Should Chiz run?

I asked the same question of President Erap a few columns ago and provided my unsolicited four centavo response: That legal arguments regarding his ability to run again for the Presidency notwithstanding, it would be politically difficult for President Erap to run in an election whose overriding theme is change. I then encouraged him to assume a king maker role and just use his still formidable clout to help elect a transformational leader.

I now direct the same question to Senator Chiz Escudero. Without a doubt, he has the intelligence and the presence to become President. I remember him as our graduation speaker at the FEU Institution of Law a few years back. Never have I seen someone deliver a sensible, 30-minute graduation address in alternating yet flawless English and Filipino extemporaneously.

But the Presidency is not just about intelligence. Timing matters. And luck of course. The fact is that formidable pairings for the Presidency and Vice Presidency are already in place. And many political commitments have already been made. Obviously, the winds are not blowing his way.

There have been newspaper reports saying that Senator Chiz is considering an independent run for the Vice Presidency. I asked myself, why would he do that? If he runs, he would be going up against two Senators who are proven vote-getters, having topped the 2004 and 2007 Senatorial elections. And even if he wins, would he able to pursue his pro-reform advocacies in his “spare tire” position? Of course, a loss would tarnish, perhaps even end, his Presidential ambitions.

Time is on Senator Chiz’s side insofar as 2016 is concerned. Rather than gambling his political fortune in 2010, he should throw his support to the transformational candidate closest to his pro-reform advocacies.

If President Erap decides not to run and assumes a king maker role, he ironically gets a greater opportunity to redeem his legacy. If Senator Chiz passes on 2010 and plays king maker as well, he preserves his chance of becoming King someday.

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On Legal Education: Two centavos go to my colleagues in the Philippine Association of Law Schools (PALS) as we hold our annual convention in Cagayan de Oro this week-end.

Since its founding in 1967, PALS has endeavored to “provide a cohesive force which will unite law schools throughout the Philippines in a common effort to raise or maintain at a high level the standard of legal education in the country.”

Having been a member for over 10 years, I will be the first to admit that PALS has not attained this lofty ideal. A few schools exhibit consistency in their bar performance but most display erratic behavior. I posit several reasons for this phenomenon. First, unlike our counterparts abroad, a good majority of law deans work part-time. The same is true for our law teachers. It goes without saying that less time translates to less preparation. Second, legal educators are underpaid. Their compensation is not commensurate to the five-year post graduate legal training (includes one year for the bar exam). Truly, there is something wrong in a system where pre-school education is more expensive than the tuition charged by the country’s top law school. Third, law schools are under resourced, especially those operating in the provinces. Copies of basic law books and Supreme Court decisions remain scarce. And in this digital age, the internet is not a want but a need. Yet many law schools are not only computer deficient but disconnected from the worldwide web as well.

I cannot overemphasize the role that the law schools play in the political, economic and social life of the country. Many of our leaders are lawyers who were once law students brimming with idealism and pledged to the mission of changing the world. A few of these Quixotes still exist but many have been swallowed up by the system. This is especially true in the Administration of Justice where lawyers predominate. But this should not stop law students from dreaming and aspiring. As I always remind my students: “Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.”

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Super Pacman: Two centavos also go to the Philippines’ pride — people’s champ Manny Pacquiao for winning his 7th world title. Aside from his speed, I dare say that it was the Pacman’s smile, strength and stamina which spelled the difference. Did you notice his smile as he walked out of the dugout into the ring? He not only exuded confidence but serenity as well. He seemed to be looking forward to the task at hand. On the other hand, Cotto looked pensive and tense. You got the impression he just wanted to get the fight over with.

To be fair, the fight was not one sided and Pacman received his fair share of punches. To conserve strength, he had to employ Muhammad Ali-like “rope a dope” tactics. Yet the supposedly stronger Cotto was simply not in the same league as the Pacman. At the end of the fight, the condition of their faces told it all.

And even after the 12th round, did you not get the impression that Pacman still had enough energy to go another three rounds? His physical, emotional and mental condition was impeccable.

My unsolicited four centavos is that the super Pacman just focus on the three S’s — sports, singing and the “sinema” and to leave politics to the politicians. Otherwise, his next loss may occur outside rather than inside the ring.

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“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

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