26 June 2o1e
s4 COMMENTARY
Reflections
This is ihe l00th
(( column I have written
Most of for the Du y Tribunz.
rna essa,as I thank the paper
uere for letting me share
blud.geoned. some space alongside
with red distinguished wriiers.
ink, filletl I still find it hard to
toith believe that I can
be considered as a
corrections
from m.y
teacher, n*fiihfl".T#*f,$"fl.',t-
and musings on law and
society, a"nd give a short reflection on
how wdting has affected my yiews
on the world.
I always considered myself a
voracious reader. 'Read a thousand
books and your words will flow
lke a river,' is a quote ftom Lisa
See, an American writer, and may
quite explain how writing may have
come naturally to me. Growing up,
I picked the paperback books of my
father, mostly by John Grisham ard
Michael Crichton. Our family was a
subsenber of Tdme Magazfuc, Bvery
. year my school bag was the free
giveaway of ?inze for subscribers,
ard it was a bag I brought with pride
since it represented the magazine
loved reading,
I also e4joyed reading the
ne\ryspaper eYery day. In first yea.r
ffi school, our class teacher asked
a bonus question in a quiz, and xked
us t0 define what is a lYrit of Habeas
Corpus. Remembering an article I
read that moming, I was the only
hd who got to answer the question.
How's that for a llyearold?
this made me realize that reading
the newspaper everyday does have
its advantages. When I did my
internship in one of the biggest
Philippine companies, we were
told that we'd be meeting one of
mffsda''
the top elacutives over I built an a.rsenal
systematic, and
.lunch the next day. of words and phrases that I can
On the morning of the pick ftom whenever I am deep in
meeting, I memorized the process of crafting a sound
the figures and data legal argument. My confidence
about the company in in writing picked up whenever a
the business section da,ft pleading I prepaxed retuned
of the newspaper, and with mininal revisions and ended
recited these at the up being ffled before the Supreme
lunch meeting. Mter Court. My confrdence boosied after
gaduation, I got an offer a few winning decisions that quoted
to join that company. my ritings.
I also recall joining Now, here I em writing for a
a littleknown business newspaper as a columnist, still with
plar wdting cont€st sponsor€d by a much to learn about the norld. I do
multinational bark in a newspaper not consider myself as a geat ffriter,
article. I joined it, won first rrmer-up, but good enough to take some ofyour
and got sent to Hong Kong for it. BtIt time to read my columns that come
the bast thing I got out ofit was tlut my out twice a week. Though I must say
niame was printed on a tarpaulin ard the bigbest difference about writing
hung outside the school gate as a way for a newspaper, as compared to
to congratulat€ Iqe. It.W4s cetain& a wdting a legal pleading, Philo paper,
feather on my cap. English essali or business plan, is
However. I was that news columnisis have a license
5( never told byEnglish to cdticize anlthing in the world - a
Colu,mnists teachers that I was a very powerfirl tool that can be used
ha,De a d,utv good writer. In fact,
to destroy. As such, columrists have
to analvze most of my essays a duty to analyze and report whai is
and. report were bludgeoned
deemed to be truthfl4 without feax or
uhat is with red ink, filed favor, simila.r to this paper's slogan,
deenad to with corrections and package this infomation into
I be trathfitl, from mv teacher. I something tlut can be easily digested
uithout fear got better feedback
orfaoon ftom my philosophy
by its readership.
The Philippines is undergoing
and lheologr teachens, who were less
a renaissance .period, It is up to
concerned on sentenco structures
the columnists to read, analyze,
and sequencing, but more on theory
thinl< and reflect on the fast pace
and though pocess.
of news and information, so these
Then came law school where
can be simplified and presented
I learned how to write in a very
to something that the readers can
structured formai. Just like my
relaie to - something I tal(e to hea*
English teachers, ihe law firm
asI continue riting columns, thank
partners massacred my pleadings
you for your time ard please e)eecN
and opinions, and I accepted these
another 'reflection' in my 1,000th
very constructiyek as a young lawyer
piece.
with much to learn.
.After a few years, my writing Enwil: dtrretu,dde ts@d4esu"elpgatr,corn
afproach has become more or tuvet @d,angnddesus
P-,l€LA{t I