Integral Faith | TugmaLahat

Category | Integral Faith

Nakita ko ang ilang bahagi ng pagsisilbi ng iba’t ibang administrasyon. Sa posisyon ko sa akademya, sa legal practice, sa international organizations, sa policy studies, sa very difficult international arbitration cases ng Pilipinas, at bilang hukom sa Supreme Court, nakita ko ang bahagi ng personalidad ng iba’t ibang pangulo at ng mga ilang nakapaligid sa kanila. Merong mahiyain at ayaw na ang atensyon ay nasa kanya lagi, merong palabiro, merong sharp at efficient, merong cunning, merong super-focused, at merong tinatawag na hustler talaga.

Maria Lourdes Sereno — Bagama't naging Punong-Mahistrado ako ng Korte Suprema, nag-decide akong gumamit ng nickname ko para sa aking unang facebook page: Meilou. Bakit? Dahil at that time last year when I was deciding on the fb name, napakaraming kabataan na nagiging close sa akin na tinatawag akong Tita, Ninang at Mommy. Nickname ko ang best na idikit sa mga prefixes na ito. Para naman sa gustong maalala ang fight ko for justice while I was in the Supreme Court, okay din na tinatawag akong CJ.

Ngayon lang nagkaganitong katindi ang pagkahati-hati natin at ang pagdepensa sa naihalal. Ngunit malalim ang pinaghuhugutan nito. Galing ito marahil sa pananaw na hindi sila nakakuha ng kakampi sa gobyerno noon at ang Presidente lamang na ito ang nagparamdam na siya ay kakampi ng mas nakararami. Kahit pa mapatunayan na naubos ang kaban ng bayan dahil sa maling paggasta ng pondo, kampi pa rin sa nahalal. Ito nga ba ang tunay nating pagkatao? Na hindi na tayo manunuri ng mga public officials? Basta feel natin, tama siya.

Kapag pinipigilan niyo ang mga taong humihingi ng accountability sa mga magnanakaw o holders of ill-gotten wealth, kayo ay enabler in “the works of wickedness.” Ayaw na ayaw ni Lord ang pagnanakaw. Ang words na ginagamit Niya: “I, the Lord, love justice, I hate robbery, and every wrongdoing” (Isaiah 61:8). Kapag kayo ay pumanig sa magnanakaw ay nakiki-parte kayo sa kaniyang gawain. Ano ang sabi pa ni Isaiah sa Isaiah 1:17: “Learn to do good, Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor.”

Proud daw tayo na “resilient” tayo, parang kawayan na pilit na binabali ngunit hindi mabali-bali. Pero yung ganitong katagal at paulit-ulit na pag-angat ng “resilience” natin, parang pinagmamalaki natin na hindi natin kayang solusyunan ang mga sitwasyon na alam nating haharapin natin ilang beses kada taon. Sa tapatang pananalita, parang celebrated kahinaan (o di kaya katangahan). Hindi kaya may latay na sa konsyensya itong abusadong paggamit sa term “resilience”?

TANGGAP NGA BA NG PINOY CHRISTIANS ANG EJKS? Mahirap sagutin ano po? Ayon sa Biblia, lahat ng tao ay ginawa sa wangis ng Diyos (Gen. 1:26) at dahil dito, sisingilin ng Diyos ang buhay ng sinumang papatay ng kapwa (Gen. 9:6;). Ang dugo ng mga inutas na mga inosente ay umiiyak sa Diyos at humihingi ng katarungan; ipaghihiganti ng Diyos ang mga ito; at madadamay din sa sumpa ang lupa ng bayang nagdadanak ng dugo (Deuteronomy 19:10, Jeremiah 22:3; Proverbs 6:17; Gen. 9:6; Psalm 106: 38).

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Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno is living proof that true courage is forged through adversity.

Sereno rose from humble beginnings to become the country’s first female Chief Justice in 2012. She attended public elementary and secondary school, then pursued higher education through scholarships. She graduated valedictorian from the UP College of Law in 1984, and holds a Masters of Law degree, specializing in law and economics and international trade law, from the University of Michigan.

She was a law professor at the UP for nearly 20 years. The World Trade Organization recognized her stellar credentials with her 1998 appointment as Counsellor of their Appellate Body in Geneva, Switzerland. She was also involved in successful international litigation as co-counsel for the Republic and was AIM’s Executive Director for their Policy Center.

With her modernizing outlook and firm belief in the power of technology, she co-founded a corporation that developed the first annotated electronic research system in Philippine Law. Her tenure as Chief Justice is marked by far-reaching reforms, including eCourts, automated hearings, case decongestion, continuous trials, and expanded small claims courts. At the heart of her reform program is the strong conviction that justice and the law’s protection should be accessible and responsive to the most vulnerable Filipinos. Because she was a staunch defender of judicial independence, Sereno was subjected to intense persecution.

Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno is now a major voice for people-centered change in Philippine society. She believes this change is part of God’s desire for this country, that every Filipino is precious in God’s sight, bawat isa mahalaga, and that each citizen and every community has a role in building up this nation. She is an advocate for faithfulness to the vision of a “just and humane society” in the Philippine Constitution, and integrity and accountability in governance.

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