Supreme Court Associate Justice Ramon Paul Hernando, the chairman of last year’s bar exams who delivered a speech during the recent oath taking and roll-signing of new lawyers, took pains to remind lawyers that their title of “Attorney” does not place them above other regular folk who must observe traffic rules, wait patiently in line, and follow other regulations.
“Be a visible example of a follower of the law. Do not skip lines. Do not run that red light. Be not apathetic. Look up from your phones and see the prevailing realities around you,” he said. “(Do not) rely on an authority’s leniency to escape compliance.”
The professional title “Attorney,” is not a social rank that makes one more important than non-lawyers, he stressed.
The legal profession is considered one of the most desired careers for Filipinos, with bar exam results given high drama publicity and topnotchers lavished with rewards by their schools. Hernando however reminded the 2023 passers “what will truly validate you is how you will hold yourself out as a lawyer from the moment you sign the Roll of Attorneys, your demeanor before the courts and the public, the stability of your private lives, and the fortitude of your convictions.”
Associate Justice Hernando’s words should be heeded, not only by Filipino lawyers, but also by all others in self-important professions and those in positions of power who somehow think their title puts them above the law and earned them the right to consider themselves worthy of special treatment.
It is sad, but in this country, lawyers and public servants, including politicians and members of security forces, need to be reminded that they are not above the law and in fact should be the ones upholding the sanctity of the law by advocating for it by shunning exceptions at all levels, especially on their end. Too many of these sort of Filipinos whose priority should be serving the public and the country still end up straying, starting with thinking they can routinely ignore traffic laws, skip queues, and use their title to throw their weight around, and the quicker we can find ways to nip that tendency in the bud, the better it will be for our society*
