Informal Law Education Series

S1L38 – Petition for Change of Name, feat. Miss Joanna Pis-O from Barlig There are times when I’m not so prepared coming to class but I’ve learned the trick of how to deal with that. Have a short lecture in mind, call on a student you’ve never called to recite before, because students who have…Continue reading→

S1L39 – “Solutio Indebiti” Miss Deema is a Nurse! I moved to Baguio City in 1967 when I was 3 years old. My mother was a single parent—or not exactly a single parent, I just had a “non-resident” father who came up to Baguio quite regularly, like the Halley’s comet. But fittingly he DIED in…Continue reading→

S1L40 – “What’s a lucid interval?” as distinguished from temporary insanity Good evening ladies and gentlemen, welcome to our class tonight. I will be your instructor and it is my honor to impart some useful information to all of you tonight that, hopefully, would help you fulfill your destiny as future lawyers and officers of…Continue reading→

S1L41 – Meaning of a Simple Contract, feat. Miss Joanna Pis-O from Barlig When you’re a 58-year old law professor and your students are millennials HALF your age, it can be a challenge to keep up with their language and mannerisms. But it can also present creative opportunities for bridging the generation gap while making…Continue reading→

S1L42 – “Leni and the Android Operating System” Signs that the future has arrived Mr. Jack Makataruz, are you present?” “Present, sir!” my punk -hairstyled student sprung to his feet. “You know, Jack, you give a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘acquired taste’ with that Mohawk hairstyle of yours,” I chided him. “It’s only…Continue reading→

Deema’s Birthday! – International Human Rights Day is Miss Deema’s birthday The United Nations general assembly created the High Commission on Human Rights and started celebrating December 10 as International Human Rights Day in 1948. That’s the summary of my lecture for the evening, so I wrote it down on an index card. Now I…Continue reading→

S1L43 – “Critique of E.O. 156” – Ms. Kata Explains False Syllogism Miss Kata Ngahan, are you in?” “Present in body and spirit, sir!” “Miss Kata, you taught creative writing before didn’t you? I read it in your Facebook…” I braced for the predictable response. “You stalk me also, sir?” “No, I don’t! I mean,…Continue reading→

S1L44 – “Legitimization through adoption” The debut of Miss Grippa Baligtaran I’ve been thinking—it’s almost midterm and I still have only called about eight people to recite. The rest have been able to “escape”—but not for long! I looked for the classcards of those eight people and put them in the bottom of the classcard…Continue reading→

S1L45 – “Intellectual Property” The debut of Miss Julyrain Arpeggio I decided to pull a classcard “blind” just to really be able to call on someone with the highest degree of randomness. “Miss Julia Regina Arpeggio?” Wow, I thought, at last a PROPER name! When I read the name, a chubby cute girl stood up…Continue reading→

S1L46 – “Place of birth” The debut of twins Glad and Gladys (Joy and Joyce) Why not?” I thought. Alpha Section is a small class, only 25 “survivors” by the midterm, 5 had dropped out since Prelims. I can certainly call the rest who have never recited. I’ve already called eleven: Deema, Kata, Juan, Jack,…Continue reading→

S1L47 – The danger of compulsory SIM card registration There’s a grain of truth in the common criticism that congressional investigations done “in aid of legislation” have little to show for real accomplishments in the end. Congress justifies these investigations by saying that you just don’t legislate in a vacuum. You need to maintain utmost…Continue reading→

S1L48 – “Social Activism” introducing Miss Laarnee Iwasan Things didn’t go so bad the last time I used my new ‘policy’ of calling students for recitation LAST NAME first. So I think I’ll stick to that policy. “Is Mister or Miss Iwasan around?” I read from a half-covered classcard. I have a very strong feeling…Continue reading→

S1L49 – The “Political Question” Doctrine Miss Carla Nalukay-nalipit?” “ADDAAWAN, SIR!!!” “I’m sorry, Miss Addaawan. I keep forgetting…” This is my student from Tabuk City, Kalinga whose name is structured after the Korean ethos of “yin-yang” –her name connotes both presence and absence. Unfortunately, it’s only the “yin-yang” trait of her name that stuck to…Continue reading→

S1L50 – “The Thirteenth Month Pay” Law Miss Deema Niwala, on your feet…” After looking around the classroom and making sure there was no possibility of any other person answering to the same name, this girl from Tublay finally rose her feet, “are you sure, sir?” “Am I sure of what??” “Nothing, sir…uh…it’s just been…Continue reading→

S1L51 – Overseas Absentee Voting Mommy Dionisia! Fancy meeting you here in the mall! Merry Christmas po!” I was so happy to see my oldest student gallivanting around the mall, enjoying the holidays like everybody else. “Merry Christmas, Prof! Are you here to line up with the kids to have their selfies taken with Santa…Continue reading→

S1L52 – Is it still safe to do banking in Baguio? Some banks have completely lost their bearing and have forgotten many fundamental elements of the contract between them and their depositors. What are some of these basics? To start off, a contract is the PRINCIPAL LAW between the parties. The only persons who can…Continue reading→

S1L53 – Learning what a “valid appointment” is on a ferriswheel Hello, professor! Happy New Year! We didn’t know you liked riding the ferriswheel!” What are the odds I would find five of my students in the same place, lining up to buy tickets at an amusement park near the mall to take a ride…Continue reading→

S1L54 – The Al Capone Lesson: there’s more than one way to skin a cat Helloooo there, Professor!! Happy New Year! We didn’t know you liked boating!” Déjà vu? This can’t be happening—Deema, Kata, Laarnee, Juan and Jack together again?? And I just happened to run into them AGAIN?? And what is this, their number…Continue reading→

S1L55 – No such thing as a ‘one-man- BENECO Board Hellooo Professor! Happy Three Kings! We didn’t know you liked playing billiards!” I was greeted by some painfully-familiar faces from Alpha Section when I thought I’d try some pool games at a golf resort just outside of town. I was pretty sure I would never…Continue reading→

S1L56 – COMELEC will not disqualify Bongbong Marcos Of course the COMELEC will not disqualify Bongbong Marcos. He is one of only two viable presidential candidates and, arguably, the front-running one. Yes, there is ground to disqualify him. But I don’t think the COMELEC will be swayed by ordinary grounds alone. Like any constitutional body,…Continue reading→