And who would beg to differ? After all, Lord Chancellor Sen. Francis Joseph G. Escudero possesses the intelligence, wit, and sincere desire to reach out to people of different walks of life—a likable man indeed. The event was in itself a celebration of a man whom many admire and put their hopes on to bring about a much-needed change in the country. It was also a way of introducing LC Chiz to his supporters as AVPs of his personal and family background were shown and testimonials about him were given.

Resident and alumni brods joined childhood friends, classmates from preschool to Law school, associates, student organizations, and ordinary people, as the Friends of Chiz, Inc., a growing network of supporters from all over the country who “believe that the idealism and visionary leadership of the youth is a most powerful force for meaningful change,…in principle leadership,… (and) in the imperative for change…in the future of our politics.”

The organization is led by Brods Rogelio D. Garcia ’55 as Chairman, Ramon S. Esguerra ’75 as President, Anthony T. Dogillo ’55 as Treasurer, and Pablito M. Rojas ’55 as Corporate Secretary. Brods Novato T. Cajigal ‘54, Hermenigildo C. Dumlao ‘54, Hesiquio R. Malillin ‘73, Rolando M. Rivera ’53, Eduardo R. Robles ‘66, Conrado D. Soriano ‘72, and Henry R. Villarica ‘66 are also members of the Board of Directors.

LC Chiz Revealed

LC Chiz was born on October 10, 1969 in Manila to former Agriculture Sec. Salvador Escudero III and Evelina Guevara. He grew up at Project 6, Quezon City and lived there for 28 years.

The University of the Philippines became his second home from elementary to high school (graduated 1985) to his undergrad years (AB Political Science) to Law School (graduated 1993). At UP Law, he became Secretary General of the Association of Law Students of the Philippines and a member of the Order of the Purple Feather.

While at Law School, LC Chiz joined the Alpha Phi Beta Fraternity in 1990. The following year, he represented the Fraternity at the UP Open Debate where he clinched his very first victory as a debater. From here on out, his potent talent in public speaking and debate was tapped and developed. “But I didn’t have the gift; I was forced into public speaking by the Fraternity,” said LC Chiz in an interview with Manifesto Magazine.

After graduating from UP Law, he went on to earn his Masters in International and Comparative Law as a scholar from the prestigious Georgetown University Law Center in the United States. He then became a junior associate, a legal consultant, and senior Law lecturer at UP, Ateneo de Manila University and Aemilianum College in Sorsogon.

At 28, he became Representative of the First District of Sorsogon. The following year, he married theater actress Christine Elizabeth Flores. From the very start of their marriage, LC Chiz wanted to point out that public service was the kind of world they as a couple would be involved in.

During his second term in the House of Representatives, he became Majority Floor Leader and then became the official spokesperson of the late Fernando Poe Jr. during the 2004 elections. He continued to serve his final term as the Minority Floor Leader.

Three years later, at 37, he became Senator with the second highest number of votes. He is currently Chair of the Committees on Justice and Human Rights, Constitutional Amendments, Banks and Finance Intermediaries, and Revisions of Laws and Electoral Reforms. It was also in the same year when he became proud father to fraternal twins Maria Cecilia and Joaquin Cruz.

To add to his long list of achievements, LC Chiz has been conferred as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Philippines in 2005. He also became the only Filipino named as one of Asia’s Idols by the Asian News Network. He was also recognized as one of the Young Global Leaders of 2008 by the World Economic Forum.

Dreaming Big

LC Chiz did not fail to inspire those in attendance to dream big. Dispelling rumors that he aims to run for Vice-President in the upcoming elections, LC Chiz said, “(L)ibre ang mangarap…at kung mangangarap ka man lamang, (mangarap ka nang malaki).”

Rebutting critics that point to his age as his weakness, LC Chiz said that he fears growing old into politics. He points out the notion that the longer one stays in politics, the “longer one’s horns grow.”

He also displayed the wit and humor he has become known for. Pointing out the significance of the Alpha Phi Beta in his life, he said, “Dalawang dahilan kung bakit ‘Brod’ ang tawagan…Brod dahil kapatid ang turing—parehong pinanggalingan, iisang organisasyong kinabibilangan…at Brod dahil hindi alam ang pangalan.”

