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“There is really a need for moral regeneration. Educational institutions, [e]specially schools of law should not imbue
their students with the knowledge of cold and naked statutes alone, as if knowledge of the same solely makes up the
bread, the butter, and the breath of the men of the law.”

“Law students, should not be mere slaves to statutes. They, as future lawyers to occupy offices of public trust, honor or
profit, must likewise be sufficiently schooled in morals, possess dignity, and rise above the petty and foolish ways of the
world.”

“… lawyers ought to be men of finished character, anytime, anywhere.”

“Side by side with study of law, should be the study of the means to acquire moral stamina, the real stuff of which great
men are made of, to be a champion of human rights, a veritable soldier of truth and justice, an apostle of peace and
general well-being.”

- Volume XIV, No. 4, March 1964

- Editors: Ernesto Pineda, Oscar Noblejas, Alfredo Balicanta, Jr., Angel Ancheta

Salient Features of the Land Reform Code

Prof. Gregorio Bilog, Jr.
Prof. Gregorio Bilog, Jr. is one of the pioneers of Gamma Delta Upsilon Fraternity. He is an expert in Land Titles and Deeds wherein he has written a
book on such subject.

“The concentration of landed possession in the hands of a relatively dew and the deprivation of the tenants of their just
shares in the crops, infringe natural law which recognizes the inalienable right of the individual to private property, and
warrants the intervention of the State.”

“The need for land reforms in the Philippines is clear. If the great number of the peasant farmers of our society is not
well, society cannot be well, the nation cannot be well. Tenancy laws in the past have proved to be slow in redeeming the
peasant farmers from the bonds of poverty and ignorance. Hence, the necessity for a more vigorous and expeditious land
reform law.”

Limitations of Power
Prof. Marcos Herras
Atty. Marcos Herras was a President of the UST Faculty Club

“… our legal system has much deeper roots than what the maze of different and diverse provisions displays. These
roots are as strong as the mineral veins of the mountains and in the deep bowels of the earth.”

“When we take into account the fact that for about 170 years, there was only one college of law in the Philippines –
the UST Faculty of Civil Law, and that the faculty was consulted on grave legal problems by the Audiencia or the
Supreme Court… it is not difficult to imagine how the classes in philosophy as well as law were veritable conduits or
channels along which flowed in constant stream the ideas from the fountainhead of Dominican philosophy: St. Thomas
Aquinas.”

“The human personality, the dignity of the person, the natural rights and duties of the individual, the family as the
nucleus of society, the prerogatives of the family over the children and the State, the rights and duties of the State with
respect to the community, the family and the citizen, the forms of government were common day topics of discussion,
which discussions all along were carried out the scholastic or Thomasian way.

“Governmental power stops at the threshold of individual rights and liberties.”

“Basically we adhere to the teachings of St. Thomas that human law has a binding force when enacted for the common
good by a duly constituted authority; that human law must conform to the natural law, which is the participation of the
eternal law of God in the rational nature of man.”

The Greatest Challenge to People Power

Editorial; Volume I, No. 2; March 1986, Anicia Concepcion, Andrew Linatoc, Ma. Liza Lopez

“People power was basically the formidable strength that made our struggle a success.”

“Is the war really over? The present situation demands more than just the physical ouster of the despot. Marcos left
with his treasure but not with the evil elements of his fallen empire. They are not just debris after all for it was they
who made him a monster.”

“Shifting loyalty of defective public officials is the new game to watch.”

Supervision of Inferior Courts

Anicia Marasigan, Editor-in-Chief, UST Law Review, Vol. XX, No. 1, 1969

“It is true the Supreme Court is not an assembly of angels, which is true of all human institutions, political or
otherwise. But we are all agreed, for sure, that up to now, in our corrupt government, the Supreme Court is still the
least assailed for corruption. This in mind, it is believed that there is faith and wisdom, mingled into one, on the
political agency which by the imperatives of logic, should exercise supervision and control over inferior courts.”

