You are on page 1of 50

REMEMBERING STILL Interns' *"Tl",f,:

?,tffill::*'
Lawvering

Remembering Still:

lnterns' Reflections on Alternative Larn4rering in the Philippines


Copyright 2oo6

Ateneo Human Rights Center Ateneo Professional Schools Building


Rockwell Drive, Rockwell Center l2OO Makati City, PhiliPPines (632)8997691 local 2109

All rights reserved. Any part of this publication may be reprodirced or quoted for non-commercial purposes with appropriate acknowledgment.

lsBN 97.l-8899-15-4
Printed with the suPPort of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation

Project Director Myrfi S. Gonzalez


Project Consultant

Amparita S. Sta. Maria EditorialTeam Nelda Ethel


P.

Torio

Cecille Rose P. Sabig Roland Limcaco Alexandra Cuyegkeng Craphic Design Cerry Baclagon

Acknowledgements
The Ateneo Human Rights Center wishes to thank:

About the Ateneo Human Rights Center


On February 25,1986, the Philippines experienced the
EDSA

The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for supporting the publication

Revolution and toppled a government intamous for human rights

of this anthology

violations. lt became obvious that much work still had to be done


in the field of human rights. Ateneo Law School Dean Eduardo de los Angeles and Atty. Abelardo Aportadera established the Ateneo

The interns who have undergone the program and shared their

time, their thoughts, and their reflections on the internship

Human Rights Center (AHRC) in July of the same year.


AHRC's initial program was the Summer lnternship Program, which

- Veronica Jude E. Abarquez, Ramon Alcasabas,

Mary Catherine

A. Alvarez, Homer R. Arellano, Arlene J. Bag-ao, Elizabeth L. Benin,

was designed to provide law students with exposure to human


rights work and advocacy. The first batch of interns was sent out

Lorna Rosario Chan-Conzaga, Ma. Ngina Teresa V. Chan-Conzaga,

Maria Roda L. Cisnero, Jesselyn N. Durante Cuizon, Mark Anthony


C. de Leon, Mark Robert A. Dy, Ceoderick E. Carbonell, Vicente C.

in the summer

of

1987.

Dumbrigue Jr., Shyanne T. Juan, Charmane J. Kanahashi, Simon Mesina lll, Carolina P. Orias, Ryan Jeremiah D. Quan, Jennifer L.
Ramos, Katherine May N. Rances, Margareth P. Reyes, Joey A. Ramos, Raymond Q. Salas, Cilbert V. Sembrano, Minerva A. Tan, Roselle C. Tenefrancia, Nelda Ethel P. Torio, and Regidor B. Tulali

ln

'l990,

two more programs were put up: Research and Education,

and Litigation. The interns, citing their experiences during the


Summer lnternship Program, articulated the need for training and
education on human rights laws and issues. The Litigation unit was subsequently integrated with the law school's legal aid program.
By this time, Atty. Carlos P. Medina took over AHRC's helm.

who contributed their writings to this publication

- The lawyers and staff of the Ateneo Human Rights Center for
their continued support

AHRC intensified its advocacy on human rights issues in the

.l990s.

AHRC became the Secretariat of the Human Rights Committee

of the Law Association for Asia and the Pacific (LAWASIA) and
the Working Croup for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism, and created a Child Rights Desk named Adhikain para sa Karapatang Pambata (AKAP). AHRC also has special desks on the rights of

women, migrant workers, and indigenous peoples.


Today, AHRC pursues its mandate

of protecting and promoting

human rights thr6ugh various programs and services. lt is engaged

in providing legal assistance, research and publication, law and

iv

REMEMBERING STILL

INTERNS' REFLECTIONS ON ALTERNATIVE LAWYERING IN THE PHILIPPINES

policy reform advocary, education and training institution building law school cuniculum developmenq and values formation.

Foreword
It is with great pride and pleasure that the Ateneo Human Rights

With the support of student-interns, alumni lawyers, the Ateneo Law School, and its benefactors, AHRC will continue to strive hard

to enhance its work in order to respond effectively to the needs


and challenges of the times.

Center of the Ateneo de Manila School of Law publishes this anthology. This publication comes after I8 years of continuous implementation of the Cente/s Human Rights lnternship Program: its flagship program which has influenced the lives of over 500
lawyers and law students around the country.
This anthology chronicles the various journeys interns have taken

not only physically, but also in their hearts and minds as a result of their participation in the lnternship Program. lt shows how much the
internship experience has changed their ways of thinking deepened

their commitment to be of service to poor and marginalized SrouPS, and affected their career choices. Just as the interns are products of the internship program, in
a

sense, so is the Ateneo Human Rights Center. The Center has evolved through the years mainly because of the interns. ln the

beginning the only component of the internship program was the summer internship. This program now includes an immersion
during the semestral breah a one-year graduate internship, and
a

replication internship in various law schools around the country largely because interns made suggestions and helped the Center implement them. And it
is also

because of the influence of interns

that the Center now has special programs on the rights of children,

women, migrant workers and indigenous peoples.


Today, many of the interns are holding positions of influence and

leadership in government agencies, the judiciary law firms, nongovernment organizations, law schools and in many other sectors

of society which enable them to continue to pursue dreams and goals that the internship program has implanted in their hearts
and minds.

vi

BEMEMBERING STILL

INTERNS' REFLECTIONS ON ALTERNATIVE LAWYERING lN THE PHILIPPINES vii

We hope that this anthology will not only serve as testimony to the impact and importance of formation programs for lawyers and
law students, but also encourage and inspire others to undertake
similar journeys and set up similar programs to the end that larruyers

Message of Support
There's more than one thing I have in common with the contributors to this anthology. Although I am not a lawyer, as a liberal I believe in

and law students will continue to "learn the law, (and) serve the
peoplel'
To all the interns, through this anthology, we salute, congratulate

the importance of human righs. Respect of human rights stands at the centre of all liberal aspirations for a society where the freedom of the individual is safeguarded and guaranteed.

and thank all of you.

Carlos

P.

Medina

Jr.

Apart from being a human rights advocate, there is something else I share with the writers of this booklet. I started out my
professional career as an intern. I first applied for internships as a graduate student at Hamburg University in Cermany. Eventually I
was offered work as an intern at Radio Deutsche Welle, Cermany's

Executive Director

Ateneo Human Rights Center

international broadcasting corporation. While my academic studies were responsible for my intellectualformation, my immersion into professional practice and real life basically took place during those crucial months as an intern at the radio. often recount those valuable times where learning and performing on the job went hand in hand. lt was because of the internship that
I

I eventually landed one of the few coveted jobs as a radio editor.

to Manila in early 2OO2,l have had a high opinion of the Ateneo Law School in general and the lnternship program
Since coming in particular. This is an excellent program. lt motivates law students at an early stage of their professional careers to proactively defend the rights of the underprivileged, of which there are far too many

in this country. Equally important is the impact the participation in this program has on the mindsets of the young lawyers. As the texts in this
anthology vividly demonstrate, working in the field has opened their

eyes and widened their horizons. This I find a crucial supplement

REMEI\,4BERING STILL

INTERNS' REFLECTIONS ON ALTEBNANVE LAWYERING IN THE PHILIPPINES

iX

to the academic training and to the practice of law in the comfort zones of highly developed Manila.

Table of Contents
I
Answering the Challenge Bumobo Ko so Bundok, Mokibohogi ot Honopin ong lyong Sorili Attributed to John Balisnomo

With all this said, I wish to congratulate the Ateneo Law School and all those behind the lnternship Program for their important accomplishment. May this little booklet serve as an inspiration for
new generations of interns, who like their predecessors, aspire for a society where every individual enjoys life in peace and freedom.

There is Nothing Special About Joining the Ateneo Human Rights Center

Dr. Ronald Meinardus

- Mark Anthony C. de Leon


One Summer in a Land of Dreams and Nightmares

Resident Representative Friedrich Naumann Foundation

- Mark Robert A. Dy 2
Heeding the Call
9 Ang Aking lmmersion Ceoderick E. Carbonell

l0
13

The Cift of Civing

Katherine May N. Rances


16
Jr.

A New Meaning Vicente C. Dumbrigue

Why are you in Law School, Charmane?

t9
21

- Charmane J. Kanahashi
Random Thoughts Ramon Alcasabas

Pogloyo

- Ryan Jeremiah D. Quan


More Alternative Law Croups and Human Rights Lawyers,
Please?

3
x
REMEMBERING STILL

Regidor B. Tulali
31

Building Relatronships Simon Mesina lll

Realizing Truths

35

INTERNS' REFLECTIONS ON ALTEFNATIVE TAWYEFING IN THE PHILIPPINE$

I so n

Po g bo bo I i k-to now

- Minerva A. Tan
Everything Has a Reason

1 Answering the
Ohallenge
The lnternship Program is the Ateneo Human Rights
Center's (AHRC) pioneer program. lt is concerned with the formation of law students in the Jesuit educational system
and in the field of alternative law. Students from the Ateneo

Lorna Rosario Chan-Conzaga

A New Perspective

- Carolina P. Orias
Land Distribution: A Solution?

Elizabeth [:. Benin 47

I Learned About Service, but I'm Still Confused


Veronica Jude E. Abarquez

Nothing Profound
Jennifer L. Ramos

5l

Law School and its partner law schools are introduced to human rights advocacy in the Philippines.

Reflection

- Shyanne T. Juan
Realizations

"The internship is vital to


P.

law students like

Nelda Ethel

Torio

Human Rights Work Homer R. Arellano

us. lt mokes us reolize thot whot we have learned ond whot we hove yet to moster within the four corners of law school ore
not enough."
63

Committing Our Hearts

Once an lntern, Always an lntern

Jesselyn N. Durante

64

Summer

.l999

intern

Raymond Q. Salas

An Alternative Larnryer Mary Catherine A. Alvarez

Delirium's Stand in the Here and Now


Ma. Ngina Teresa V. Chan-Conzaga

The Ripples are Becoming Waves

- Cilbert V. Sembrano
Coming Full Circle

Arlene J. Bag-ao

REMEMBERING STILL

INTERNS'REFLECTIONS ON ALTERNATIVE LAWYERING IN THE PHILIPPINES

Bumaba Ka sa Bundok, Makibahagi at Hanapin ang lyong"sarili


Parang kailan lang nang nakita namin ang mga salitang ito na naka-paskel sa loob ng ating mga silid-aralan bilang paanyaya mula
sa Ateneo Human Rights Center na sumali sa kanilang Summer

ng isang taos-pusong pagtugon. Sa pagkakataong ito, hindi naging

madali para sa amin ang tumugon. Maraming mga pagmumuni-

muni, pagpukaw at pagkilala sa sarili ang kinakailangang daanan. Bagama't sa ngayon ay hindi pa namin maaaring sabihin na

lubusan na kaming nahubog ng aming mga karanasan, alam


namin na hindi rin namin maaaring sabihin na ganoon pa rin kami
at walang nagbago. Dahil sa kabila ng lahat ng ito, alam namin na

may pagpapalalim ng sarili na naganap. May pagsibol ng mga


panibagong adhikain, may mas pagkilala sa katotohanan, at may mga pagmumulat na nakamtan dahil minsan ay tinangka naming bumaba sa bundok.

lnternship Program.

Tumugon kami sa Paanyayang ito ng may iba't ibang dahilan: mula sa pinakamarangal na dahilan tulad ng pagtulong sa bayan,
hanggang sa'di naman masasabing mababaw na dahilan tulad ng

Attributed to John Balisnomo

pagnanais makapunta sa iba't ibang lugar at makaranas ng iba't ibang kultura.


Habang lumilipas ang mga araw, unti-unti naming nakita at nadama

Summer

.l996

intern

na may pagbabagong nagaganaP. Mula sa isang Paanyayang


"bumaba sa bundok" ay lumitaw ang isang hamon na naghihintay

While in privote proctice, John joined the child rights odvocoqr ond volunteered to prosecute child obuse coses for the Department of Sociol Welfore ond Development ot Morilloc Hills. ln 2000, he wos omong the privote prosecutors in the impeochment triol of former President Joseph Estrodo. He joined the Office of the Solicitor Cenerol in Morch 2001 and ossisted former Solicitor

Ceneral Simeon V. Morcelo in the orol orguments before the Supreme Court on the coconut levy cases, the constitutionolity of the plunder low cose, ond the re-opening of the Kurotong Boleleng cose. He then joined the Office of the Ombudsmon in October 2002. He is now back in privote proctice.

