The sky was a vivid blue , casting a refreshing light on those who had risen up early. It was a clear sign that the day ahead would be a hell of a hot day for anyone with enough guts to go out.
Sora, amidst the weight of his laziness, forced himself to stand up and head to the bathroom. Along the way, he was greeted by his cats, who affectionately rubbed their body against his legs.
Sora wasn't typically an early riser, nor did he have the guts to face such heat on an early day, but he was undeniably and surely, a slave to money. You couldn't blame him; he had plenty of mouths to feed and a passion for motorcycles that he needed to sate from time to time.
Returning from the bathroom, he wore what he considered a formal attire, a button-up long sleeve shirt paired with a sleek black tie and black trousers. Suiting for an assistant.
Despite his somewhat disorganized and carefree behavior, he worked part-time as a student assistant at a law firm. Specifically, he‘s assisting a judge known for having the temper of a three-year-old. Speaking of whom, would be upset if he's late for today.
After preparing food and essentials for his cats, Sora left the comfort of his condo, grabbing a quick bite of his breakfast while locking the door. He would have headed straight to the parking lot as usual, merrily making his way towards his car, but the Goddess of Luck wasn't on his side today—coding.
With no other choice, Sora had to rely on public transportation. He doesn't mind.
Or at least he tries to convince himself he doesn't. The Philippine transport system was in shambles due to the ongoing strikes and various issues, making commuting more challenging than ever.
Luckily, not many people were looking for a ride, and he managed to find a Jeepney without breaking a sweat. Ducking his head, he took his preferred seat behind the driver. It was the most comfortable spot in his opinion, if you cross out the frequent need to pass along fare.
As he settled in, he glanced around the Jeepney. It had been a while since he last commuted, and the experience was as exhausting as he remembered, even with fewer passengers on board. What seems to be the hardest back then is even harder right now.
He couldn't imagine how hectic it would be for someone to take this route every day. If he, a casual commuter, was already having trouble getting through easily, what about those who had no other choice but to join the swarm of commuters just to make it through the day?
It didn't take long for him to arrive at his destination. With the driver's years of experience patrolling the area, he arrived early. He knocked on the roof of the Jeepney, a sign for the driver to stop, as he had arrived at his destination. He ducked his head as he got out, careful not to make a fool out of himself.
Heaving a deep sigh, as if preparing for a long, tiring day, he made his way toward his building. He bumped into his colleagues along the way, engaging in conversation from time to time.
He wasn't expecting one person to come rushing to him, though; in fact, it was the last person he'd expect to do it. With a furrowed brow, he focused his attention on the fellow. He was used to their bubbly and energetic persona, so this nervous and scared look was definitely a rare sight.
“I need your help, Sora,”the man said, not even waiting for Sora to ask what was going on. Sensing something was definitely not right, Sora urged the man to talk about it inside. He patted the man's back, hoping the action could at least ease some of the man's anxiety.
As they made their way through the hall, Sora seated the man in his cubicle. Checking his watch and deciding his duty could wait, he crouched down to level his face with the seated man.
“A disbarment case was filed against me.” Sora was expecting a heavy problem, but this still caught him off guard.
A disbarment, also called striking off, is like a death sentence to a lawyer. It aims to purge or remove a lawyer from the practice of law should they possess any traits that are extremely immoral, like murder.
He knew this man—not for a long time, but he was certain that he would not be capable of such things, even murder. Sora couldn't wrap his head around the idea. A disbarment case is only filed in the worst-case scenario. For Pete's sake, passing the BAR exam is no easy feat.
“Tangina, pumatay ka ba? What's the ground?” That's the only reasonable and possible reason for anyone to file that case.
A ground is a basis. These are the specific reasons a lawyer may be expelled from the profession and stripped of their license to practice law.
“Ang gago, hindi ako mag-aabogasya kung gusto ko rin maging kriminal, dude.” As if playing it off, the man replied in a joking manner.
“Eh may kinikita ako, ‘di ko naman alam na against yung magulang niya sa amin, ‘kala ko lang low-key kami ganun. Kaya ko namang ipaglaban siya eh ang kaso lang, yung tatay niya malakas yung kapit. Si gago, immoral conduct yung ginawang ground.” Sora didn't know if he should be surprised by the sudden revelation that his senior is dating someone or be furious about the reason.
“Kung ako lang, madali lang yun. Pero kasi, malakas talaga kapit, tangina. Baka mabaliko ako, alam mo naman sistema rito. Pera.”
He couldn't argue with that.
“Kung wala ka namang ginawang masama, everything will be fine. You need to trust the system you're working in. Because if not, you're only fooling yourself.” Sora isn't entirely good at comforting other people; he doesn't even know how to face his own feelings. But if there's one thing he's good at, it's being practical and logical.
“Kung ako lang abogado mo, binangasan ko na ‘yan, but estudyante pa lang ako, paps. Makakapaghintay ka ba nang 2 years sa kulungan?” he joked. He's still in his second year of law school. Meanwhile, the coworker he's talking to is a full-fledged lawyer working under a firm.
