CLASP

At the induction of the new officers of CLASP (The Citizens’ Legal Aid Society of the Philippines), Justice Josue N. Bellosillo, the inducting officer and guest of honor, recounted the origin of CLASP. One day in March of 1966, Justice Roman Ozaeta, then President of the Philippine Bar Association, was urgently looking for an active, competent lawyer to handle for free a case of police brutality. It involved the murder of a man whose body was riddled with bullets, then dumped into a trash can. The grieving widow was the only willing witness and she could not afford the expenses of litigation.

A young lawyer, then in his prime, accepted the challenge which was fraught with danger to his life, the suspect being a policeman. That lawyer was Salvador H. Laurel, with the grit, courage and determination of a true Batangueño, he succeeded in bringing the murderer to the bar of justice.

Inspired by the success of his initially pro bono case, Doy organized a group of lawyers that was to be the core of CLASP: Gonzalo Gonzales, J. Antonio Araneta, Crispin Baizas, Juan David, Jose Feria, Alberto Jamir, Juan L. Luna, Enrique Syquia, Jesus Barrera and of course, Doy Laurel who called his peers "Men of La Mancha."

In 1976, Doy was conferred the coveted title of "Most Outstanding Legal Aid Lawyer of the World" by the International Bar Association for his splendid and unique success in espousing the cause of free legal representation.

No organization can be more relevant or more desperately needed these days than CLASP. As Doy himself said in his opening remarks, "The quest must go on because although the rumblings of revolt may begin in an empty stomach, it is the mind which his known injustice that will tell the hands to grasp a gun, tell the feet to charge the strongholds of the status quo.

"We must never forget that the fundamental principle underlying our Republic is ‘rule by the majority’ – and the majority of our people are poor. (Italics mine.) That residual power of the majority is above the constitution. My father used to describe it as the ‘superior right of revolution’ which means that when a government becomes destructive at the ends for which it is instituted – and such ends certainly include the delivery of equal justice to rich and poor alike – it is the right of the people to alter or abolish that government and replace it with another ‘that to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness."

"Our goal is to involve all practicing lawyers in the country to handle at least one case each for free – there are some 30,000 of them – and if they could all be legal eagles of the poor, that will go a long way in restoring the dwindling faith of the poor in our system of justice."

The poor are not alone in losing faith in our system of justice. Returning to Mr. Bellosillo, he said: "According to a 1988 survey on the profile and perception of judges in pilot courts on the continuous trial system, court delay is largely attributed to lawyers who irresponsibly manipulate procedural rules to gain endless continuances for their cases.

"Lawyers should collect, per case, attorney’s fees that cover all professional services in the prosecution or defense of their clients to discourage postponements and piece-meal presentation of evidence; thus, lawyers will be motivated to finish their case assignments soonest to enable them to attend to their other cases, and earn more!"

It seems imperative that another group of lawyers, is idealistic, valiant and sharp-minded as those who compose CLASP, should be formed to fight corruption among lawyer themselves. Certain lawyers are notorious for accepting bribes and collecting money from both their clients and the parties they are supposed to prosecute. (I, for one, have been told directly of such unscrupulous and mendacious lawyers – and judges!)

Whatever client – rich or poor – a lawyer defends, Doy’s observation holds: "The quest for justice must go on because we all took an oath when we were admitted to the Bar that we would never reject the cause of the defenseless and the oppressed for pecuniary reasons. We must continue to validate that oath."

It was reassuring to hear Doy’s claim: "I may quit politics but I would never quit CLASP."

* * *

Although the invitation was merely to the 35th induction ceremonies of CLASP’s new officers and members of the board of governors, I had never heard more meaningful speeches than I did in one single evening. Speakers were outgoing president Avelino V. Cruz, new chairman Raul M. Gonzalez, new president Harriet O. Demetriou, and vice-chairman Eddie F. Hernandez who enlivened the program with his witty introduction of the guest speaker. Ramon M. Maronilla "emceed."

Edifying quotes from the speakers might be recalled: "Some people envision things and ask: Why?’ Others envision things and ask ‘Why not?’" (J. Kennedy)? "Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, or what’s heaven for ?" (R. Browning).

The incomparable Cocoy Laurel sang excerpts from Man from La Mancha, the Broadway musical staged the same year CLASP was born (1966). With great fervor Cocoy intoned what summarized the quixotic goal of CLASP: "Beat the unbeatable foe/ Right the unrightable wrong/March into hell so that honor and justice may live!".