Four (4) law schools have made their stand, namely: University of the Philippines College of Law, the University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Civil Law, the San Beda College of Law, and the University of the East College of Law. Now, where is that law school in Morayta?
Established in 1934, the Far Eastern University Institute of Law boasts to be one of the pedigreed law schools in the Philippines, being the cradle where two other law schools sprang. Since its inception, thousands of students passed through its halls to become legal practitioners. Various legal luminaries, from bar topnotchers to justices, owe their education to this institution. Whether in public or private practice, its alumni populate the profession in various capacities.
In the 1970s, the institute had its share in the molding of social consciousness, as some law students joined in the rallies against the Marcos regime, and much later, against the Martial Law guised under the form constitutional authoritarianism. In the First People Power, the FEU-IL was again at the forefront of the fight for the sovereign peoples’ rights. Countless persons, most of them nameless, linked arms to protest the acts of an overstaying dictator. Tama Na! Sobra Na! Palitan Na! That was the call. In 2001, the immoral administration of Erap Estrada was again the subject of people power. Jueteng payoffs, pocketing of the excise taxes, maintaining a fictitious bank account and high level corruption were among the charges. In the back of it all, the FEU-IL remains an active vanguard of the rights of the people. Tama Na! Sobra Na! Palitan Na! Still, that was the call.
Now, this country is again faced with levels of corruption unimaginable, probably in the same degree as the ousted dictator Marcos. This regime has pocketed millions, if not billions, of Juan dela Cruz’s hard earned pesos. The few benefits the lions share and the spoils are given to their cohorts; all of these while the common man wallow in hunger and poverty. The oligarchs in government maintain power by propagating mendicancy, laying the seeds for patronage. The gap between the rich and the poor has widened. We are back in the situation before Marcos came to power in the 1960s.
The people are clamoring for change; for genuine change. But how do we go about change, without letting the power pass on from one oligarch to another? Everyone is making known their stand. But in the milieu, where is that of the Far Eastern University, more specifically, that of the Institute of Law? When are we going to speak? When are we to make a stand?
This is a call to arms! Not in the literal sense of the word. But rather, this is a call to action! Law students must make their voices heard whenever question of rules need to be clarified. But more importantly, as scholars of law, we must make a definite stand when a law is violated, when the truth is suppressed, and when the right of the people is trampled. This administration of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s wanton disregard of the law, calls for our condemnation.
We must put an end to this infringement! It must all stop! The battle cry: TAMA NA! SOBRA NA! KUMILOS NA! Let us all act now! We must make our stand on this issue known. For truth, accountability and reform, the FEU-IL must act NOW!
Established in 1934, the Far Eastern University Institute of Law boasts to be one of the pedigreed law schools in the Philippines, being the cradle where two other law schools sprang. Since its inception, thousands of students passed through its halls to become legal practitioners. Various legal luminaries, from bar topnotchers to justices, owe their education to this institution. Whether in public or private practice, its alumni populate the profession in various capacities.
In the 1970s, the institute had its share in the molding of social consciousness, as some law students joined in the rallies against the Marcos regime, and much later, against the Martial Law guised under the form constitutional authoritarianism. In the First People Power, the FEU-IL was again at the forefront of the fight for the sovereign peoples’ rights. Countless persons, most of them nameless, linked arms to protest the acts of an overstaying dictator. Tama Na! Sobra Na! Palitan Na! That was the call. In 2001, the immoral administration of Erap Estrada was again the subject of people power. Jueteng payoffs, pocketing of the excise taxes, maintaining a fictitious bank account and high level corruption were among the charges. In the back of it all, the FEU-IL remains an active vanguard of the rights of the people. Tama Na! Sobra Na! Palitan Na! Still, that was the call.
Now, this country is again faced with levels of corruption unimaginable, probably in the same degree as the ousted dictator Marcos. This regime has pocketed millions, if not billions, of Juan dela Cruz’s hard earned pesos. The few benefits the lions share and the spoils are given to their cohorts; all of these while the common man wallow in hunger and poverty. The oligarchs in government maintain power by propagating mendicancy, laying the seeds for patronage. The gap between the rich and the poor has widened. We are back in the situation before Marcos came to power in the 1960s.
The people are clamoring for change; for genuine change. But how do we go about change, without letting the power pass on from one oligarch to another? Everyone is making known their stand. But in the milieu, where is that of the Far Eastern University, more specifically, that of the Institute of Law? When are we going to speak? When are we to make a stand?
This is a call to arms! Not in the literal sense of the word. But rather, this is a call to action! Law students must make their voices heard whenever question of rules need to be clarified. But more importantly, as scholars of law, we must make a definite stand when a law is violated, when the truth is suppressed, and when the right of the people is trampled. This administration of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s wanton disregard of the law, calls for our condemnation.
We must put an end to this infringement! It must all stop! The battle cry: TAMA NA! SOBRA NA! KUMILOS NA! Let us all act now! We must make our stand on this issue known. For truth, accountability and reform, the FEU-IL must act NOW!
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