imagine how thankful I was for an answered prayer---the semestral break. I can still remember how I felt during the Praise and Worship part. I lifted my both hands as high as I can just to show to God how grateful I am for answering my-pretty-obvious-prayer-request.
• I was so happy that I bought the book that I really wanted to read and that intrigued me with its subject. I bought FREAKONOMICS by Levitt and Dubner. I will talk more about this in a separate blog entry.
• Then we went home to prepare for our next Sunday Service at Cornerstone Christian Church-San Mateo. I was ultra-excited to have our Praise and Worship practice (1:30pm-3:00pm) and the Ministers’ Bible Study (3:00pm-4:00pm). I was so blessed and enjoyed hearing the Preaching/Message part because I know that I don’t have to worry about any recitations or assigned cases that we need to digest for the next day. Whew! For me, it literally felt like ‘Heaven on Earth’. (As in!)

Monday, October 23, 2006: THE GENESIS

• I woke up late. (As usual! Hehehe…) Before the semestral break starts, I already planned to restore my ‘Work-Out’ routines like lifting weights and do some crunches in our home-based fitness gym. (Actually, it’s a room filled with different fitness equipment that my Mom bought through the Home TV Shopping. They’re getting rusty; and cobwebs covered most of them. So I should clean them first before I can use them. But my body wanted to rest more, so I decided to have a brunch (breakfast and lunch) first, then I’ll get back to it. Unfortunately, I forgot to clean and use them because I was hooked on watching a noontime variety show. (Of course, Eat Bulaga’s Bulagaan time! Hehehe…) In short, I decided to do those tasks the next day.
• Evening time came, I strategically (Take note of the word: strategically… Hehehe..) fixed my schedules and appointments for the whole week. I’m such an O.C.! Then, I prepared the (line-up) songs for the Midweek Service.

Tuesday, October 24, 2006: SIBLINGS DAY-OUT

• Last Sunday (October 22, 2006) for some uncertain reasons, My sister, Maan and Jen planned to go out and check out for some new tiangges/ bargains. They invited me to join them. Of course, the main purpose was to have a bonding with the whole star-studded cast (long lost friends), but for some usual reasons, we ended up having a ‘siblings-day out’. My Ate, Maan , Jen, Owa, and I went to Market! Market!
• Upon arriving at Market! Market!, we went directly to the food court/food district. (Hmm…Wow! Newly coined term. Hehehe..) It was lunch time then so instinctively we need to look for a place where we can eat. We opted to buy our food from one of the ‘lutong bahay’ stalls there. We chose Aling Nene’s for that matter. Jen highly recommended it. We had Sinigang sa Miso (Tanigue) and barbeques from Ineng’s Barbeque (Daughter of Aling Nene) with several cups of rice. We’re admitted to be fish-haters. I don’t eat fish generally speaking. I choose different kinds of fish to eat like tuna and all boneless fish. But that time was so different, we were able to eat the Sinigang sa Miso even if there are chops of Tanigue with it. Super delicious.
• Then we started roaming around and checking out the bargains/tiangges. I bought a sling bag/messenger bag and some accessories. They too have their own share of shopping items. Then we watched World Trade Center. I’ll talk more about it as a separate blog entry.
• Then my Dad sent a text message to my Ate telling us to go home early because we still have to attend the Midweek Service. My Ate is our church pianist/keyboardist; and I’m the assigned worship leader at that time. So we hurried going home. We left Market! Market! at 7:00pm; and we arrived at the church by 8:00pm. Imagine a 30-minute ride from Fort Bonifacio to San Mateo, Rizal. Amazing!

Wednesday, October 25, 2006:
ENROLMENT HORROR/STRESS OUTLET

• I woke up early. (Something different! Hehehe..) I needed to pass my paper for my Legal research subject. It’s reaction/proposal paper about the best way to amend the 1987 Constitution. I went to school at around 9:00 am. (Wow! I can’t believe this. I’m in the school at 9:00 am? I usually wake up at 9:00am. How can it be? Hehehe…) Then, after I passed my paper to our beadle. I rushed to the Dean’s office to start the whole bureaucratic enrolment procedure. I hate bureaucracy. (I’ll talk more about this in a separate blog entry) But thank God! It’s a miracle. There were no long and uneasy queues. I went through the enrolment process without the need to line-up because there was none. Maybe I came too early, that’s why. The only sad part was when I need the signature of our Dean for the approval of my scholarship. They said that Dean arrives in the afternoon, so I get to have my scholarship done in the afternoon. I just left the scholarship form and decided to go home. They’re wasting my time. This is not included in my schedule: to wait for the Dean’s arrival. Anyway, I can continue it some other time.
• Then I went to my Mom’s office and told her about the whole bureaucratic process of enrolment and the horror that it brings. Moreover, I told her that I get to have the discount for my tuition fee only that I need to secure Dean’s signature in my form. Then, to calm myself I get to go back reading the book that I bought, FREAKONOMICS while waiting for my Mom. We waited for my sister, and then we went home.