REMEN/BEBING STILL

INTERNS' FEFLECTIONS ON ALTERNATIVE LAWYERING IN THE PHILIPPINFIJ

There is Nothing Special About Joining the Ateneo Human Rights Center
Don't get me wron8. This is how I feel, and I say this without any malice. lt's not that I didn't learn anything: quite the opposite actually. I learned more about law in two months than in my first two years in school. lt's not that I didn't have any fun; in fact, I rarely found a dull moment throughout the whole internship. lt's
not because I was overuuorked, although there were moments that came close to it.
There is nothing wrong with the internship itself. We are law students because we decided to take the extra step. After years of spending nearly every morning wishing that classes would be cancelled, after years of dragging ourselves to school, and after years of cramming

for examinations, projects, and papers, we had the chance to end the suffering we call academic life at our graduation. We could

to be compelled to read anything again. We job orrld have taken a to become self-sufficient. Our "obligation" Io be educated ended when we got our college degrees, but we t lrose to prolong our sufferings and pursue further studies. Our wlrole law school life is based on the fact that we chose (mildly r oerced or not) to do more than what was required of us - to
Ir,rve chosen never
r

l,rke that extra step.

llris is why it is disheartening to see that some law students are


r

ontent with simply passing. lt is dismaying to see how they came

lo law school wide-eyed and ready to make a difference only to t.rrd up being satisfied with barely surviving. ls it any wonder that
llrose who wanted to become idealistic lawyers end up becoming p.rrt of the problem?
I

hat is why there is nothing special about joining the Ateneo Human

liights Center. As law students, we should not be content with passing. We should be willing to take the extra step and become lhe best we can be. Learning the law exclusively from books and from the classroom should never be enough. lt should take place where it matters most - where it affects people. This is what the

REMEIVBERING STILL

INTERNS' BEFLECTIONS ON ALTEFNAT]VE LAWYERING IN THE PHILIPPINI II

Ateneo Human Rights Center offers' This is an oPportunity that


every law student should take advantage of. There is nothing special

about that. lt is iust being consistent.


Mark Anthony C. de Leon

One Summer in a Land of Dreams and Nightmares


"When I look ot the world

Summer

.l999

intern

l'm

pessimistic, but

when I look ot people I om optimistic."

Mork hos worked in the low firms of Quisumbing Torres ond SyCip Solozor Hernondez & Cotmoiton' He is now working ot Puno & Puno Low Offices. He dedicotes his life to the pursuit of
hoppiness.

- Carl Rogers
How does one even begin to talk about an experience that is so profound, so elusive, and yet so real? How does one begin to pin down everything one has learned, when one continues to learn new things each day? There was nothing special about my summer experience. I say this because it was not about finding something "special." lt was about seeing reality: the common reality of pain, suffering and injustice. These things are alarming strange, and out of place to us who are sheltered by concrete buildings and consume what we need. But as I walked through the different villages, forests, jails, and other places of need, I realized that the only thing out of place was us. Did I see anything special this summer? No, I cannot say I did. The things I saw have always been there and will continue to be there long after I pass. But the imprint, the drive for transformation that it left in my mind, cannot be taken away.

BEIVEMBERING STILL

INTERNS' REFLECTIONS ON ALTERNATIVE LAWYEFING IN THE PHILIPPINES

2 Heeding the Oall


Preparatory activities are significant in the value formation of the

itttcnts. lnterns undergo

four-day Basic Orientation Seminar (BOS)

arrd a week-long lmmersion. The BOS is a series of lectures aboutthe

different human rights laws and issues, and equips interns with the
necessary skills in advocacy. The lmmersion is a live-in arrangement

wlrere interns are assigned to live with families belonging to the


trtrsic sectors (e.g. indigenous peoples, fisherfolh and peasants) in

The Ateneo Human Rights Center has been shaping would-be lawyers for many years now. This year, I was fortunate to be
accepted into the Summer lnternship Program. lt was both a choice

,r prerdesignated area. lnterns thus have a first-hand experience of


livirrg with and learning about the grassroots community.

and an answer. lt was a choice because I was going to have to sacrifice a whole summer break I could have spent with my family
in Cebu. lt was an answer because I wanted to know if this was the right path for me: if I was strong enough to become a student and an advocate of human rights. I was lucky to enter into the program

Ior the Summer lnternship Program, interns are further assigned


tt-r

different partner organizations of AHRC which work for specific

ccctors of society. ln their host agencies, interns engage in legal re:;earch, field investigation, client interuiews, paralegal training

without any pre-existing stereotypes of what it was going to be about. I had little or no idea of what I had to accomplish or what
was going to happen to me. All I had going for me was a mixture of anxious trust and prayer. I knew that no matter what I would have

r;crlinars, and litigation work.


"l storted out disoppointed with the ossignment.

to go through, I would be in good hands. That much I was certain.


dared myself. I took the plunge into the proverbial rabbit hole and saw what I needed to see: the law and its many faces.
I

But despite thot predisposition, I occepted the chollenges of hoving o portner

I didn't

know

before the internship, ond of working in whot I


believed to be o foceless sector. And I hove seen

Mark Robert A. Dy Summer 2004 intern

mony foces. And the only thing that I hod to do wos to be humon. To just be myself. To occept

MRD is the president of the AHRC interns council. He is o psychologist, on ortist ond o writer. He is the vocolist, guitorist,
ond songwriter of o Cebu rock bond colled Sundown Coffeine. He olso hoppens to be o low student.

whot wos given to me.

To open myself

to new

things ond new experiences. To work my woy to

onother stoge in my life. To be oble to nurture


whot hos been plonted in my mind, my heoft ond

my soul: a feel for humon rights work."

8
REMEMBERING STILL

Roselle C. Tenefrancia

Summer

.l996

intern

INTERNS' REFLECTIONS ON ALTERNATIVE LAWYERING IN THE PHILIPPINFI]J

Ang Aking lmmersion


Kakaibang damdamin ang bumalot sa akin noong papaalis na kami

patungong Mindoro pagkatapos ng BOS. lsang linggo raw kaming makikipamuhay kasama ang isang tribo ng Mangyan. llang piraso ng tuyo, dilrs, de lata ng sardinas, at noodles ang aming dala. Puwede
na, isang linggo lang naman. lsang linggolAno naman ang gagawin

namin doon? Makikipamuhay daw kami sa mga Mangyan. Pansinin naman kaya nila kami? Marami na akong naririnig tungkol sa mga Mangyan. Sa katunayan, ilang beses na rin akong nakapunta roon, subalit hindi ko pa rin
sila kilala. Kung baga, wala pa rin silang mga mukha. Pawang mga
I

lakrs buong linggong umuulan. Dahil hindi kami makalabas, ang

katutubo lang sila na walang halaga Para sa akin. lyan marahil ang dahilan kung bakit meron akong mga pangamba. Natatakot
akong malaman na nagkakamali pala ako sa pagwawalang-bahala
sa kanila.

nrg,r ManSyan na lang ang dumadalaw sa amin. Tinatanong nila

krlrg nalulungkot kami at inaalam kung meron pa kaming ibang


kail,rngan. Hindi ko malilimutan si Mang Junior, ang dating pinuno
rrpl

lribo, na maya't-mayang nakikipagkuwentuhan sa amin, at

si

M,rrtg Juan, isa sa pinakamatanda, na palaging dumarating sa tuwing

Araw ng pag-akyat sa bundok. lsang batang Mangyan ang sumama para ituro ang daanan. Tatlong interns kaming magkakasama. Tahimik ang bata. Tahimik nga raw ang mga Mangyan. Sabagay, ano nga naman ang sasabihin niya, at ano naman ang sasabihin
ko? Pinagmasdan ko na lang siya. Ano kaya ang nasa isip niya? Kaunti lang ang nadatnan naming mga Mangyan sa itaas ng bundok. Nagkakaingin ang karamihan sa kanila. Habang nag-aayos kami ng gamit, may mga dumadaan-daan sa labas at nagmamasid. Madungis

karrri'y kumakain. Pinagmasdan ko sila. Custong-gusto nila ang


p,rgkain na malapit ko nang mapagsawaan. Mahilig magkuwento si
M,rrrg Junior. Mahirap daw ang buhay doon. Ngunit sa kabila noon,

nr,rpdpansin pa rin sa kanyang mukha ang kanyang kaligayahan. dahil hindisiya nanghihingi ngawa mula sa amin kunding "rgrrro
p,r6lmamalasakit. Si Mang Juan naman ay tahimik lang. Naroon l,rrrg siya. Ano kaya ang nasa isip niya? Siguro wala. Pero buti pa
,,rya tahimik. Matagal-tagal

ko na ring ninanais makaramdam ng

l,|r)oong kapayapaan.
Arrcl kaya kung ako ang naroon sa katayuan ni MangJunior

ang kanilang itsura. Hindi na yata nila nilalabhan ang kanilang mga damit. Subalit kapuna-puna na silang lahat ay nakangiti. Buong galak
silang bumati sa amin. Humingi ang iba ng paumanhin dahilwala

ni

Mang Juan? Ang hirap siguro. lisipin ko na sana kaawaan ako ng


rlrang tao at tulungang makaangat sa kahirapan. Mabuti na lang at

na silang ibang maibigay maliban sa PanSSatong. Matagal pa daw kasi ang anihan. Bakit ganoon, kung sino ang walang maibigay, siya
pang gustong-gustong magbigay? Canoon pala ang mga Mangyan'

lrirrdi nangyari sa akin ang ganoon. Mapalad ako.

Unti-unti na siyang nagkakamukha sa akin.


1O BEMEMBERING
STILL

INIERNS' REFLECTIONS ON AL|ERNATIVE LAWYERING lN THE PHILIPPINLIi

Patuloy ko silang pinagmamasdan. Kilala ko na ang mga Mangyan.

Hindi pala iba si Mang Junior sa akin, hindi iba si Mang Juan.
Kagaya ko sila. Masuwerte lang ako at ako'y nabiyayaan ng mas masaganang buhay. Ngunit hindi ba kasabay ng kasaganaang ito ay

The Cift of Civing


*You

give but little when you give of your

ang responsibilidad ng pangangalaga? Ang mga taong nakaaangat sa buhay ang siyang pag-asa nina Mang Junior at Mang Juan, at lahat ng mga dukha at inaapi, hindi bilang Mesiyas kundi parang isang kaibigang taga-akay. Kay hirap makita kaagad ang ganitong

possess/bns. lt is when you give of yourself thot you truly give;'

- KohlilCibran

katotohanan. Dulot siguro

ito ng aking kawalang-pakialam

at How much of your self shall you give? How much of your self can you Bive? Sometimes, it just did not feel that what I should or could
give was enough. lt came to a point when I felt useless, like I was

makasariling pananaw. Pinalalabo nito ang aking paningin. Sinasabi na wala akong responsibilidad sa ibang tao. Marahil dahil dito, isa pa ako sa umaapi sa kagaya nila. Hindi pala dapat ganoon. Ngunit paano? May mga taong piniling "bumaba'l Tumugon sila sa tawag

ng mga nangangailangan. Totoong kahanga-hanga. Ako kaya, kaya ko bang tumanggi? Ceoderick E. Carbonell Semestral break 1996 intern
Oeo is now with the Philippine Deposit lnsuronce Corporotion (PDIC). Except for o few sightings, he hos been in absentio after groduating from law school,

wagting my time at Kabanabahan and doing nothing productive. Leah and I were not really helping with any of the community ftlembers' chores, farm duties, and daily activities. We were simply teaching the kids songs and dances that I thought would mean nothing to them when we left. I was worried they were beginning

to think we were lazy, spoiled brats from Manila who wanted to


get out of the city for some adventure. I felt out of place. I asked myself why I was there, and what I was supposed to be doing. We

but he assures everyone thot he will olwoys be on intern by hean ond thot he will not ceose being on advocote for human rights in his own woy within
his

did not prepare an itinerary precisely because we did not know


what awaited us. The moment we set foot on Kabanabahan soil,
I

sphere of influence.

felt misplaced. lt was not until the last night that everything made
5er"lse.

I'he kids sang beautifully on the last night. Their voices were louder.
1'heir faces beamed with pride, and they were very eager to show

everyone they knew the songs and actions by heart. They sang medleys of "Balay ni Superman," "Chikadee," "Ogakgakga(" "Kuya
Jess," and "Panalangin sa Pagiging Bukas Palad" tirelessly and with

so much fervor. lt broke my hebrt to tell them we were down to the last round of songs because it was beginning to get dark and dinner was ready. We prepared a small solu-solo (gathering) for them. Leah and I asked one of our neighbors to help us cook all
the food we had left. There were about seven packs of sardines,

12

FEN/EIVBERING STILL

INTERNS' REFLECTIONS ON ALTERNATIVE LAWYERING IN THE PHILIPPINES 13

eight packs of noodles, two packs of dried fish and nruo kilos of
rice left. lt was not much, but amidst those happy faces and high
spirits, one could not have asked for anything more.