The Spirit of Democracy as the Key to World Peace

Chief Justice Roberto Concepcion
Former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, UST Law Review Fellow, UST Faculty of Civil Law professor

“There is a crying need to instill in the mind and the heart of man a rule of law and reason strong enough to keep
within the proper bounds the mighty impulses that municipal or regional interests, let alone biases and prejudices, often
generate.”

“The giant technological advances of the twentieth century have outpaced by far the steps taken and the means
developed for the promotion and maintenance of peace.

To be sure, such advances can be and should be a boon to humanity; but, unless and until adequate measures shall
have been taken to regulate the use thereof or to otherwise insure reasonably that they shall not and cannot be availed of
except for peaceful purposes, some of the latest scientific developments pose the gravest threat that mankind has ever
faced.”
“With the advent and spread of democracy… and the increasing participation of the masses in the selection of public
officials, as well as in the formulation and shaping of governmental policies, the problems of diplomacy have, in effect,
been brought to the people themselves… it may often be necessary to reckon with the growing force of public opinion.”

“It is the masses who… suffer the gravest toll. Their expanding and more pervading role, in the field of international
affairs, can provide, therefore, additional safeguards or checks against the emergence of dictators, with their respective
ambitions, to the detriment of world order and the progress of humanity.”

“The interest of peace imperatively demands the adoption of means and ways to enhance the people’s influence upon
their respective governments and the conduct of its affairs, at home and abroad.”

“Democracy implies a symbiotic relationship of give and take, live and let live. It means, on the one hand individual
freedom from arbitrary restraint and compulsion from without, and on the other, self-restraint based upon due
consideration and respect for the right of others.”

“Democracy envisages the untrammeled expression of thought, and the freest and fullest intercourse of ideas, with a
willingness to meet each other half-way and to abide, in proper cases, by the decision of the majority.”

“Democracy indicates an earnest and sincere desire to cooperate with other members of society in the solution of common
problems or those of general concern. It imports a regime of liberty, equality, and fraternity. It denotes a spirit of
human brotherhood, regardless of race, color, creed, or social station.”

“Democracy is founded on the recognition of human dignity and aims at the protection and development of human
rights and fundamental freedoms. It teaches the necessity of voluntary desistance from all transgressions of the rights of
others…”

“Democracy seeks the promotion of the common good, not through the negation of private rights or a disregard of
individual peculiarities, but through measures calculated to provide means and ways to iron out or reconcile conflicting
interests and to stimulate and harness individual capabilities and initiative, upon the theory that diversity is the rule of
life, that unanimity is possible only in the graveyard, and that peace, indeed is a rainbow of many colors suitably
combined.”

“The ultimate codification of international law and its universal predominance, as a major objective of the United
Nations, will, in all probability, pursue an evolutionary process analogous to that of municipal law, the effectiveness of
which is inherently dependent upon the cohesiveness of the society, as determined by the extent to which its members
comport themselves in accordance with the tenets of democracy.”

The Test of Liberty: Restraints on Property

Chief Justice Enrique Fernando

“What is the test of freedom? Its answer, given things as they are, does require that the institution of property be
likewise considered.”

“Liberty… does not consists solely in the absence of restraint. That is to view it in a negative sense. It has a positive
aspect as well. It is not only freedom from but freedom for. It is not enough that one is not let alone. It is equally
important that on should have opportunity for achievement, to make something of himself. It thus becomes, to follow
Lien, an aspect of right of self-realization.”
“Everyone is entitled to a juridical order that does not bar him from seeking ways and means to improve his lot, to
make his dreams come true.”

“Power over subsistence is power over will. Necessitous men cannot be free men.”

“There is a need for adjustment and reconciliation between the authority that must be recognized as possessed by the
State to be utilized for the welfare of all and the liberty an individual cannot be denied for his self-fulfillment as a
social being… There is a need for the balancing of state authority and individual liberty.”