Thursday, October 26, 2006:
MIDWEEK AGAIN. (THREE MIDWEEKS IN A ROW?!)

• I went to DAR Christian Fellowship at 11:45am for their regular Thursday Service. The assigned speaker was Ptr. Jun Cam-Cam from the Victory Christian Fellowship (Main). He talked about the fruit of the Holy Spirit. I was extremely blessed for God anointed the whole preaching. Then, he discussed about the anniversary of DAR Christian Fellowship. He told us that he had a meeting with former Senator Tessie Aquino-Oreta. He informed us that she already accepted Jesus Christ as her personal Lord and Savior; and is now a Born-Again/Christian. He told us that she will be our speaker to our upcoming DAR Christian Fellowship Anniversary. We’re really excited about that. Thank God. Now, there is a clear and miraculous permeation of God’s Word in our government through our Christian political leaders.

Friday , October 27, 2006:
A SHORT WEDDING, A SHORT WAKE AND A LONG DAY

• Ate Chel and Kuya Richard had their court wedding. Maan and I were gate-crushers then because we only came at the wedding reception. At least we're not late! We saw Ptr. Bill Cadiang, our former pastor in our former church. Thank God. He took the initiative to greet us (Go, Ate Mhel, Maan and me) inspite and despite of what happened among us. It's so nice to see them again. I believe that this short wedding of Ate Chel and Kuya Richard paved the way for us (Pastor and the groups who transferred to other churches) to cross each other's paths, shake hands with him, and let forgiveness heal our longest longing.
• I checked my emails the other day. I read Jaja’s message about the death of Hutch’s Dad. I was surprised upon receiving that news. I buzzed at Andrei through the Yahoo Messenger. I asked what happened to Hutch’s Dad. He confirmed that Hutch’s Dad is already dead due to heat stroke. So some of the Pasteurites came to the wake of Hutch’s Dad. It was really sad though we filled the place with a touch reality and laughter.
• Then the whole group went to Tropical Hut at Concepcion, Marikina City because the Tropical Hut in Ampid was already closed at that time. We shared different stories that lightened up the whole evening. We went home laughing and laughing because of different jokes and rumors that has been spreading through a tread in our Yahoo Groups. I’ll talk more about it in a separate blog entry.

Saturday, October 28, 2006:
GENERAL CLEANING DAY

• Tons of photocopied cases are cluttered in my room. I barely recognize my personal things because of those stress-embedded papers. So I decided to clean and organize my things. I threw all the papers that has nothing to do with my previous and present status as a law student.

Whew!

Watch out for the Part Two: Sembreak Fever. More stories. More life!

Thanks. God bless.

Gusto Ko Ng Mag-Sembreak

Haayy!!

Sa mahigit 16 years kong pag-aaral, parang ngayon ko lang hiniling na magkaroon ng sembreak. Nung college pa ako (Hmm… Parang mahabang panahon na ang nakalipas.. Hehehe..), mga 7 buwan na ang nakakalipas, hindi ko inaantabayanan na mag-sembreak na. Sa totoo lang, parang regular Saturday at Sunday lang siya sa akin. Kasi parang wala rin naman siyang epekto sa sobrang ikli at bilis ng panahon. Pero ngayong nasa law school na ako, parang very special holiday siya sa akin. Para siyang pinagsama-samang Christmas, New Year, Valentines Day at Birthday ko. Nakaka-excite na sa wakas makapagpapahinga na rin ako kahit isang saglit. (Wow! Title yun ng kanta ha… Hehehe..) Sa sobrang daming ng ginagawa at kailangang gawin dito sa law school, panigurado na hindi lang ako ang naghihintay na mag-sembreak na.

Nung pumasok ako sa law school, akala ko tulad ng mga Post Graduate Studies, eh wala masyadong pressure at stress. Yun pala, dumoble at trumiple pa. Para siyang pinaghalong Highschool, College at Post Graduate Studies. Bakit?