Just when we thought that the night had ended, a few of our neighbors knocked at our door for some late night chitchal They started joking around about singing songs for Leah and me since

it was our last nighq and it was their only chance to do it. They
sang songs I had never heard of before. lt was simply beautiful.
Their deep and moving voices sung of love lost and found, hunger,

hardships, bliss and contentment. They also asked me to sing for

them. I gladly did. We all wanted to stay and carry on with our little concert underneath the stars, but they insisted that I rest since
I

was leaving early the following day. I agreed, and that was when

they started thanking me. Their thanks felt inappropriate. I kept thinking, "Why thank me? I really did not do much. I have all of
you to thankl' But finally I found myself saying, "Wolong onumon

They have the simplest of all needs, and yet it is the most difficult tu fullill. lt is a need beyond the material and the physical. The five
rlay= rniglrt or might not have made an impact on the Kabanabahan r.errlrrnrrnity, but I believe it was a start. I know in my heart though

ot lubos kong ikinolulugod no moging bohagi ng inyong buhoy."


(You're welcome, and

lfeel fortunate to have been a part of your

that tlrt-.y have made me a different person. For that, I shall be etem.rlly grateful. Sano, bolong orow mokobolik oko ot muling
ttto.;iktyctrr ong mgo moniningning no

life.)

ngiti(l hope that, one day,

I will be able to go back and see their smiling faces.)

I walked back to our kubo (hut) my heart filled with genuine


happiness. I knew then that I came to Kabanabahan to experience Katherine May N. Rances Semestral break 2005 intern
paft of the Ateneo Humon Rights Center os one of the She is the botch heod of the .)005 Semestrol breok lmmersion Progrom, and is on incoming junior in the Atutao Law School. To Kol the fomily she hos found in the AHRC will olways lrve o very speciol ploce in her heot.
Krrt torsiders being

them.l was not asked to bring money, to feed anyone, or to do specific things. I was not asked to live exactly like them or to do the exact same things they did every single day. I was there to be a part of them and for them to be part of me. fhe Mongyons, the
natives, the indigenous people

tlrtriest things thot hos ever hoppened to her.

whatever we may opt to call them

they do not ask for money or for material possessions. They are

content with the kind of life they live. They need something more permanent. They need to feel the permanence of being part of

our society: that they are not and will not be isolated for being
different, for being a minority, or for continuing their old ways and beliefs. They need to feel that there are people who care, who understand their plight, and whom they can trust.

14

REI\IEN/BEFING STILL

INTERNS' REFLECTIONS ON ALTERNATIVE LAWYERING lN THE PHlLlPPlNli:ti

A New Meaning
One of the most difficult decisions I made a year ago was to quit my job and to choose either to enroll in law school or to join the Jesuit Volunteers of the Philippines (JVP). I chose law school.
I

thought this was an equally important calling.


ln law schobl, things were different. I was bombarded with so many

tasls: reading thick law books and cases, answering very difficult
exams, and participating in the dreaded dai$ oral recitations. lt was murder. Cradually I began to seek something more relevant. I joined

the Ateneo Human Rights Center as a replication intern.

it i-. a vcry difficult job to empower the grassroots by teaching


thenr tlreir rights and the enforcement of these rights. Oftentimes

My immersion gave me a different perspective on contentment and existence. The experience made me appreciate my simple
comforts. lt took me days to absorb the thought of being content

it rart bc very frustrating. lt entails so much patience, time, and r'rrrrrrrritrnent. But as difficult as it is, I think this endeavor is one
of the rnost powerful tools in solving our worsening human rights
siturrtion.
r.arne face to face with jurisprudence that shook my adherence

with what you have simply because you don't have a choice. I left my immersion site with so much guilt. lt pained me to leave the family I had stayed with for several days and return to my comfort

I f irrl

zone. But then extending my immersion would have merely


lessened my guilt; it would not have solved their problems. lndeed,

trr llrtr rloctrine of store decisis during my immersion. This was a big

being an observer was excruciating.

to read cases merely trr lc,rrn the issues my professors wanted me to know. I never
Irrrrrirrg point. Before my immersion, I used

realizcd how these resolutions actually affected people's lives

..onxr instances even disenfranchising them. For example, I first


rearl l'ortich vs. Corono during my Constitutional Law I days. My

in

irr',rrrsitivity at the time caused me to view this case simply as

rerltrirement for passing a subject. I did not understand the social

rehvtrnce. Now when I read decisions, I get flashbacks from my


rrrrrrrcrsion. Reading cases has now become a reality check.

I ,rlso had so much fun during all the trips I took. I met people
Irorn all walks of life and visited places I'd never seen before. But
rrrost importantly, I was able to see the true face of life and society.

16

REN/EIVBERING STILL

INTERNS' FEFLECTIONS ON ALTEBNAT]VE LAWYEBING IN THE PHILIPPINES

Whv are vou in Law Schbol, Charmane?


"Learn tlte law serve the people...." When

lfirst read this line,

diei nert give it much thought. I did not expect however, that this *tatenRent would echo in my mind after my internship. My it rter r r,l rip experience was not full of adventure. lnstead of going

I really do not know if the purpose of the whole program was to attract me into becoming an alternative lawyer, or whether these were simply joys that formed part of the whole commitment.
After all my experiences and realizations, I think the most difficult thing for me to do was to pretend I saw nothing that bothered me.

to rlifferent places, I was usually at the office browsing through


ttunlerous tiles, getting nervous whenever the "counseling phone"
rng, or at the Quezon City Hall filing and serving pleadings of all
c6ft=,,

llrcsc activities may have been small and effortless; however,

It wa., lhrough these activities that I realized how great things ln lt.rvc humble beginnings. Since I filed and served pleadings
;rtopetly,rrrd fixed case files, the cases could not be dismissed due to tet trnrcalities. The lawyers also had more time to prepare their
rgLlnrenls. I was happy but not that content.

lndeed I was bothered. The experience Save my law studies the meaning I was searching for from the beginning: how to make law
relevant to society. The seed of alternative law has been planted in me. Even if I eventually end up joining the "mainstream," I think my way of thinking and my perspective will always be alternative' My immersion and this internship experience will always be my source of stren$h and will have a persuasive effect in whatever decisions I make in the future.

flren llrc irrevitable happened: a client came to me. I was nervous.


I felt like I was up for recitation with Fr. Bernas, Justice Sabio and

I'd like thank Ateneo de Davao Legal Advocacy Wor( the Ateneo Human Rights Center, and Kaisahan for making this summer a meaningful and fruitful one. Law school will never be the same
again.

Vicente C. Dumbrigue Summer 2002 intern


Nuj is o student of low

Jr.

in

the Ateneo de Dovoo ond o student of life'

1B

RFN/EIVBEFING STILL

IN IERNS' REFLECTIONS ON ALTERNATIVE LAWYERING ]N THE PHILIPPINEI}

Random Thoughts
I cannot summarize my human rights internship experience in
a

Id

er two. One of my co-interns said during the evaluation phase

the Summer lnternship Program (SlP) that she didn't come tffth erpeetations so she would enjoy the whole experience. My
appreaeh was contrary to hers. I came to the SIP with expectations. I Epplied to the internship program instead of joining a law firm.
I

Attorney Quimson all rolled into one. She was a 1O-year-old rape victim. The interview went well. I got all the information I needed. ,I.0 recitation grade. I felt good. I felt as if I got a

had deeided to better myself in terms of my spiritual and emotional

gfwth and not in terms of my career. For unknown reasons, ltook


the path less traveled. Five people in my batch chose the internship,

lwgs one of them.


At

My "adventure" did not stop there. I prepared her affidavit and accompanied her when she filed her complaint. Her long wait was over. Her case was now with the Proper authorities' I was relieved. I was happy. I was content. I will not forget that day'
I

flst

I thought I was taking part in a crusade

a crusade for

the poor, I indicated I wanted to help the marginalized during my interuiew at the Ateneo Human Rights Center (AHRC). I never thcught it was more than that or that I was entering a covenant = a bond with the people of AHRC.

will not forget her voice when she said "thani' you" for the small
things I did for her.
actually forgot to thank her back. lt was because of her that I was

fre

Basic Orientation Seminar (BOS) was intriguing. lt was strict and

able to appreciate what I have, especially my family. lt brought back my focus. She gave me my direction. I was able to answer the question, "Why are you in law school, Charmane?" I want to
be a real lawyer: not an 'Ally McBeal" type, but one with the heart to indeed learn the law and serve the people. Charmane J. Kanahashi

leid'back at the same time. lt was filled with rules. For example: we hed to be up by 7:00 a.m. sharp or there would be penalties, we
eeruld not leave the premises even to buy food at the store opposite

the hr:tel, and we had to tell our "deepest and darkest secrets"
during the trust walk. However, there were also many icebreakers, Edrnes and even a cultural presentation. I found these hard to reconcile. I expected a series of lectures and other activities, but I dtd rrot expect charades. I admit I am quite serious and not used to performing charades with people five years my junior, but I guess

Summer 2002 intern


mom of 6-yeor-old Corlos Miguel, Mone monoges herfomily-owned busrnesses while working os on Associote in Lozoro Low Firm in Ortigos. She is olso o volunteer lowyer in the legol oid office of Socred Heort Porish in
The proud

the SIP had its reasons. We were taught, encouraged, and even persuaded to mingle with each other from the very beginning.

Quezon City.

20

REMEMBERING STILL

INTERNS' REFLECTIONS ON ALTEBNATIVE LAWYEFING IN THE PHILIPPINES !

The immersion part of the program was very enjoyable. It was the

lf there wa-. c Llad experience during our immersion, I admit it was

beautiful scenery nice townsfolh and great co-interns that made the six-day experience worthwhile. lt was not a hard adjustment for
the three of us who were assigned to a community in Bulacan. We weren't picky;we were fortunate that simple living came naturally to
us. We also weren't given any special treatment, and it was fine. We

Eur rule=bieakirrg shopping escapade. lt seemed fun back then, lpecially wltt:n we got to see the wonderful scenery during our htke, But I realized during the evaluation phase that what seemed

likp a small infraction became a breach of the trust between


AEerney

[ltoclroy Medina and me. lt would have been fine if the

even cooked for the host family. We were proud we never intruded or burdened them in their daily living. Although we weren't able to reach out to most of the people in our area, we befriended some

blame ley solely on me. However, after I learned what the locals said te Attomey Chochoy, I felt that it was too much. I had to apologize.
I

was very llrankful that Attorney Chochoy was gracious with us.

of them, including the kopiton (community captain) andTotong,

who became like a father to

us.

I was lrr.rgrirrg to be assigned to the labor sector aI Sentro ng


Atternatittoncl Lingap Panligol(SALICAN) for the internship part

ef tny prr.rgmnr. I indicated during my interview with AHRC that

rileflted ter trc assigned to the labor sector since I was exposed to

the plight nl factory workers in the past as an industrial engineer.

Ithcn ackr:rl if I wanted to do environmental law, I replied that


iEr

herJ ltRle irrlerest in it. Little did I know that I would win a free trip

etlt-rrr, l)alawan to do environmental work for Environmental


A=.,i.;ta rrce

tegal

Center (ELAC).

My erpericrrce in Palawan was very different from what I expected.

I ws nrore involved in environmental work than in legal tasks. Altlrrlrglr I am more comfortable with office assignments, there were.r()nt(,aspects of my work that I really enjoyed. I did radio
Frngrdrn,; with Attorney Regi Tulali and my co-intern Ryan, and we

wprrl orr n(rtrrre trips around the Calamianes group of islands. Work
The people in our assigned community had a role-oriented society.

wrtlr I

lA(

was fun and a unique experience.

The men were "bolo-carrying" farmers who were out in the fields

most of the day while the women stayed at home. This made the community a ghost town during the day. Nevertheless, it had life. We felt it when we treated most of the residents to arroz caldo (rice ponidge). ln turn, they gave a party for us: a night of cultural
and contemporary dancing. My co-intern Lea and I volunteered to dance the Chickodee and teach charades to the kids. This came
as a surprise to me as I considered myself a shy guy.

lf tlrere", orre thing that struck me during this month long internship,

it wa: llr,rt alternative law was not only about being idealistic, but

iliat rl al,,o about being realistic. Practicing it is a struggle. lt is a


trot only to fight for a greater cause, but also to earn money =ltup1k, irr nrr lt,r lo raise a family. lt also involves accepting the fact that there

ere rurl rncrny opportunities to advance in your career.

