by Atty. Joseph Phillip T. Andres
Law school exposes us during our very first semester to the awesome power of the Office of President. The President is arguably the single most influential person in our country who has the power to either uplift the lives of our countrymen or make them plunge deeper into misery.
As the May 9, 2022 Presidential Election inches closer, we have to collectively start discerning who our choice will be as the country’s next leader. A choice which will affect not just us, but even the future generation.
Qualities (not qualifications) of a good President seem simple enough – a vision for the country’s future, courage to make unpopular decisions, crisis management skills, character and integrity – among others.
The “challenge” that faces our country is our electorate’s proclivity to join the bandwagon. The greatest factor which sways the voters is the candidate’s appearance of being winnable. Forgotten in the decision-making process are the objective or observable factors which are essential and not just important – track record, proposed platform of government, declared stand on major issues.
Whenever the choice is based on perception coupled with the corresponding desire to vote for the candidate who he thinks will win (as if there is a premium for guessing it correctly) and not the candidate who he believes can do the greatest service to our country, a recipe for disaster is surely brewing. Whenever the playing field is set up in that manner, then it is “open season” for spin doctors and political strategists to do their “magic”.
Trite as it may sound, this is proof that education is our key to making the right choice. As they say, a correct choice presupposes an informed choice. We should pray for the gift of discernment to be able to make a choice that we truly believe in and one we can live with.
Filipino fatalism has led us to accept that whatever happens has been pre-destined or has been decreed to happen. Often, as a convenient excuse to justify a choice that he knows is wrong but will however be the same as that of the winning group. Maybe that is his sole consolation – knowing that history is always based on the narrative of the victors, reality notwithstanding.
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Rigors of law school notwithstanding, it’s great to be part of some group or organization while in the College of Law. Whether it is something related to a skill or talent you wish to acquire, enhance or master (or maybe even something totally esoteric), one could always use a deviation from routine to reset or re-calibrate. Being a TV news reporter during my law school days, I naturally gravitated to THE BARRISTER to provide that much needed diversion or outlet for written expression. By the time I graduated in 2001, I had been with the group for 3 years, the last 2 of which as its Editor-in-Chief.
Fast forward to 2021 and it appears that events have turned full circle. Upon recommendation of the Prefect of Student Affairs and as approved by the Dean, I quickly accepted the invitation to serve as the Faculty Adviser of THE BARRISTER. I’m back with the campus organization I love. And though the modality of publication has changed (no more hard copies), the air of excitement and challenges that come with producing the school paper remain the same. This time, to “guide” the group’s next generation of campus journalism advocates headed by Editor-in-Chief John Mark Cariño, Associate Editor Joy Louise Evidente and Managing Editor Angelika Ortega. They are an awesome group to work with.
Special “shout-out” to former staff members of THE BARRISTER (I will not be mentioning you individually anymore) who will be taking the coming Bar examinations. We wish you the best of luck in this endeavor. We shall be including you in our prayers. God Bless!
THE BARRISTER 