Para siyang Highschool kasi:

1. Laging may assignment na binibigay. Walang palya sa pagbibigay ang mga law professors ng mga bulto-bultong babasahin. Parang walang normal na tao ang makakatapos sa pagbabasa nito. Kulang ang 24 oras sa pagbabasa sa patung-patong na mga kaso at babasahin. Parang malapit ko na ngang maging motto ang philosophy ni Kuya Germs na “Walang tulugan!!” Syempre pa, kasama pa ang Monday hanggang Saturday Group ng ‘That’s Entertainment’. Hehehe.. By the way, Monday hanggang Saturday pasok naming at walang rest day. Wala na nga ata akong sense of time eh.
2. Syempre pa, napaka-importante ng attendance. No more, no less.
3. Kailangan mong hintayin ang law professor, kahit 15 minutes na lang ang natitira sa time niya at mag-uuwian na. Kasi paghindi ka naghintay at dumating siya, lugi ka pa. Ganun din ang mararamdaman mo kahit hindi man siya dumating. Haay.. The key word is: kailangang sulitin ang tuition fee.
4. Eto pa, siyempre dahil kailangan sulitin ang tuition fee, edi magtiis ka dahil sinusulit ng din ng law professor ang panahong inilalaan niya sa pagpunta sa klase kaya sasagarin niya ang time niyo hanggang sa mapapansin mong pinapatayan na kayo ng ilaw ng security guard nung school. In other words, kayo na lang hinihintay para magsara na sila.
5. Siyempre pa ulit, ang grading system, 1-100, hindi 1.0-5.0. Kaya parang sa sobrang lawak at precise nung grade na matatanggap mo ay hihimatayin ka at walang poknat ang kaka-compare ng grades mo sa iba. Di tulad nung college, at least kapag 88 ka, alam mong 2.0 ka na kahit 90 yung grade nung pinakamataas niyo, magka-level lang kayo. Hehehe.. Edi mas favorable sa’yo yun. Pero sa law school, kalimutan mo na yun.

Para siyang College kasi:

1. Present lagi ang class cards. Pero nung college kami, 1^st year lang kami nag-class cards, the rest of our stay ay through the internet na ang grades namin. Mas high-tech. Ngayon, back to basics and antiquity kami, depende ata sa school yun eh.
2. Syempre, pwede pa ring hindi pumasok sa isa sa mga subjects mo sa araw na iyon. Pero, siguraduhin mo na hindi ka lugi kasi tuso rin ang mga law professors mas tuso kesa sa mga college professors. Andyan yung mag-quiquiz kasi wala ka o magbibigay ng bonus, na once-in-a-bluemoon lang ata mangyari yun, o di kaya tatawagin ka sa recitation at dahil wala ka edi double 50 ang grade mo for that day.
3. Naku, napaka-simple rin ang pagcompute ng grades dito: 1/3 midterms, 1/3 recit/quiz after midterms at 1/3 finals. Syempre, subject to change yan depende kung ka-fraternity or ka-sorority mo yung prof or kung tamad magcompute yung professor mo edi anu pa ba, ang ancient grading system, Madam Auring kaw bay an?! Hehehe..
4. Halos sa gabi lahat ng klase mo. Yung tipong fresh na fresh ka na papasok tapos yung mga nakakasalubong amoy araw na. At ikaw na lang ang nag-aabang sa kabilang side ng kalye samantalang nasa kabilang side na ang lahat na nag-aabang. Tsaka yung buong pamilya mo nasa bahay na, tapos ikaw papasok pa lang. Ang ganda ng schedule mo di ba. Bakit ganito ang schedule? Simple, kasi yung law professors ay nagtatrabaho sa umaga at sa gabi lang sila pwedeng magturo. Yung iba nga ‘hobby’ na lang nila eh. Hobby meaning, pwedeng papasukan nila kung kelan nila gusto parang nag-gogolf, naggagantsilyo o nag-crocross-stitch lang sila.
5. Syempre may sembreak, pero ang sembreak ay parang umihi ka lang sa bahay niyo from school, tapos babalik na kayo. Haay.. At least pina-ihi ka pa, sa bahay niyo nga lang. Sorry na lang kung malapit ang bahay mo.

Para siyang Post Graduate Studies kasi:

1. Post Graduate Studies talaga siya kung tutuusin, pero mixed with Highschool at College lifestyle. Eto lang post-graduate studies with a twist, kasi two occasions in one event.
2. Kasi ina-assume na nung mga law professors na alam mo na ang lahat kahit ang pre-law course mo eh B.S. Biology, B.S. Civil Engineering, B.S. Meteorology, B.S. Agriculture major in Feeds and Breeds (Hehehe.. meron ba nun?!) at kung anu-ano pang course na napakalayo sa field of law. Ganyan talaga, graduate ka na eh.
3. Pwede ka pa rin naman mag-work habang nag-aarala, yun eh kung kakayanin ng powers mo ang bulto-bultong mga readings at cases.
4. Walang pakialamanan, except kung may frat or soro ka. Kanya-kanya, yun lang.
5. They’ll say na mature individuals na kayo, pero ang approach nila sa inyo ay parang kahapon lang kayo ipinanganak, lalo na sa recitation. Degrading at excruciatingly embarassing everyday. Parang nagbayad ka para pahiyain at yurakan. Malapit na nga ito sa pagiging masokista. Well, they’ll say that it’s a part of the training. Hmm.. Sige na, training to be ferocious animals?!