22

REN/EIVBERING STITL

IN

II IINS' REFLECTIONS ON

ALTERNATIVE LAWYERING IN THE PHILIPPINES 23

The question now is whether I will venture into the practice of alternative law in the future. One of the employees told me before I Ieft that I shouldn't promise that I would return to coron. All the past interns did that. I told her that I still didn't know because it would be difficult to tell if I could make this big sacrifice. Alternative law is definitely an option, and lwill approach itwith the knowledge
I gained this summer.

Paglaya
Summer lnternship Program (SlP) 2005 marked a lot of 'firsts" in my life. The immersion experience was new. Well, not exactly.
l've been through immersions before, but this one was something else. I consider it a first because for six days I lived a life completely

removed from what I was used to. The night before we left for
Ramon Alcasabas

Summer 2005 intern


Mon is o techie who loves his music like fish love the oceon; he cloims thot qbout his volues even ot this AHRC continues to moke him think criticolly
stoge in his life.

of uncertainty and doubt. I was not sure what I was getting into. I am not adventurous, and neither am I
Tarlac, I had moments sporty. However at that point I had to bear in mind that I chose to

do this so I might as well try something new.

lmmersion was not so bad after all, despite the fact that we took
baths only once every two days and had to walk up and down the mountains through the lahar-covered areas. ln the end, I must

admit I enjoyed the immersion. Well, most of it.


Just when I thought I had enough "firsts," fate suddenly whispered,

"Yeah right, dream onl" The send-off dinner came, and we were given our assignments. When I learned I was assigned to Environmental Legal Assistance Center (ELAC) in Coron,
mixed feelings. I was apprehensive

I had of leaving home and family

again, but I was also jubilant. I was assigned to the sector of my first choice, plus I was going to travel outside Manila. "More adventures," I thought and I was right. tt was my first time

to take a boat trip for 12 hours. Once in Palawan, it was my first time to ride small boats. lt was also the first time I did not mind at
all how I dressed or how I looked. I did not care about these things

that were so important to me in Manila.

found Coron boring the first time I set foot upon it. lt was a small

provincial town. I could explore it in 30 minutes. Little did I know my month-long stay in Coron would pave the way for me to ponder

24

REMEMBERING STILL

INTERNS' REFLECTIONS ON ALTERNATIVE TAWYERING IN THE PHILIPPINES 25

also realized I could only do so much. NCO work and alternative

law practice is about teamwork because there is strength in


numbers.

After my stay in Coron, I felt far better about myself. I felt independent not because I was away from home, but because I learned a lot more from the internship than from classrooms or books. I wasalso able to break free from my "usual" life and broaden my horizons. But most importantly, lfeltfreedom because
I experienced life.

The entire month I spent in Coron went by swiftly, but the lessons

and memories will stay with me forever. SIP 2005 may be over, but this is the start of a new chapter in my life. I know there will many things, such as the question of why I was in law school. I still haven't fully answered this question, but it's getting clearer as
each day passes. be a lot of ordeals along the way, but I know that this is part of my quest to gain more "freedoms" in my life.

My ELAC internship is so far the best experience of my life' lt was an internship, and yet I didn't feel as though I was actually doing work. I enjoyed preparing visual aids, talking with ihe people in the
community, and being with the ELAC staff who became my family for one month. lnvolvement in NCOs is not something new to me'
Yet, it was only in Coron where I fully understood the hardships and sacrifices of NCO work. ltruly admired the people working at
ELAC. They have so much talent. They could be in more lucrative

There is such a thing as a simple life. lt's just a matter of you


choosing to live it.

When I was asked if I wanted to go back to Coron to work for ELAC, my answer was, "l'm honestly considering it." I am actually
considering it (but the next time I go back there, I'm going to make sure to bring an air-conditioning unit).
Ryan Jeremiah D. Quan

positions, yet they chose to take a job most people would consider odd because it does not Pay well. I have a very high regard for

them because of the spark of idealism they still possess, which


sadly most people todaY have lost'

Summer 2005 intern


Ryon is on incoming third yeor low student ot Ateneo' Feeling lost in unfomilior

It

was such a humbling experience to live in Coron and to work for ELAC for a month. When I first anived, I thought that I knew many

things. I also felt that I could do a lot to help. I was wrong. Most of my knowledge was theoretical. I actually had much to learn' I

blue ,grounds, this green-blooded Losollion found o home ot the Ateneo Humon Rights Center. His summer internship experience mode him more possionote about his principles ond convictions. Despite envisioning himself os on environmentol odvocote, he cloims thot his true colling is to become o topnotch medio personolity onstoge or off-com... or both.

26

REN/EI\IBEBING STILL

INTEBNS' FEFLECTIONS ON ALTERNATIVE LAWYEBING N THE PHILIPPINES 27

More Alternative Law Iroups ald Human Rights


Lawyers, Please?
When I left my province to join the Ateneo Human Rights Center
internship program, I had no idea what it involved. rjoined because of my ardent desire to better understand the concept of human rights advocacy and to acquire new experiences.

KSK Davao. There was social unrest in

the region. We were only able

to push through with some of our field visits because we received


warnings of hostilities

in certain areas.

My experiences
during the internship

My assignment to the Legal Resources Center-Kcsomo so Kolikoson, Friends of the Earth philippines (LRC-KSK) was a surprise. I would have preferred to have been assigned either to the labor sector or to the environmental sector. However once
there, I didn't have any reservations. enjoyed my relationship with my co-workers. The thrilling experiences I had during my fieldwork
I

ProSram Save me new perspectives. was both awed and dismayed. While I was astonished by the beauty of the distant mountains
I

and the oceans of rice

fields along the way

were unforgettable. The troubling peace and order situation in Mindanao, the mall bombings, the incineration of public utility buses, and the taking of
passengers as hostages, allthese happened while we were in LRC_

to our assignments, I was discouraged by the potholes and


unpaved roads that

connected Davao City to its adjoining provinces, not to mention the massive forest denudation of
some areas. I was also horrified to learn about the eviction of the
indigenous people from their ancestral domains, and the apathetic attitude of the government to their needs. My exposure to fieldwork

enabled me to see the gloomy side of life in Mindanao'


The testimonies of the people I met enhanced my concern for

human rights and its advocacy. The paralegal training sessions we conducted were all exhausting yet enjoyable. The preparations we
made, the travels from one boro ngoy (community) to another, and

the presentation of assigned topics were all indeed tiring. However

the warm welcome, the active participation of the people, their willingness to learn, and the joy in their faces brought relief to us.

REN/ENIBERING STILL

INTERNS' REFLECTIONS ON ALTERNATIVE LAWYERING IN THE PHILIPPINES 29

Building Relationships
It has been two months since the last day of my internship, yet it will not be so difficult to reflect on the experience. I carry it with me everyday.

Bobby Chan, a former summer intern and now a supervising lawyer at one of this summe/s host agencies, once told me, ,,you will never know what it's really like being in the Center until you
go through the summer internshipl' Having been with the Ateneo Human Rights Center (AHRC) as a paralegal for almost two years,

The abundant food and the fresh air also helped to revitalize us and gave us strength to go on with our mission.
realized that society needs more alternative law groups and human rights lawyers to fight for the rights of the oppressed and to bring about change. My experiences have inspired me to strive harder in
I

was intrigued by his remark. I applied for a slot in the internship program with that in mind and for many other reasons.
I

The Basic Orientation Seminar (BOS) was not new. I had gone through that before as a paralegal. The immersion though was a
meaningful experience. lt was my first time to trek though muddy rice fields to live with the most sincere, humble, and simple people

my studies so I can help bring about the needed change. Regidor B. Tulali

Summer 2000 intern


Atty. Tuloli is fondly colled 'Kuyo Regi" by ELAC interns. He went into olternotive

I had known in my life, in living conditions that were difficult to a Manila resident. The internship proper was an altogether new

low practice ofter possing the bor ond continues to passionotely work for
the couse of the indigenous people ond the environment of polowon to this
doy-

REMEMBERING STlLL

INTEBNS' REFLECTIONS ON ALTEBNATIVE LAWYEBING IN THE PHILIPPINES 31

and we were a long way from our office-home.

guess these things

make what we went through all the more meaningful.

It is a reality I might as well face now. The hardest part of doing


human rights work is that most of the time, you will be dealing with

people who either do not know they need help, or do not want to be helped. lf you want to be an agent of change you'd better be sure you know what you are doing. A lot of times people do not know or even realize the things you go through for them. lt is

the most beautiful sacrifice

to work without being appreciated. That is the time you really know you are doing these things for no other reason than it is the right thing to do. When stripped of all
experience. Laguna wasn't that far from Manila, l)ut it still meant Iiving away from familiar surroundings. I could not slcep in my the romantic notions of people looking up to you and thankingyou for "saving" them, you are left with nothing but your own decision

to be there:to help out in the smallest way you know.


This is not to say we were unappreciated all the time.

own bed, could not watch TV, could not watch a de*:nt movie, could not talk with friends (most of whom were lellow interns),
and could not do a hundred other things. I was not cornplaining.
I

knew all this when I applied for the internship, Elesielt:s, tltese things

only scratched the surface of the difficulties I lttttl urtcountered


last summer.

My partner and I were assigned to an agency which was a bit disorganized. Fortunately, it gave us the flexibility to do what we
wanted on our own time. Laguna was a place where the concept of human rights often meant radicalism and communism. Some of the people were apprehensive of our going around different barangays

(communities) offering to hold seminars on human rights. Others however, were just not that interested. So there I was, away from
home, fighting bouts of loneliness, and dealing with people who

were either apprehensive or apathetic to what we were doing.


Questions of sincerity and intent popped into my mind during days of preparation and during the work itself. There were times when these people did not even offer to give us a ride when it was late,

We did experience the gratefulness of people. We did see the smiles on their faces and did feel the warmth of their handshakes. What I am trying to say though, is that the downsides of my story sum up my internship experience. lt made me focus on the more important questions such as: why was I there,
what did I want to do in the future, and was I really cut

out for such work. I would


be lying if I said "yes," but
I

REN/ENIBERING STITL

INTEFNS' FEFLECTIONS ON ALTERNATIVE LAWYEFING IN THE PHILIPPINES 33

t
am also sure the answer is not an unequivocal "no.' ln the end I would like to say the most beautiful thing about the

whole program was building relationships. Not only with those we


tried to help, but also with the others who shared the same vision. Duringthose lonely days and nights I drew stren$h from my partner and my fellow interns. My partner and I would spend almost every

3 RedizingTruths
Through the lnternship Support and Alumni Activities, interns are given the opportunity to keep in touch and take part in activities
even though they are not directly engaged in the practice of human

afternoon walking around the UP Los Baf,os field. There were times when we would run out of things to talk about and would just keep silent. But I was comforted simply by the fact that she was there with me. The summer internship gave me one of the

rights law lnterns continue

to participate in the development of

new programs and activities for AHRC.

- something that cannot be acquired quickly but only through time - the gift of friendship.
most valuable things in life "Feeling the hurt will not be enough to moke

Simon Mesina lll Summer 1996 intern


After groduoting from low school, Simon went stroightto workfor Environmentol Legol Assistonce Center (Palowon) from Jonuory 1999 to March 2003 os Legal Stoff, then ELAC (Cebu) from August to December 2003 to work os co-author on 'Mending Nets: A Handbook on the Prosecution of Fishery ond Coostal LowViolations." Significontly Simon hos spentthe lastyear-ond-o-holf os o house husband in the LIS (Mossochusetts) to support his wife while she took odvonced studies. Cunently job-hunting, he is likewise o volunteer for

me o humon rights lov,ryer. I must olso have the desire to leorn how I om going to oct an the poin. There ore no hord ond fost rules in leorning how to become on olternotive lov,tyer;
you only leorn it from experience."

Margareth

P. Reyes

Summer 2003 intern

the New York Legol Assistance Croup.

34

BEMEMBERING STILL

INTEBNS' REFLECTIONS ON ALTERNATIVE LAWYERING IN THE PHILIPPINES 35

lsang Pagbabalik-tanaw
Mategal rla rin dng nakakalipas mula nang sumali ako sa lnternship rrg Aterreo Human Rights Center, subalit mananatiling sariwa at

lamang sa aking pamilya. Hindi sa gusto ko silang iwasan, pero

nais ko lamang subukan ang


mapag-isa. Nais kong maranasan ang buhay na wala sila sa aking

buhay ang alaala't karanasan na naidulot nito sa akin.