“Where a property is identified with economic security, in terms of the right to earn a living and to have those
possessions necessary for decent existence, it deserves the fullest and most ample protection that the Constitution affords.
Where however it takes the form of concentrated wealth, whether derived from industry, commerce, agriculture, or
finance, its limitation is less objectionable… since the Constitution assures social justice and protection to labor… if it
were not, it could be utilized to exploit and oppress others.”

“… one great fundamental right that assures the freedom of one’s person is the writ of liberty, the writ of habeas
corpus. [While it may be suspended] in cases of invasion, insurrection, or rebellion or imminent danger thereof, I believe
that it should not be suspended at all. To meet the grave problem posed by invasion, insurrection, or rebellion,
legislation may be enacted for a longer period of detention… Thus we can defend a regime of liberty without losing
liberty in the process.”

Diosdado Macapagal : The Peacemaker of Asia

Editors, Volume XIV, No. 1, 1963, Ernesto Pineda

“It is worth noting that in terms of the agreement of the Maphilindo countries the forthcoming Federation of Malaysia,
which is supposed to include North Borneo, shall not prejudice the Philippine claim on the latter, for then the claim
will be settled with the Federation and not anymore with Great Britatin.”

“The Maphilindo has been an old dream and now “an old-dream-come-true”.

“Our fellow Thomasian, President Diosdado Macapagal, became the first Malayan to concretize this dream of unity
among Malay peoples. It is for this reason, that the international prestige of the Philippines soared up and was placed
into the limelight of international affairs. The staying off the possible clash between Indonesia and Malaya, as a result
of the Summit is undoubtedly to the credit of President Macapagal’s skill in diplomacy and statesmanship.”

The Constitution as Stabilizer in our Nation Building

Associate Justice Jesus Barrera
Former Justice Secretary, member of the Philippine Constitutional Convention

“Symptomatic of this trend [weakening of the faith in the Constitution] is the disturbing sentiment… “Is democracy to
be kept meaningless to millions and the republic in constant jeopardy for a few, on the ground of cash and
constitutionality?”.”
“Whether we like it or not… the world will change, and change fast. But the more things change fast, the greater is the
need for stabilization within the orbit of change. At high speed, there is greated necessity for dependable brakes and
shock absorbers.”

“In matters political – and the political is inseparable, in reality, from the social and economic – it is the Constitution
that is one of the most dependable instruments for purposes of stabilization in change.”

“If we fail to discern and understand in time the creeping impatience about our Constitution, we might be too late in
reminding ourselves of our need to control and counteract that impatience.”

“A rash change, just for the sake of change is hardly ever a change for the better. A change that would mean growth,
development, and progress must be one that is carefully studied, understood, and checked up against the paramount
purposes and aspirations of our people as expressed in the Constitution.”

“It is this system of checks and balances in the exercise of the fundamental powers of the government that gives the
Constitution concordance and stability. Any disregard of this system for the sake of expediency will result in the
disturbance of the equilibrium and the harmonious functioning of the several departments and organs of authority, and
eventually will lead to the destruction of the constitutional government itself.”

“To countenance the weakening of the Constitution by permitting short-cuts, brushing aside considerations of
“constitutionality”, is to invite disaster.”

“Measures and actuations, however well intentioned, if pursued without regard to constitutional and legal restraints,
will usher in authoritarianism.”

“Let us guard and counsel against impatience about the Constitution, impatience at the slowness of due process
inherent in a democracy, and against the adoption as a policy of the theory that “the ends justifies the means.” Lest we
end up with the end of freedom.”

Separation of Church and State

Senator Ambrosio Padilla
Former professional athlete, forefather of FIBA, former Solicitor General, former Senator, and member of the Philippine Constitutional Commission

“… the provision against the establishment of State religion and the free exercise of religious freedom guaranteed in the
Constitution… means no more than that the State shall have no official religion; that the power, prestige, and
financial support of government shall not be purposely placed behind a particular religious belief or a religious sect.”

