Boholst, Adlawan elected IBP chapter presidents

A lawyer-real estate broker won convincingly over his two rivals to become the new president of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines-Cebu City Chapter, while a full slate came uncontested to become the new officials of the IBP-Cebu Province Chapter.

Briccio Joseph Boholst, a long-time official of the Mandaue Lawyers Inc., defeated high-profile lawyers Gloria Dalawampu and Fritz Quiñanola in yesterday's elections.

Boholst got 159 votes out of over 300 to edge Dalawampu who had 112, and Quiñanola who obtained 39 votes only.

Michael Yu, former president of the Young Lawyers Association of Cebu, and Boholst's runningmate, won uncontested with 294 votes to become the new vice president.

Completing the list of new officials of the city's IBP ironically came from Dalawampu's ticket: Annabel Pulvera (secretary), John Neumeran (treasurer), Wilbert Dumon (auditor), and Piedad "Bingo" Gonzales (PRO).

The new directors of the board are Mae Elaine Bathan, who got 232 votes, Michelle Mendez (176 votes), Heidi Orbiso (173), Allan Ouano (165), and Nestor Nuez (153).

The IBP-Cebu Province Chapter also had its new set of officers who were also elected yesterday without rivals and with only 81 lawyers who cast their votes.

The new president of the IBP-Cebu Province Chapter is Noel Adlawan, while the new vice president is Reuel Pintor.

The other elected officials are Eliseo Ceniza Jr., secretary; Negley Tabucanon-Villanueva, treasurer; Galicano Arriesgado Jr., auditor; and Elias Espinosa, PRO.

The new members of the board of directors are Rolando Lim, Joselito Alo, Paterno Acabodillo, Ernesto Maringoran, and Gloria Estenzo-Ramos.

Lawyer Boholst, son of Regional Trial Court Judge Themistocles Boholst, recently shared the limelight as the lawyer of whistleblower Bernard Liu in a controversial illegal drugs case.

He finished law at the University of San Carlos in 1991 and passed the bar the next year. He became IBP-Cebu City Chapter director from 1997 to 1999, within which the chapter was recognized as Most Outstanding Chapter.

Now for his two-year presidency of the chapter, Boholst said he would establish a member compliance reporting system for the Mandatory Continuing Legal Education and to make the chapter an accredited MCLE service provider.

Like Boholst, Adlawan said his term also would aim to strengthen the provincial chapter's legal aid program, and on environment programs in coordination with noted lawyer Antonio Oposa.

Both Boholst and Adlawan said they would work to help decongest the jails by scrutinizing the records of inmates to see who among them have served already their minimum sentence and thus should be released. - Joeberth M. Ocao/RAE