Nakakatawa, kasi nag-umpisa ang lahat sa isang napaka-alanganing

tabi. Nais kong matikman

ang

buhay ng nagsasarili. Kung ano mang paghubog ang naidulot ng dalawang buwang pagkalayo ko
sa aking pamilya ay malalaman ko

pagloo" na sumali

wala pa naman akong makukuha na credit sa practicum, at wala pa rin


ako gaanong alam sa "legal matters" na maaari kong maitulong
sa internship. Pero ... sabi ng mga kaibigan ko, medyo mababaw
'

sa lnternship. Naiisip ko kasi noon na

lamang sa panahong tuluyan na


nga akong magsasarili. Pangatlo,
nariyan na rin ang mga mumunting

daw ang mga dahilan ko. Panandalian akong nag-isip ... sabagay, baka nga may magawa rin naman ako kahit papaano.
Natuwa ako, dahif sa bandang huli, ay nakasali rin ako. Subalit ang mas lalo kong ikinagalak ay ang pagkakadestino ko sa malayong
lugar. Sagot na ito marahil sa marami kong panalangin. Unang-una,

pagpukaw sa sarili tungkol


buhay.

sa

napakalawak na hiwaga ng

Mahirap ipaliwanag

dito. Pero

matagal ko na talagang gustong matuto na mag-Bisaya, subalit alam

siguro sapat na munang banggitin

kong matutupad lamang iyon kung pupunta ako sa isang lugar ng mga Bisaya. Sa awa ng Diyos, medyo natuto nga ako. pangalawa, matagal ko na ring pangarap na mapalayo nang kahit sandali man

ko na may mga katanungan ako sa buhay na, sa totoo lang, hindi ko alam kung saan hahanapin ang mga kasagutan. Subalit, isang

aral ang aking natutunan: hindi ko naman kailangang hanapin


lahat. Sapat na ang maging bukas lamang at maglaan ng "munting" panahon para sa isang pagbabaliktanaw, at marahil doon, marahil
lang naman, ay matatagpuan ang tagpi-tagping kasagutan. Kagaya

na halimbawa ng pagmumuni sa area assignment ko nitong


summer. Hanggang ngayon, hindi ko pa rin maisip kung bakit sa PRODEM

ako na-assign. Pero hindi na mahalaga sa akin ngayon ano man ang naging pamantayan ng Center sa pagpili ng area na ito. Sa palagay ko, kinailangan ko rin ng ganong klaseng "trabaho": isang pakikisalimuha sa mga politiko na walang kinalaman
sa

aking pagkatao. Na kailangan ko lamang humarap sa kanila, at


bilang panimula, ay magpakilala ng aking sarili. Na hindi rin nila

36

REIVEMBEFING STILL

IN

II IINI i' III I I I ()Il(

)NI ] ON ALTEFNATIVE LAWYERING IN THE

PHILIPPINES 37

kilenpng mealalc kung saan eko galing, kung aE ncpapebilng,,,ganeon lang ka"sirnple,

kaninong pamilya

Everything Has a Reason


ln September 1995, I excitedly told my friend I was going to join the summer internship proSram. I babbled about riding a boat,
going to Davao or Palawan, meeting people, and living away from

Slya nga rin pala, lalong napagtibay ang aking paniniwala na kailangan

talaga ng tao ang madalas natin tawagin na "empowermenti' Hindi

ko alam kung pagmamayabang, pero naniniwala ako na kahit


papaano ay nakapagdulot kami ng kahit na munti man lamang na

"empowerment" sa bawat barangay na napuntahan namin upang bigyan ng human rights awareness seminar. lyon din ang sinasabi

home. I wanted to do something worthwhile. I wanted to live an


adventure. For months, it was all I could talk about. I couldn't wait

ng ibang participants pagkatapos ng seminar. Pero hindi man


sabihin, makikita rin naman iyon sa kanilang mga reaksyon.

for the summer to begin. Somehow things didn't turn out the way

I imagined them to

Hindi ko alam kung bakit ko ito ipinamamalita. Siguro dahil naiisip


ko na baka may isang makabasa nito na kagaya ko ring naghahanap

be. Dealing with the disappointment was not easy. Words of encouragement could not comfort me. Worse, the internship
proper had just begun, and I was already losing interest in carrying

ng kahulugan sa mga bagay-bagay na ginagawa't nararanasan sa

buhay. Nalulungkot lamang ako dahil hindi ko maikukwento rito sa kanya ang lahat ng gusto kong ikuwento. Sana na lang, mabasa
niya ang mga pagmumulat na nakasulat sa likod ng mga letra ng maikling sanaysay na ito. Minerva A. Tan

out my work. "Everything has a reason.' lt took a few days before


these words even got through my head. When it did, acceptance

of my fate followed.

I began to forget my own interests and became more concerned about the people who
Paralegal work became therapeutic.

Summer 1996 intern


Beloved internship director of the AHRC from 20Ol -2002, Minnie is now one of the Heod Coordinotors of the newly constituted core group of olumni interns.

in 1999, she worked in the judiciory from I gg7-200I. on to become the ELAC oreo monager (Eostern Visoyas) from Jonuory 2OO3-July 2004. She rs currently working os legol stoff to the
Though she groduoted
She then moved

Executive Secretory in Molocofiong.

REMEIVBERING STILL

IN]'FI]N[J' I']I]I I I C IIONI'] ON AT.TEFNATIVE LAWYERING

IN THE

PHILIPPINES 39

llrtencd t ffiE talk ebcut their fundamental rights, on many


$Entr indiffercnee was vFy apprcnt, tatching their attention
Rd

A New Perspective
I was definitely disappointed upon learning I was

igstrhing thElr lntErcst was a difficult task, Out of necessiry had tc vrtrmE my shyness and my tendency to go into a state

eJ internal panie in the face of questions or rynical remarks.

to be assigned

to a labor federation. First, I never really expected the assignment; I was sure I made it clear I wanted to work with either children
or women. Second, I never liked labor as a subject in law school

I will always look back at my internship as a series of struggles: a strugSle against disappointmen! a struggle against indifference from my audience, a struggle against my own limitations, a struggle against boredom during idle hours, and a struggle against losing enthusiasm for topics I had repeatedly discussed. These were all
struggles I somehow overcame. am not sure what Cod's plans were when He sent me to Laguna. l'd like to think that maybe part of it was to show me I had strength
I

and never really considered venturing into it. Third, I had this preconceived notion I would be working with men who are moskulodo (muscular), borumbodo (scoundrel), modumi (dirty),
oktibisto (activist) ot ibo po (etc.), which was not my cup of tea. With these biases and stereotypes I had about the labor sectol I could not help but cry. When I learned I could not change the assignmen! I told myself I should not make things harder by sulking
and try to have fun instead.

to endure. Koyo ko po polo (t can still take it.)


Lorna Rosario Chan-Conzaga

Summer 1996 intern


Lorno is now in Cenevo, living out the odventure of o diplomot's wife.

I guess it is true Cod gives you something you need and not something you want. ln my case, my experience with my host agency allowed me to put aside my biases and to learn firsthand the sufferings and joys of the workers' lives in this country. I no longer have just a vague idea about the labor sector; it now has
many names and faces for me.

FEIVEMBERING STILL

INTEFNS' REFLECTIONS ON ALTERNATIVE LAWYERING IN THE PHILIPPINE:]

The internshtp prtrgrenr cllowed nle to .,ee how miserable and


dtffteult life Is for our leLrorerq, l)esprte tlre goverrnment's efforts

protecting the labor sector, and the difficulty in effecting change

within society if we ourselves do not even know what is wrong in the first place.
Carolina
P.

te upllft ther live=, there seerrr: to be .r lack of earnest zeal in the lmplementation of perlicy, ln fact, I agree that the Philippines has gome of the most numerous labor laws. However, the problem does not lie in the laws themselves but in their implementation. I am quite sure our lawmakers intended what was good and just
when they passed the Labor Code. However, there seem to be too many loopholes that allow abuse. The laws are there to protect the labor sector, but no one checks whether it is indeed protected.

Orias

Summer 2OOO intern


A self-confessed child ot heort, Corol worked ot Boterina Tobio Boterina ond Nerpio low offices for tvvo yeors ond is now legal counsel for on insuronce company. She hos been involved mostly in civil, crimino[ and
lobor litigotian.

My short stint with {he labor federation gave me an opportunity to see firsthand how the "real" profession of law is practiced. The laws, when learned in school, seem so clear and straightfonruard.
I was wrong. I have learned that in

the real world, a lawyer must

also weigh a lot of factors and sometimes has to use meta-legal


devices.

lndeed, the six-week internship program gave me a whole new


perspective on the law, the labor sector, society, and myself. lt made

me realize the inadequacy of how the law is implemented when

42

REIVEMBERING STILL

lNTEl"lNf

l' lll l l t o lloN{i oN At lL::llNATlVE LAWYEFING lN THE PHILIPPINES 43

Land Distribution:
Solution?
I

used to believe that land redistribution was the only solution to the

problems afflicting farmers. lt was my conviction that all problems

would be solved if each farmer was given his own piece of land
to toil. For me, it was "land redistribution or nothing," because that was the only equitable thing to do. That was my view while I was

in high school.

ln college, the equity argument was weakened by the efficiency to surface. Would it still be efficient to redistribute considering that the land available could not be increased while the population continued to expand? The pie was not growing but the number of people was, and this
argument. Doubts began effectively reduced each individual's share. A farmer, no matter
how hardworking he might be, could only produce so much within

farming, and the possibility that some farmers whose families have

been tied to the land all their lives would like to live a different
life. ln other words, my four-year college stint made me think along lines

a limited parcel of land. lf the plot were used for commercial


purposes, more could benefit from the linkages and employment

entirely different from my previous beliefs. lt's not that I no longer believed that the farmers needed help or that land redistribution
(agrarian reform included) had no merit to it altogether. lt's just that

opportunities that such an arrangement could produce. Wouldn't


land redistribution then lead to the further misery of farmers instead

I had begun to consider the element of timing. Land reallocation

of their well-being? With reallocation, society as a whole cannot


benefit and cannot take advantage of the economies of scale. Even the argument that reallocation would help guarantee food security began to lose its magic. With the trend towards globalization, the

could have been the most effective recourse then but with the changing times, it might not be the perfect choice now.
was in this mindset when I had my first Basic Orientation Seminar

emphasis was not on being self-sufficient (producing all goods and services needed) but in specialization (producing what one is
good at and importing the rest).

(BOS) in 1997.I was still in a similar frame of mind when I had my second BOS this summer. Then came the internship proper, and
irony of all ironies, I was assigned to a non-government organization

(NCO) that advocated agrarian reform. I met with farmers in


Calatagan, Batangas, and interacted with them day in and day out

Could it be also that some people assumed too much: that the farmers would like to be farmers all their lives? A tendency to romanticize the simple barrio life seems to pervade people's
mentality. This tendency doesn't take into account the difficulty of

for one week in Negros.

REMEIVBERING STILL

INTFF]NIJ' I-II I I I OIIONS ON ALTERNATIVE LAWYERING IN THE PHILIPPINES 45

I wegldn't say that the thrce=and=a=half weeks of experience glgcther chcnged the pasitien I hec1 formed over the span of
feur yeam, but it made me reeonsider many things. Maybe equity
and efflcieney arc not eompletely opposed to one another. Maybe

I Learned About Service, but I'm Still Confused


I have to admit my reasons for joining the Ateneo Human Rights Center Summer lnternship Program were entirely selfish. I wanted

snc n still strike a balance.


ls'land reform the solution to our farmers' problems? My answer is "it dependsl' I met farmers who really felt strongly about the
land they toiled, but I also met some who were willing to forego their land in exchange for cash and the opportunity to pursue a different livelihood. I believe the farmers should be given the option. Let there be genuine land reform, and let those who believe that

their life is with the land benefit from the fruits of their labor. As for those who want to pursue a different vocation (provided such
choice was made intelligently), let them be. What is important is that they be given the choice and the opportunity to take control of their own lives. Elizabeth L. Benin

to join while lwas still a freshman so that:: 1) my mistakes in the internship would be forgivable since I had the ready excuse of being just a freshman, 2) next year when required to work for the summer, I could work in a law firm, and 3) I would at least have experience in legal work * enough to impress the law firm I would be applying to next year. I am not sorry for my reasons. I do not think there is anything wrong with them. But I forgot to
include "service" in my list. After the internship, "service" was the one thing I learned.

The first hurdle of serving was the immersion. Summer

I had

already

.l999

intern

completed one immersion when I was in college, but that was quite different. My immersion in college was with the urban poor

Presently, Beth is on ossociote at Puno ond puno Low Offices. prior to loining Puno, she hod a two yeor stint ot the Senqte, os o legislotive staff member for one of the senotors.