“Madadagdagan pa ata kaso ko sa‘yo. Assault and battery,” his senior replied, raising his fist to jokingly bump against Sora‘s shoulder.
The younger man only laughed in reply. They spent a bit more time talking about the case filed, with his senior providing him much more context.
Having heard the full story, he couldn't help but curse. The first time he encountered this type of case was when he was just a fresh intern. It involved a lawyer near retirement cheating behind his wife's back; worse, his mistress was a woman nearly three times younger than him. 21, if his memory serves him right.
Tangina, may asim pa si lolo, napapatayo niya pa ba ‘yun?
Now, that is someone who should be filed with a case of disbarment, not his colleague. Someone who doesn't abide by the law. Moral turpitude.
Sora might just be a law student, but he knows plenty of stuff; his tuition would've been a waste if he didn't.
His senior told him the whole story: he was going out with a law student, but it's not entirely weird since this senior is a fresh graduate and the law student is already in their fourth year. The only reason he can think of for him to be filed this case is because of the issue regarding their gender.
“Ang buong akala ko sa gobyerno lang malakas ang kapit, malakas rin pala ang kapit kay Papa J, sumisipsip eh,” his senior joked.
All the more reason to get mad. The judiciary system doesn't discriminate against gender; in fact, in this modern generation, they're pushing for the opposite—gender equality. Plus, belonging to the LGBTQIA++ community wouldn't be in violation of the law. People have their rights, you know, no matter your gender or whoever and however you represent yourself, everyone has their own rights. Being against their actions would be a violation. They're still human beings under the law, and anything under the law shall be implemented fair and square.
One hour passed by, and his senior decided to leave, thanking him for his smart advice.
“You have a strong chance of winning this case. If any problem arises, kontyabahin mo si judge, close naman kayo,” he remarked as soon as the man stood up, which earned him a hard pat on the back.
Now, Sora was alone with his thoughts and well... his unfinished task. He quickly got back to work, arranging an array of schedules needed for tomorrow, and informing the judge of their schedules for the day. His workload was quite light for today, so he decided to spend the rest of his shift making digests and reading his codal. A codal is your friend in your free time as a law student, after all.
His readings would've been much easier if he had joined a digest pool, right? No. Some blockmates he encountered doesn't even make good digests, so he always ends up doing it all by himself. Plus, the pressure of making sure your members are doing well also takes a toll.
He ended up writing quite a few case digests while reading codal on the side during the rest of his shift. Words weren't really registering in his mind, but what else could he do?
He quickly bid farewell and went on his way to school. He had one class for today: Oblicon. The only subject he hates with all his heart. He would take all the criminal law, constitutional law, taxation, and even the feared civil procedure if it meant getting rid of that godforsaken subject from his class. The root of his hatred towards this class isn’t entirely due to its complex information (that's only a plus); rather, he has a pretty petty reason. It just doesn't fire up his interest. He does well in it, but at what cost?
But as an aspiring lawyer, he knows better than to drop that subject. Where can you find a law firm that accepts a lawyer who hasn't undergone Oblicon after all? Oblicon is groundwork for understanding certain advanced topics in law. As much as he hates it, he can't afford to neglect it.
Arriving at his school, he made his way straight to his room, wanting to get it over with quickly. He greeted his colleagues along the way.
He wasn't on board for his class today, so he wasn't really nervous, but he was still cautious because there was one instance when he was called on even though he was off board.
The class went on smoothly, and it didn't take too long for it to end. He wandered his eyes across the room, his gaze meeting one of his classmates'. It didn't seem like they had plans to go home; they were forming a circle. It looked like they were debating. Classic law core.
Deciding to watch, he approached the clump of students. It looked like they were arguing about the timely issue in the prison system in the Philippines. One side argued that the current system breaks the law of human rights, while the other argued that it's a rational decision to prevent more criminals from arising. He had watched plenty of documentaries about the issue, and it sure was an eye-opener to watch.
The typical prison videos people stumble upon in movies are far different from the prison system in the Philippines. It is more cramped and terrible. That in itself is another violation of human rights.
Sad to say, but not all of them are really “criminals”; most of them are just people deprived of liberty awaiting trial. Under the law, they are still presumed innocent.
And that in itself is inhumane. Why must we put another person in suffering that they are not entirely at fault for? Even for those convicted, the law still requires that you treat them as human beings. Some even stoop as low as admitting they're guilty even if they're not, just so they can get out of those congested jails.
Like trapping a mouse in a corner, giving them the illusion that the only way to get out is to plead guilty.
Arising issues like this can be solved with enough manpower. The main reason why a lot of cases take forever is because of the lack of manpower. The Philippines is lacking judges, prosecutors, and the like. It's like a hospital without doctors and nurses. How would they be able to function? How can you dispense justice quickly?
If there are a lot of aspiring law students, then why does the appointment take so long?
The reason is that to get appointed, especially to a higher court, you need a backer. If you have none, your paper might get lost in a swarm of applications.
Fixing the justice system would be an easy feat if only the government set it as their priority. The problem is, they do not want to be held accountable. They're scared that the things they did will come back to bite them. They're scared they might be the first ones to go to jail. Scared of their own ghosts.