And many more reasons to ask for a sembreak.
Pero bago muna magsembreak, kailangan munang dumaan sa apoy ng finals.

Thank God for such an overwhelming journey.
At the end of the day, it’s not only the learning that counts;
Neither the prestige and riches, neither fame and brilliance..

It’s the greatest reward that you can have----
the GODLY CHARACTER, that will spell the big difference after all.

ENTREPRENEURIAL LEGISLATION: The Art of Robbing the Nation

Entrepreneurial Legislation----a socio-political concept of executing or constituting business transactions out of law-making or legislation. Etymologically, the word “entrepreneurial”, means running a business enterprise, and “legislation” means the act or process of law-making; which we can obviously draw the foundation of this idea. Many of our lawmakers have enriched themselves while in office, and while many are conscientiously honest, the majority operates in a setup that is structured around the hunt for spoils. (Chua and Coronel, The Perks of Lawmaking) It explains how lawmakers of the majority have earned so much for themselves without taking into consideration the achievement of proper implementation and creation of policies or laws for the common benefit. It illustrates the reality of what a legislator should do primarily being elected by the people, and be responsible enough in doing their jobs for what they’ve been called for.

Legislators ought to be responsible to legislate and not to transact business neither to protect their business nor their business partners. Their priority is make laws and policies which will regulate, promote and secure the attainment of common good, and not being biased to which class they belong. No one shall be above the law. Laws should treat all individuals equal, regardless of their political, social, and economic influence. Hence, these things or concepts of what a law should be are merely endangered in existence. Most of our legislators consider legislation as a “sideline” rather than a priority. They even make laws to satisfy their business necessities. Most of the time, to maintain a stable relationship with their business partners and sustain their social status by giving favors to influential people or to business tycoons. All of these reasons lead us to a specific point of view. It all boils down to their ‘greatest intention’----their insatiable hunger and greed for money and power. Thus, making it enough to oxidize them and to frivolously and unconscientiously take away the breath of every starving and expecting Filipino citizen.

Needless to say, the legislators in the image of “traditional politicians” (TRAPO) and the businessmen especially the business tycoons, moguls and magnates have created a haven for them within the halls of legislative proceedings which eventually influenced and made our laws very rigorous and harsh to ordinary naive people, but very tender and placid for them. For this reason, it undoubtedly leads us to a conclusion of why our country lives in an impoverished and bleak stature. And this is why the gap between the glamorous circles of the elite and squatting perimeters of the mass continues to grow. The rich becomes even richer; the poor becomes indigently frail, making our laws cheaper and futile. It is only because most of our legislators are continuously robbing people’s money through selling and making laws out of corporate and personal benefits only and not for everybody.

The continuing fad of graft and corruption through entrepreneurial legislation in both Congress and Senate evenly progress like a contagious disease which will eventually contaminate the whole legislative body and the whole government system as well, if it would not be prohibited through proper actions or remedies. Legislators should take into consideration that there are many crises in our country that should be given enough attention rather than piling-up huge money in their personal bank books. They should focus on creating and implementing effective and efficient laws and policies, which will help solve those crises with its suitable, equal and appropriate performance.

The government’s budget deficit bulges, that as it increases our budget for the local expenses decreases and even becomes stringent and stiff. Our legislators should understand and realize that their immediate success should be proportionately equal to every common citizen who voted for them with trust and loyalty. They should concentrate in uplifting the lives of the ordinary individuals and that they may have what is due for them accordingly with what our law states. Pondering on the idea, the national survival and progress depends on how they perform their duties and responsibilities with dignity and pure integrity. And that every citizen paying their taxes and abiding to the laws should benefit equally from the laws that they make. Giving emphasis, our laws and policies are for everybody, but it is not cheap----always available, but not for sale!

**This is a re-post. I took it from my old, dead, ‘nilulumot’ and inept blogsite. And now, I’m sharing it again. I wrote this article for my subject in college, Dynamics of Philippine Politics. This article is inspired by the ‘forbidden’ book in Congress entitled "The Rulemakers" by Sheila S. Coronel and Yvonne T. Chua.