46

REIVEIVBERING STILL

INTERNS' REFLECTIONS ON ALTERNATIVE LAWYERING IN THE PHILIPPINES 47

F
like them, and how it would feel like to be helpless. Let me tell

you, it didn't feel good.


I

cannot help but feel sorry for the Mangyans and the other people

I met in Mindoro. I am lucky I only experienced what they are


going through for a week. I also wondered if it was really a good
idea to come visit and live with them. Whenever we told them we

couldn't really promise anything, and that we were only there for

wee(

they looked disappointed. They seemed to say, "ls that all?"

One even commented that lots of people have come to live with

them but nothing ever happened to them. Nobody even bothered

to help them when a storm hit, not even the mayor. So what was the point? And up to nory I still don't know the answer.
sector in Caloocan. We were in the city. There were no problems
As I have said, the immersion was only the first hurdle. The second

with food, water, or shelter. There were sori-sori(variety) stores everywhere, and the families that welcomed us had small but
decent houses. Though we stayed in a squatters'area, I never really

was the internship proper. What

I knew about the

internship

was that we would all be assigned to a certain non-government organization (NCO). I wasn't too apprehensive about this since
I

felt what it was like to be poor because they treated us as guests. I felt as though I was only on vacation. lt was different from my
experience in Mindoro.

didn't know anything about NCOs. I never really bothered to find out what they did or what they contributed to society. I just knew
they were non-government organizations. Period. So I didn't know what to expect.

felt helpless in'Mindoro. I could not get out of our place to buy
Having no expectations was a good thing. After every intern had shared his or her experiences, I realized that I hadn't really done much this summer. I didn't blame my host agency for that because
it just so happened that not many activities were lined up for the

food or water. We had no vehicle. We didn't even have a bathroom.

I remember during the second day, I kept thinking "What have


gotten myself into? What was I doing? Was it all worth

it?"

I hated

the place where I was assigned. I soon realized that sulking wasn't
going to do me any good. So I tried, with the help of my partners,

to accept the situation. Slowly, I forgot about my previous questions and started to ask new ones. 'What would it be like to be stuck in this situation as long as I lived?" I guess that was the turning point

summer. I did not do much legal work. I only translated some of the lecture materials for the paralegal trainings (PLTs), observed
meetings and PLTs, and did clerical work. Nevertheless, I felt that
in one way or another, I was serving other people. That fact already

for me. I began to see the immersion in a new light. We weren't there just to /ive with the Mangyans. lt is easy to live with them
and then leave at the end of the week without giving them another

made me happy.
I cannot say that joining the summer internship has answered all

thought. We were put there so we would know how it felt to be

the questions in my head. ln fact, it even left me more confused.

FEN/EMBEBING STiLL

INTERNS' I'II I I I () I IONIJ ()N AI.I FI':INAT'IVE LAWYEBING IN THE PHILIPPINES 49

r
I

would like to be of service to the less fortunate, but I would also

like to live in style, Qur batch of interns had this discussion about

Nothing Profound
I can still vividly remember the defining moment. I was in fourth

the financial situation of lawyers in NCOs. The majority concluded

these lauryers were relatively poor, while others maintained they


earned just enough to have a decent life: a nice home, three meals

a day, and quality education for their children. The problem was that, either way, I wanted more. I wanted to travel the world, drive a Jaguar, own a big house...the list goes

year college majoring in legal management, and my teacher in environmental law was engaged in an apocalyptic discussion on
illegal logging. I thought it too superficial compared to our discussion

on.

However, I realize

that what I want materially might not coincide with my other wish,

in Haribon; thus, I didn't bother to listen and turned instead to


the more delightful preoccupation of daydreaming about a crush. I guess the reverie about that crush wasn't that engrossing' I still
heard my teacher loud and clear when he thunderously proclatmed,

which is to help others. But no matter;there is still enough time


to think things over. I just hope my experience during the summer

will help me make the right decision.

"...but not one illegal logger has been convicted!"


Those words reverberated in my ears. I felt a strange calmness settling over me. lt was eerie. I had goose bumps. Suddenly, I knew
exactly what I wanted to do with my life.

Post Script:

Three years after law school, I realized that the Ateneo Human
Rights Center mattered greatly in my life. The principle for which

the Center stood for

a life dedicated to helping others

was no

I enrolled in law school not just to become a lawyer, but to


become an environmental lawyer. I had the right background'
I

longer an abstraction, but was given a concrete face. One could


hardly believe that only a weeklong immersion could hold a lifetime

of lessons and memories. Beyond the blisters and the sunburn, all the hardships we faced brought self reliance, compassion and understanding. I finally understood: there is life outside of law
school, and it needs my involvement.
Veronica Jude E. Abarquez

received good training on environmental education and advocary at Haribon-University of Santo Tomas. I also did my practicum at Tanggol Kalikasan (TK). Though already a freshman law student

Summer 2000 intern


Nikki worked with Alompoy

Aotholion Mowis ond Alompoy Low Office for

two yeors. She is now with KMPA Phils. Loyo Mononghayo & Co. working in
its Tox ond Corporote Seruices division.

BEMEIVBERING STILL

INTERNSI' IiI .I I I,O IIONS ON AI.|EBNATIVE LAWYEBING IN THE PHILIPPINES 51

at Ateneo de Dav,ro, I still went all tlre way to Quezon City for ttre TK internship, Ihat's how clehrrnined I was to prepare for my
ealling,

I thought I knew environmental lawyering well, that is, until my


internship at Environmental Legal Assistance Center-Cebu. lt went
as I expected, until the fateful trip to Samar. I got sick after that trip.

It was probably the combination of the oppressive heat outside and the coolness brought about by the air-conditioning unit inside the van that did me in. I had a fever. The next day I was back to my exuberant self and off for paralegal

training in Consolacion, Cebu. I was surprised to find the venue very humble. Based on my past experience, this type of training was usually held in a hall with a sound system. This site had only a
canvas tent for a roof. lt was kind of cute anyway, with open air and
a good view of the sea. I didn't mind until I noticed the heat above

I thought I had it all planned: the internship in TK and my commitment to singlehood. Besides, the pay could hardly put a
child through medical school, and above all, I wanted to take care of the earth with the same tenacity as the nuns who pursue their religious life. I never lost sight of the dream, and had nurtured it for years in law school where alternative lawyering was more foreign

my head and the cold and hot sea breeze on my back. I panicked.
I

was so terrified of getting sick again. I wanted to leave as soon as

finished my part. I stayed, but what shameful thoughts I had.

than the Latin maxims. What about that dramatic earth shaking moment in college? Was it all for naught? For all my fervor and
preparation in pursuit of that dream, it was humbling to realize that
I actually entertained the thought of giving it up because of some

Then it dawned on me. This is the reality of an environmental lawyer. There would always be the heat, long travels, sleeping on the floor and other inconveniences. Coodness knows what else there was in store. Friends working

discomfort

- discomfort to me, but reality to other people. I was

ashamed of myself.

law firms came to mind. Their comforts

contrasted with my canvas tent existence. I was never attracted to amenities and a huge paycheck before. I was ready to embrace a life of bare necessities. ln fact, when I received a scholarship from one of the firm's partners, their lawyer in Davao told me that
I

would like to believe everything was merely triggered by feverish aftershocks, delayed delirium, or maybe sheer vulnerability. lt is
I

consoling

to note that I have had more outrageous

thoughts.

The last time I got sick outside my turf, I contemplated suicide.


Abandoning a future career and waxing philosophical on trivialities pales in comparison.

would be "invited" to the firm after law school. lnstead of basking in the flattery of that inchoate invitation, I heard myself tactlessly
blabbering about environmental law, as if to say, "no thanks."

52

BEI\IEMBEBING STILL

INTERNTJ' I]t:I

I t O]ION.C] ON AI-IEI]NATVE LAWYERING

IN THE

PHILIPPINES 53

That experience allowed my convictions

to mature,

convictions

which had initially been based on a romanticized view of the


profession, Most of all, it gave me empathy for those who are not similarly inclined, As I assured a fellow intern: "lf you left because

Reflection
'Whg is thot girl I see. Storing right bock ot
me? Why is my reflection someone I

you can't stand alternative lawyering, don't feel guilty. Many are
curious, but few are chosen. I myself wavered on persevering when
I got sick. But when I recovered, I realized I still preferred to work

dont

know? Somehow I connot find who I om, so

I try. When will my reflection show who I om inside?'


-"Reflection," Mulon

where my heart was no matter what. Kohit umiitim oko (even if am getting darker), kahit nogkoko-acne oko (even if I am getting
I

acne), I've arrived at a point where I have no choice but to follow

my heartl'
Jennifer L. Ramos

I had a lot of apprehension and doubt before the program even


started. Would a city-bred girl like me survive the whole immersion

Summer

.l999

process? Would I be able to make a difference during the internship

intern

proper? Would I be able to make and leave a good impression in

Jenny founded the Ateneo de Dovoo Advocoq Legol Work after her replicotion

the minds of the people I would eventually meet? I don't come from

internship with AHRC. After working for more thon three yeors with Environment Legol Assistonce Center, she hod o stint as the provinciol legol officer

the richest or the poorest family in town, and my life is ordinary.


But I know myself well enough to admit that I have my limitations. The question is, 'Would I be able to transcend them?"

of Sorongoni Province. Hoving recently returned to olternotive lowyering os


legol stoff of Bolay Alternotive Legal Advocates for Development in Mindonovt4

lnc., she feels thot she is truly bock home.

It was pretty much the self-centered junk from the preceding paragraph that occupied my mind during the Basic Seminar (BOS) and the first few days of the immersion. I woulcj notice the "bad stuff' and constantly compare it with the "good stuff' l've had all my life. I admit I complained silently most of the time during the immersion. Don't get me wrong. I was seriously and constantly telling myself to open up to the experience. I
thought I did. I did what I thought was expected of me: unwavering participation during the BOS, chores during the immersion, etc. But

somehow everything felt pretentious. Something was wrong. I was trying to be part of something I couldn't quite fit into.
I

came to Palawan carrying the same turmoil within. Then something

amazing happened. During a particularly difficult and confusing time

for me (exactly halfway through my internship), everything fell into

REMEMBERING STILL

INTEFNS' BEFLECTIONS ON ALTERNATIVE LAWYERING IN THE PHILIPPINES 55

r
place, lwas bawling my eyes out and confiding my inconsequential

Beyond the many unforgettable sunsets

I saw everyday from

hang-ups to my co-intern when she said the most humbling thing,


"Shy, never in this internship program did I ever say to myself,

different parts of Palawan, beyond the different species of beautiful fish I swam with in the crystal-clearwaters of Coron, beyond the rich

'l'm

here to helpl Look'around you. They don't need us. We need them

and unique culture of the kotutubos (ethnic groups) of Palawan,


lies the problem of sustaining this beauty. lt was a privilege to be

more. We're here to learn from themi'


It cut

able to gain that experience and be part of evefihing. I know it's deeply. lt made sense. lt was true. I exhaled and let myself go. that it's really all about perspective. ln the confines of law
a cliche, but words are truly not enough to encompass everything

I realized

I've learned

all of which I am eternally grateful for.

school, we were taught that excellence is not about being a super human being. lt's about having the heart to absorb everything and

The song I quoted at the beginning of this piece sums up my


feelings before and during the internship program. I can answer it finally: the girl I see is a mixture of the people I've met the food
I ate, the culture I was welcomed into and the environment I was

anything the good and the bad, the task that has to be done. lt about humbling yourself enough to realize that you are merely
alone.

is
a

part of a bigger picture, and that you can never ever do everything

able to become more conscious of. This lost city-bred girl has found

the most important thing she could ever find


Looking back, the internship program was a wonderfultime in my life. From the grueling BOS, to the eye-opening immersion, to the

- herself.

Shyanne T. Juan

self-stretching internship proper, everything became a learning


experience. On a selfish level, I have to admit I gained more than

Summer 2OO3 intern


Shy is the botch heod of One Poct (Summer Internship 2003), o rebellious (but loving) doughter ond on ote (older sister) who spoils her sisters rotten.
She worns others thot the AHRC is oddiaive ond cloims thot it is the reoson

I gave. But I thinh at the end of the day, that's the whole idea.
We're not here to save the world. We can only hope to be part of

the solution.

why she is currently in love.