“It would be to the best of our traditions, culture, and temperament, and ideals if we can infuse substance to the
constitutional intent to give our youth in the public schools real and effective religious instruction, and thus develop
moral character, personal discipline, civic conscience, and also reconcile or harmonize the theory of separation of Church
and State with the deeply religious nature of our people.”
 The Rule of Law
Prof. Enrique Syquia

“There are three elements in the Rule of Law: principles, referring to precepts recognized in law or fundamental legal
rights; institutions, through whose actions these rights may be maintained and adapted to changed conditions; and
procedures, by which these rights may be invoked and made effective in practice. But all these revolve around the value
of the individual.”

“It is a continued struggle between individual right and the authority of the community. The fight of the individual
against the absolute power of the State.”

“The enforcement of these individual rights would require procedural due process and an independent judiciary, for it is
essential that a legal machinery be devised whereby in the application of individual rights, the interference of the State
may be controlled or prohibited.”

“Due process would demand a system of law which puts no individual or groups above the law, a system of law which
guarantees its administration without distinction of persons, for the creation of privileged persons or classes is repugnant
to the principle of equality before the law.”

“Due process could be assured only if the individual is permitted to participate in the government, either directly or
indirectly, for this is the only way by which the individual himself could check the government itself. This could be
attained in a number of ways, although the best guarantee would be an enlightened electorate, a responsible government,
and free, regular, elections.”

“The Rule of Law is not a static concept, it is a dynamic one, and should not thus terminate with a mere enumeration
of substantive and procedural rights. For man is too is not static, man is dynamic and should be allowed and helped to
attain his fullest expression.

“A question may now be asked. Since the State is responsible for the progress of the nation as a whole, and since this
progress is also required by the Rule of Law, may the State curtail the latter to achieve the former? May the State
suspend or limit civil liberties or political rights in the name of social action or economic progress? It is obvious that
since the individual rights are basic and comprise the substructure, they may not be sacrificed, though temporarily, for
any alleged social or economic progress of fringes which make up the superstructure.”

“Progress must never serve as a reason for either imposing or maintaining State supremacy over human rights.”

“What is supreme is the value of human personality, and all social institutions must be made subordinate to this. In
particular, the State should be for the individual, rather than the individual for the State.”

“And [the Rule of Law shall prevail over our own country and in the entire world] shall only be achieved if we are
ever alert and vigilant against any general or particular, systematic or subtle, domestic or foreign, threat to or violation
of any of the principles which make up the Rule of Law.”
 Roberto Concepcion : Champion of the Rule of Law
Chief Justice Claudio Teehankee

- Nearly all sayings in the tribute can be used –

Constitutionalism – It’s Validity Today and Future

Rodolfo Arizala
Foreign Affairs Officer, Professional Lecturer, UST Faculty of Civil Law

“In this modern age, the government is called upon not only to guarantee liberty and freedom but also the economic and
well-being of the people, the future of constitutionalism depends upon the willingness of the government to adapt itself to
the conditions of an ever-changing world.”

“The happy solution would seem to be the harmonization or combination of a strong leadership and constitutionalism.”

“Strong leadership without “checks and balances” would ultimately lead to anarchy and despotism”

Betrayal of the Revolution

Vice President Salvador Laurel

“[Development] cannot be done unless reconciliation first takes place among Filipinos. A house divided cannot stand;
and a nation fragmented and at war with itself cannot move forward. We must reconcile if we are to unite. And we
must unite if we are to move forward.”

“The vision of EDSA [revolution] must not be allowed to turn to ashes on the parched lips of the suffering yet hopeful
millions who believed.”

Challenge of the Future

Senator Edgardo Angara

“In law, which is a tradition-bound profession, we face equally the danger of being left behind the times.”

“One of the needed innovations in our legal profession is a drastic reform of our legal education system.”

“Part of the proposed reorientation in the training of lawyers is the integration into the law curriculum of a clinical type
of education to overcome the present situation where law is taught just like any academic subject and far removed from
social realities.”