The University of the Philippines College of Law (UP CoL) and University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV) organized a talk titled “On Lawyering for Social Change” by Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice (SAJ) Marvic Mario Victor F. Leonen on July 26, 2024 at the Performing Arts Hall, Main Building, UP Visayas, Iloilo City.
Chancellor Clement Camposano welcomed the keynote speaker along with distinguished guests, including former Department of Agrarian Reform Secretary and UP CoL alumnus, Rene C. Villa, UP CoL Dean Darlene Marie B. Berberabe, Chief of the UPV Legal Office, Atty. Nellie Jo P. Aujero-Regalado, and UP CoL Iloilo extension students.
Dean Berberabe introduced SAJ Leonen as “a fought leader, a leader for social change, our former beloved dean of the UP College of Law, UP Law pride, and a national intellectual treasure.”
“In our profession, you are never a lawyer only for yourself; you are always a lawyer for somebody else,” said SAJ Leonen in his lecture. “Therefore, your training in the College of Law is to give you the kind of resilience to meet any kind of judge, to be in any adverse situation and not collapse because there is somebody who is relying on you. It is never about you,” he added.
The audience had the opportunity to interact with SAJ Leonen and ask questions about his experiences with negotiations as a senior associate justice, academic writing, and internships within his office.
SAJ Leonen has high hopes for the first batch of UP CoL Iloilo extension graduating students next year. He encourages them not only to aim for success in the bar exam but also to seize the opportunity that comes with the privilege and power of being a lawyer. He urges them to use their position to alleviate the suffering of those experiencing inequality, poverty, and abuse of power.
SAJ Leonen is currently a Senior Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines. He previously served as dean and law professor at the University of the Philippines College of Law. In 2010, he was appointed by the late President Benigno Aquino III as the chief negotiator for the Philippine government in talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
Copies of the Supreme Court Stylebook, SAJ Leonen’s brainchild which was launched earlier this year, have been donated to UP Law Iloilo extension. The book was created “to achieve uniformity and consistency in style, one that is not merely superficial, but also aims to promote justice,” as stated in the foreword of the SC Stylebook. (With sources from the Senate Electoral Tribunal and Supreme Court PH Facebook page)