56

REMEMBERING STILL

INTEFNS' REFTECTONS ON ALTERNATIVE LAWYERING IN THE PHILIPPINES 57

Realizations
I initially thought that I did not have any expectations when I did my internship with the Women's Legal Bureau (WLB). I thought that I did not carry any biases. At the end, I realized that I did have
expectations, and that I was disappointed when these were not

met. However, my expectations were largely from the perspective

of working relationships within the office. This is not to say the


exposure to feminist advocacy was equally disappointing; the
contrary holds true.

was able to realize some of the things which were important to

me. Some of them might just be details, but they were significant
enough for me to hold on to them. I recognized that it was important

I also realized I expected people who work in non-government


organizations (NCOs)

to have no biases and to be fair when

for me to receive clear instructions so I could produce, at the very


least, satisfactory results.

analyzing issues. This was naive of me; if it were true, then we

would have an idealworld. I soon understood the shortcoming of my belief; an NCO is supposed to take a stand on certain issues
and work from that position. Clothing other people with biases is an inevitable part of the job.

I learned too that non-government organizations are not exactly


non-government. ln many cases, NCOs support the government

in areas where the government does not have the resources or


maybe even the political will to do anything. lt is because of this
that NCOs have learned how to pander to the interests of politicians
(i.e. to show them how a proposed bill will translate into votes so

that the NCO's advocacies might be articulated into law).

also now understand that though everything is far from perfect, the

fact that there are a lot of people striving to reach their definition of perfection (e.g. a woman-friendly world in the case of WLB) fills

58

RENIEIVBEFING STILL

INTERNS' FEFLECTONS ON ALTEBNATIVE LAWYERING IN THE PHILIPP1NES 59

r
fire wifh hope lor the tuture, I know that I am not alone in thinking that this world is far frorn perfect and that there is still a lot of work th.rt needs to be done. Nelda Ethel
Torio

Human Rights Work


to simplify things. I was not gifted with a photographic memory or a sharp mind. Although most people would disagree,
I always try

P.

Summer 1999 intern


Ethel worked part-time in o low firm while she was in law school. After toking the bor, she hos since worked in the judiciol ond legislotive bronches of government. She considers herself o hopeful reolist.

I am actually a bit slow I have trouble following directions and cannot think clearly when faced with complicated matters. I am
not capable of deep intellectual conversations, especially those that delve into the human soul and spirit. I learned to simpli{y things to cope. However, as much as I managed to turn the act of simplifying
ideas and thoughts into a gift, it is also turning out to be one of my

weaknesses: I tend to oversimplify. As I went through the summer internship, I observed that human
rights work involves huge and complicated issues. There are issues

on labor, environment, children, women, urban pooq indigenous peoples, and even on the human rights institutional mechanism
itself. Nonetheless, I realized the driving force behind all of these issues was the desire

to help people live a decent life. Human rights work for laborers aims to help them have decent working

conditions. Human rights work for the environment strives to teach

RFMENiBERING STILL

INTERNS' REFLECTIONS ON ALTEFNATIVE IAWYERING IN THE PHILIPPINES 61

t
people how to live a sustainable life. Human rights work for children
desires to protect their innocence. Human rights work for women

aims to provide them with the same rights as men. Human rights work for HIV victims hopes to give them decent lives despite their
sickness. Human righs work for indigenous people strives to protect

4 Cornmitting
our Hearts
Through the Craduate lnternship, law graduates and lawyers who

their culture and way of life. Human rights work is about helping people live a decent life. Anything less is unacceptable.
But then again, please forgive my oversimplification.

have chosen Homer


R.

to practice developmental law and human

rights

Arellano

advocacy are still provided with support activities by AHRC. AHRC's institutionalization of the internship program in the law

Summer 2002 intern


Homer is presently working in the Bureou of lmmigrotion. He is counsel in o number of pro bono coses for victims of horossment. He spends his weekends teoching students of the University of Botangos os professor of ogenqt, lobor ond bonking. AHRC tought him never to be on instrument of oppression.

school encouraged other law schools in the country to set up

their own programs. AHRC has assisted in the establishment of


University of San Carlos-Center for Legal Aid Work (USC-CLAtrl/) in Cebu City and Xavier University Center for Legal Assistance (XUCLA)

in Cagayan de Oro City. These centers serve as the outreach arm for community service in their respective areas by engaging law
students in their legal aid programs.

"l hove long since dropped o romonticized


piaure of my internship experience in exchonge

of o more reolistic oppreciotion of whot it is. Though my odvocooy moy be offected by the unprediaoble ebb ond flow of my possions ond
struggles, with groce ond to my surprise I hove

remoined, ond offirmed in my heort that I will


olwoys choose to be on olternotive lowyer."

- Maria Roda L. Cisnero


Summer

200i

lntern

REMEMBERING STILL

INTERNS' REFLECTIONS ON ALTERNATIVE LAWYERING IN THE PHILIPPINES 63

t
Once an lntern, Always an lntern
"... there is no need to compore (olternotive lowyering) NCOs with low firms becouse
they involve totolly different struggles. We ore my answer should be. I quipped, "ls that what we should call what we do? We were never really oriented about iti'

An orientation on alternative lawyering is not enough to define, describe or detail what it means. To people who do it, it is simply doing the best they can with what they've learned. For others,
however, it is more than that. They first need to have an analytical discourse on the legal system, its structures and the nature of

octuolly 'troilblazing' in this oreo. Moybe we ore redefining whot lovuyering is oll obout

the profession itself before they can practice. I was lucky to


have seen how alternative lawyering worked during my one year graduate internship program with the Ateneo Human Rights Center
(AHRC).

it's no longer o motter of being colled

'olternotive lowyers' becouse moybe thot is

whot lowyering should be."


- Attorney Arlene J. Bag-ao Executive Director, BALAOD Mindanaw

As they always say in internship circles, "once an intern, always an

intern." I joined the AHRC Semestral Break lnternship program in 1998 during my second year at the Ateneo Law School. At that

When I was asked in the Sentro ng Alternatibong Lingap Panligal


(SALICAN) office orientation seminar about how we were oriented

time, I was just looking for some significance to what I had been doing in school. I wanted to know if there was something more
besides the cases, the commentaries, and the laws. I thought that lwould be able to find something more in an internship program

in the Environmental Legal Assistance Center (ELAC) about


alternative lawyering,
I

had to think deeply. I was puzzled as to what

that had an immersion component. I was lucky that I found my "something more.'
I fell in love with Palawan the first time I saw one of its islands. The beaches are not just pristine, they are beautiful. lts forests are not just tropical, they are magnificent. My love affair with the place didn't end there. lt was complemented by ELAC, the NCO
I

was assigned to.

lf there is one alternative law group that lives and breathes the principles of alternative lawyering, ELAC is it. ELAC's passion for the environment is so compelling, it is inspiring. ELAC works together with local communities: indigenous people fighting

mining companies' encroachment upon ancestral domains,


municipal fisherrnen protecting their traditional fishing grounds from

64

REN/EMBEFING STILL

]NTEBNS' REFLECTIONS ON ALTERNATIVE LAWYEFING IN THE PHILIPPINES 65

country. I do not know where I will find myself in the future. lt is

constant struggle to do the best with what you have learned. That
is the essence of any internship program. That will always be with

me; I am an intern forever.


Raymond Q. Salas '1998 Semestral break intern and 2O0l graduate intern
Mon is still with SALICAN Mindonow bosed in Dovoo. He recently porticipoted in the Clobol Public Seruice Low Progrom of New York lJniversity held in Beirut,

Lebanon. The reflection poper submitted in 2OO3 might hove romonticized his groduate internship experience, but he considers thot one-yeor sojourn os one of his most defining moments os o lowyer. He thonks AHRC ond ELAC for thot experience.

vessels owned by politicians and Chinese poachers, and ordinary

citizens hoping to preserve the present resources for subsequent generations.


Just like any perfect love affair, it was never meant to last' I ended

mine with ELAC and Palawan after a year of serving my graduate internship program. Though the prospect of continuing what I was doing with ELAC was exciting, I wanted to be based in Mindanaw where I was born and raised. I also wanted to cover more than just the environment. I wanted to work in other sectors also. With that, I had to say goodbye. During my despedida (farewell) parry
I said that leaving ELAC didn't mean I wasn't happy there. ln fact,
ELAC should be proud that I wanted to work in another alternative

law group. I will not claim now that I live and breathe alternative lawyering, though others might infer that from this reflection. I will only claim

what I am now. I am presently with SALICAN Mindanaw, a branch office of one of the oldest and biggest alternative groups in the

BEMEMBERING STI[L

NTERNS'

I.IFF:I

I O IK )NS ON ALTEBNATIVE TAWYERING IN THE PHILIPPINES

t
An Alternative Lawyer
"Your vocation, your calling is the intersection of

F
Kosomo so Kolikoson, Friends of the Earth Movement (LRC-KSK) in Quezon City where I researched cases. I also attended hearings in Mauban, Quezon, met with the Mayor in Sagada, visited a mine

in Benguet and walked five hours in darkness to attend Cordillera Day in Abra. After that summer, wanted to be.

your heart's deepest happiness and the world's


greatest needl'

I knew what kind of lawyer

- Father Jett Villarin,

SJ

After the Bar Exams in 2001, I worked for Sentro ng Alternotibong

Lingop Ponligol(Saligan) for a little over three years, the first year of
The first time I read this line I marveled at how it exactly captured

which I was a graduate intern of AHRC. I think that I learned more


during those three years than from the years I spent in high school, college, and law school combined. I spent those years traveling

what I felt about what I was doing. I felt blessed to have found
what I believed then to be my vocation. I knew so many people
who were confused and lost in the maze of figuring out what it was that they wanted to do with their lives. "My name is Kat, and I'm an alternative lawyer," was how I introduced myself to the world.
Program for leading me towards that intersection.
I

all over the Philippines teaching paralegals, lobbying for sectoral


bills in Congress, giving community legal education seminars, and

handling cases (sometimes even appearing in courts as far as


Catanauan, Quezon

owe the Ateneo Human Rights Cente/s (AHRC) Summer lnternship

eight hours from Manila

for l5-minute

hearings). lt was exhausting and sometimes tenifying, but I loved

what lwas doing. The Summer lnternship Program in l99B sent me to live with
a

family of Dumagats in Quezon where I learned to drink lambanog and to cross rivers. I was assigned to Legal Resources Center-

Suddenly things changed, or maybe I changed. You cannot begin

to imagine how my heart broke when I realized I was no longer happy with my job. Perhaps it was burnout or homesickness or a
combination of these factors

- I still don't know for sure. All I knew

was that I wanted to stop what lwas doing. I was scared shitless to

now be among those who considered themselves confused, lost in

the maze of figuring out what they wanted to do with their lives.
Earlier this year I resigned from Soligon and went back home to

Cebu. I was no longer sure where I could find "the intersection of

my heart's deepest happiness and the world's greatest needl' But one of the lasting lessons I learned from my summer internship
seven years ago is that being an alternative lawyer is not limited to

working for NCOs or being part of alternative law groups. lt is more than that. lt means having a heart for the marginalized sectors and
being true to your self. I realized that as we grow as human beings,

REN/EMBERING STILL

INTERNS' BEFLECTIONS ON AL|EBNATIVE LAWYEBING IN THE PHILIPPINES 69

Delirium's Stand in the Here and Now


The initial activity I attended for the Semestral Break lnternship
Program of 1999 was an introductory meeting of interns. I distinctly

remembered how our facilitators asked us to introduce ourselves.


We were told to think of a comic or cartoon character that we could relate to. When it was my turn to speak, I chose Delirium from Neil

Caiman's Sondmon. When asked about the reason for my choice,


I

replied it was because she used to be Delight before she became

the intersection of our heart's deepest happiness and the world's


greatest need may bring us somewhere else, but that's all right. tt

Delirium. That pretty much summed up my state of mind at that

point in my law school life. I had entered law school thinking this
was the place where I could equip myself with the skills I needed

will always find us again. My name is Kat and l'm an alternative lawyer.
Mary Catherine A. Alvarez

to accomplish my grand plans of saving the world. lnstead, reality


caught up with me. I began to feel law was a labyrinthine place

where I could easi! get lost, instead of the sanctuary where I could
divine what I was meant to do.

Summer l99B intern and

2001 graduate intern


Kol 30, is the Informotion and Advocooy Officer of the Children's Legol Bureou, lnc., o non-government orgonizotion bosed in Cebu City. She looks forvvord to continue going where no lovryer hos gone before.

The internship was therefore a chance to reclaim myself. lt did not disappoint. Through the program I found out law can indeed be made to serve the people. I learned that behind every court decision were lives irrevocably affected by the "fell clutch of

met people of similar convictions and learned


that while there was indeed less traffic on the road less traveled,

it was not a desolate highway that one walked alone. I learned


that one could rage and tilt at windmills without being considered certifiably insane. I experienced the whole gamut of emotions and knew that in this aspect of law, one couldn't divorce what one did

from how one felt. Everything became personal. The exigencies


experienced in working with the poor and the marginalized meant

that it couldn't be anything buf personal. The very real faces and
the very real lives I came into contactwith demanded no less and

allowed no quarter.
REN/EN/BERING STILL

INTEBNS' BEFLECT]ONS ON ALTEBNATIVE LAWYERING IN THE PHILIPPINES 71

Now, six years later, after working in a law firm for a while, I find

myself working at the Ateneo Human Rights Center. l'm here


because I feel that good intentions should not be delayed to an

uncertain day. I know there are other avenues where I can also be of help, but I find myself compelled to make my stand here. The internship program made such an impact on me that I find myself obligated to give back as much as I possibly can in the
here and now.
There are many moments in the score and a half l've spent on this earth that I have learned to be thankful for. But few as special as that

moment which brought me before the doors of the Human Rights Center that September morn in '99 to hand in my application.
Ma. Ngina Teresa V. Chan-Conzaga

Yet, even if the internship brought home a sense

of obligation

Semestral break 1999 intern


ln 2002, Moito groduoted Voledictorion from the Ateneo Low School (ALS) where she wos olso given the St. Thomos More oword. She then ploced 4k in the bor exominotions thot yeor. She is currently o stoff lonryer of the AHRC. She also teoches ot the ALS ond tries not to trcumotize the freshmen too much. She is groteful for the chonce to write down whot the internship progrom meont to her. She would olso like to soy thonk you to Neil Ooimon,
Wolt Whitman, Miguel de Ceruontes ond Dylon Thomos for their nifty ideos ond quoint phrosings.

to serve that was almost overwhelming, it also brought home a sense of tremendous freedom. The internship taught me not to take myself too seriously. I don't congratulate myself too much in times of personal glory nor berate myself too long in times of
personal failings. l've learned to laugh at myself, to pick myself up, and to brush myself off after a fall. Becoming an intern anchored me. I've learned to contextualize my
existence in the greater scheme of things. I now know I cannot save

the world, but I also know I can do my part in making my small corner of it a better place. Through having deah with the people in the sectors we serve and seeing their capacity for joy and warmth
despite difficult circumstances, l've learned to prepare for the future but to live in the here and now. There is no better time to eat ice cream than the present. I've learned to stop and stare at the stars

on the days when l'm lucky enough to see them. I've learned to
sing, albeit off-key, when my heart becomes too full. l've learned

to enjoy my solitude when only the moon rages. l've learned to


appreciate wonder again.

72

FEME|VBERING STILL

INTERNS' REFLECTIONS ON ALTFRNATIVE LAWYERING IN THE PHILIPPINES 73

The Ripples are Becoming


Waves
ln ]991, lentered law school with a realization that Cod

through the years and shared with others. The impact of the internship did not and does not stop with me.
The basic principle or value (if you may call it so) that I have learned

from my internships
had

is

that the very core of alternative lawyering or

blessed me with so much. By serving the poor, I wanted to give


back to Him at least a little of what He had given me. I discovered

developmental advocacy is in how it empowers the poor to avoid lawyer dependency. Educating and treating marginalized sectors as partners or as genuine stakeholders are two empowerment tools that I have tried to constantly apply in my work through the
years.

the Ateneo Human Rights Center (AHRC). By serving marginalized


sectors of society, the AHRC offered law students the opportunity

to learn the law in a profound and more practical way. I first joined the AHRC in
as a semestral break intern. I was active in the AHRC for the next three years of my law school life. I was one of

the pioneers of the AHRC Para-LegalTraining Program in 1992. also joined the Exposure in 1993 and the Summer lnternship in
the four graduate interns in 1996. lt has been 14 years since

have always treated encounters with my clients as opportunities to educate them about the nuances of the law. I encourage my students and legal aid volunteers to do the
same. With respect to the law school communiry I have used this approach as part of the guidelines for handling cases under the Clinical Legal Education Program. I also hope that I am making a positive impact on my students at the Ateneo Law School. I try to tickle their curiosity about alternative lawyering by introducing it in

1994. Finally a few months after taking the bar, I became one of

l99l

and I am still with the AHRC as a fulltime staff member.


It is really difficult to detail what I learned in those 14 years. What

the courses I teach. Nationally,

I learned in my five different internships, I have carried with me

I hope that my

engagement as a legal officer of

Promoting Local lnitiatives for Democracy and Justice (PRODEM)

somehow made an impact on the lives of the paralegals and law students we helped form. After each training program that we conducted with various communities, I remembered how they would thank us for sharing our knowledge with them: knowledge which helped them avoid becoming the victims of human rights
abuses. Another concrete example of propagating developmental legal advocary was when, as a mentor to public defenders in East

Timor, I incorporated provisions on empowerment in the case guidelines that I drafted. lnternationally,

I have exported what I have learned from my

internship to the different seminars, trainings sessions, and talks

BEN/EMBEBING STILL

INTERNS' REFLECTIONS ON ALTERNATIVE TAWYERING IN THE PHILIPPINES 75

that I have been involved with. Most notable of these was my


engagement as a training facilitator of the Canadian Human Rights

Coming Full Circle


While I was a trainee in community organization for urban poor

Foundation's lnternational Human Rights Training Program. This


program has

,l30-l40

human rights activists and educators from

all over the world as participants. lt has a special focus on human


rights education. It is clear that the impact and lessons learned from the internship

women in 1989, lattended a seminar on laws affecting urban poor communities. The communities we were organizing were
negotiating with the Aquino administration for a housing program

did not and should not stop with the interns. lt is inevitable that it

will cause a ripple. With more than 5OO AHRC interns spread all over the globe, I believe that the internship does not only create
ripples, but also Benerates waves that positively affect peoples' lives all over the world. Praise Cod!
Cilbert V. Sembrano Semestral break

in Commonwealth, Quezon City. At the time, I believed that lawyers were necessary in a sectoral campaign only when the community had to respond to an actual case filed in court, and
that understanding the law would not be beneficial to the sectors and their struggles. I thought that attending the seminar was a
waste of time until I found myself amazed at how the community leaders came up with a plan to use legal arguments in presenting

l99l

intern,

paralegal 1993 intern,

their claims to the government. The communities eventually succeeded and a big portion of the area was declared for urban
poor housing.

summer 1994 intern and


1996 graduate intern

A seed was planted after a leader in a fisherfolk community in


The outhor is presently the Director of the Ateneo Legol Seruices Center ond the Director for Legol Aid of the AHRC. He hos been working with the AHRC for the post I 4 yeors. lnspiring his students to treod the poth of olternotive low ond fulfilling his colling to be the best Christion lontyer he could ever become for the greoter glory of Cod mode those l4 yeors profoundly meoningful.

Laguna told me that I should study law and become a lawyer since

I was still young and could still handle the requirements of law
studies. The seed germinated after my experience with the urban

REMEIVBEFING STILL

INTERNS' BEFLECTIONS ON ALTERNATIVE LAWYERING IN THE PHILIPPINES

poor groups. I thought law school would help me understand the legal processes that would benefit these sectors.

I found law school a constant struggle. I encountered laws that were biased against the poor. I thought of going back to being
a

community organizer. Just when I was about to give up on studying law, I met the lawyer who gave us the seminar on urban poor laws. He asked me if I wanted to join the law school's internship
ProSram.

The internship program brought the interns to Quezon province.


We met farmer-leaders who strongly desired to have the lands they

were tilling covered by the government's agrarian reform program.

I did not take Agrarian Reform in law school, so I learned about


its issues and related laws while I was in Quezon. For the second

Years later, after law school, I was invited by one of my professors

to join him and work in Sentro ng Alternatibong Lingap panlegal


(SALICAN). SALICAN is an alternative legal resource organization

time, inspiration came from the lawyer who talked in the seminar

on urban poor laws, and who later invited me to the law school
internship program. I realized during the internship that we do not
learn everything inside the classroom. We are also educated when

working with basic sectors in the Philippines. I was assigned to the peasant unit where I worked with paralegals from different
farmers' organizations.

we live with communities who actually confront the law and the
legal system.

I was assigned to handle several cases pending before the trial courts and the adjudication board of the Department of Agrarian
Reform. One case involved the ejection of farmer-tenants in several

I returned to law school and to my studies, refreshed, excited, and

hopeful. I learned many things from my internship and was able

municipalities in Quezon province. I went to the area several days

to look at my previous experiences from a different perspective. realized that laws can be used to advance the rights of the poor,

before a scheduled hearing to work with the farmer-tenants in drafting a position paper that we were supposed to submit before the adjudication board.
As soon as I anived in Quezon, I met with the paralegals who were

and at other times can be used against them. I found out about the importance of legal knowledge for the poor communities: the
people should be able to understand the law so that they can use

the legal system to protect and advance their rights. I could not
wait to finish law school and join a group of lawyers who worked for the marginalized sectors.
I thought that my experience with

farmer-leaders tasked to lead the community in addressing their legal problems. One of them approached me and asked if I still

remembered him. His face looked very familiar but I had difficulty
recalling his name. He laughed and told me that he was my totoy

the internship proSram ended

(ather) and that I lived in their house during the immersion part
of the internship program. He also told me that he was very happy

there. I thought wrong.

ZB

REMENIBERING STILL

INTEBNS' REFLECTONS ON ALTEBNATIVE LAWYEBING IN THE PHILIPPINES 79

.F
ii

to see me working along with farmers in the resolution of their


land problems. That day, I realized that I had come full circle. The experience in Quezon inspired me and continues to give me strength until now. The farmer who taught me the basic principles of agrarian reform before I went to law school was the same paralegal t worked with
after I became a lawyer. The farmer-paralegals were not only familial

only a very small portion of the total development initiatives,

also

know that small contributions add up to something significant.


By the way, the lawyer who gave a talk in the seminar on urban poor laws, the same lawyer who invited me to the law school

internship program, is Atty. Carlos Medina, the Executive Director

with agrarian reform laws, they also identified strategies that would convince the government that they have a right to the land they till. The feeling that I can give back what I learned from them is very fulfilling, not only as a lawyer, but also as a person. Their wisdom, their knowledge of the law, and their perseverance in claiming what is rightfully theirs, continue to remind me to be humble.

of the Ateneo Human Rights Center. He is still an active worker in the alternative law community in the country. I know that a lot of law students and lawyers like me continue to draw inspiration from him. Like them, lwould like to thank him,
Arlene J. Bag-ao Semestral break

l9g2 intern

After more than lO years of practice in alternative law, I still find myself learning new things. I now work in an organization that
innovates and adopts creative methodologies to advance the rights
of the poor and marginalized. We strive to always be relevang and

Koka is currently the Executive Director of BALAOD Mindonov4 on olternotive legol resource orgonizotion bosed ond operoting in North Mindanoo. She is from Loreto, Dinogot lslond, Surigoo del Norte. She loves to watch movies, eot out with hiends, ond ploy sungka.

it is reassuring to know that we share similar principles and values

with other alternative law groups in the Philippines.

I understood Chief Justice Davide when he said alternative law groups should not be considered the alternative because they
are what lawyering is all about. But I think alternative lawyering is incomparable to traditional and mainstream lawyering because the benefits are different. lt may not even be wise to compare. am very happy and fulfilled with what I do and my experience in

the internship program remains an inspiration in my everyday life. My work continues to strengthen my belief that all people have the same rights as I have: to be happy and to have a meaningful life. And if other people are in a situation of poverty and injustice,
something is definitely wrong and I have as much an obligation as

them to address these situations of injustice. Although what I do

is

REIVEMBEBING STILL

INTERNS' REFLECTIONS ON ALTEFNATIVE LAWYERING IN THE PHILIPPINES 81

To date, the ATENEO HUMAN RICHTS CENTER has produced

572 lnterns

from 7 law schools all over the country under the guidance of B lnternship
Directors, and

I Executive Director.

After our internship, MOST OF US have finished law school and have
pursued different careers

as public servants in the government


as associates and partners in law offices and firms as corporate lawyers

as professors in the academe A NUMBER OF US have followed the call of our hearts to join alternative law practice, and continue to work with the marginalized sectors.
ALL OF US continue to live out the lessons learned during our internship days, advocating

Human Rights in our workplace, within our communiry among


our friends and families
en.ioy

the bonds of friendship created with our co-interns and

Directors invite others to journey with us and share in our COMMON love for justice.
TNTERNS

1987 - 2006

'The internship served as a venue for law students to unveil the different faces of the laws that we are studying.... At the end of my internship, I was compelled by a moral obligation to constantly look
back and relish my experiencel'
Joey A. Ramos

Summer l99B intern

REIVEIVBEFING STILL

You might also like