As for his family, he hopes to move in a new home where his kids could play in the grass. “Narinig ko may garden daw sa Malacañang,” he said.

Kidding aside, all eyes are now set on Lord Chancellor Sen. Francis G. Escudero.  The road ahead may be filled with all sorts of obstacles from different sides. But LC Chiz can be assured that with friends like his and the Fraternity always by his side, his dream to bring change to the country will one day be a reality.

Thus Supreme Court Chief Justice Reynato Puno summarized the Philippine reality of the law serving more the interests of those who are in power, rather than those who most need them.

In his talk given during the 1st Alphan Lecture Series on 27 February 2009, the Chief Justice reiterated the need to make the law responsive to the needs of the poor and marginalized. “Unless they find law a friend, they will later treat law as their enemy. They will resist law if all they experience is its lawlessness.”

The Lecture, attended by students, professors, and people’s organizations from different marginalized sectors – informal settlers, women, fishers, and farmers – emphasized on the need to empower the poor by using the law as a tool to gain access to democratic institutions and processes.

“The four pillars of legal empowerment of the poor are acquisition of property rights, business rights, labor rights, and access to justice. These will enable the poor to fight for equality and help them gain significance in society,” the Chief Justice said.

He, however, underscored that legal empowerment must not be equated to ‘charity’ to the poor. “Legal empowerment is about endowing the poor with rights, arming them with the tools to enforce these rights in our judicial system.”

In sponsoring the Lecture together with the Economic, Social, Cultural Rights – Asia, and the Alternative Law Groups, the Alpha Phi Beta Fraternity highlighted the responsibility of law students to become ‘Abogado para sa bayan [lawyers for the nation]’ after they graduate and pass the bar exams.

The Alphan Lecture Series on the Emancipation from Poverty through Legal Empowerment is the first in a series of talks to be given by eminent Alphans in celebration of the Fraternity’s 70th Anniversary. ##

The Alpha Phi Beta Fraternity – U.P. College of Law

and the

U.P. Kalipunan para sa Agham Panlipunan at Pilosopiyang Pilipino (UP KAPPP)

invite you to

HypoTHERMIA: Release your inner heat, a dance party on

31 January 2009, 8:00PM,
Club Industry, Bellagio Square, Tomas Morato, Quezon City

Tickets at Php200, inclusive of two drinks.

Around 100 students converge in the Oblation statue Monday (19 January 2009) to condemn what is believed to be machinations to “undermine the independence of the Judiciary.”

Armed with placards and lighted candles, the protesters denounced the planned impeachment of Chief Justice Reynato Puno (Law ‘62) as serious moves to serve “partisan, selfish, and unpatriotic interests.”

Initiated by the Alpha Phi Beta Fraternity – UP College of Law, the candle-lighting highlighted the need for the youth to remain vigilant in defending the independence of the Supreme Court as the “last bastion of democracy.”

“We are calling for the defense of the Chief Justice not necessarily because he is our Fraternity Brother, but because he embodies what the Judiciary needs – credibility, integrity, unsullied independence, and probity.”

Aside from the candle-lighting, a petition of support is being circulated around campus so that students can show their individual commitments and support to the defense of the Judiciary. But organizers were quick to point out that this signature drive is different from moves to draft the Chief Justice as President in the 2010 elections.

“While we respect moves by certain organizations to draft the Chief Justice as a presidential candidate in 2010 – for us a clear sign of his integrity and moral uprightness – we wish to dissociate ourselves with those moves. Defending Judicial independence should not be marred by narrow partisan politics and vested interests.”

Attending the candle-lighting are students led by Student Regent Shahana Abdulwahid. The students come from various colleges in the University, including the College of Law and the National College of Public Administration. Different organizations and student political parties showed their solidarity by sending their representatives. ##

Ditto Sarmiento: Portrait of the Writer as a Valiant Hero
by Vichael Angelo Roaring, Philippine Collegian, 04 October 1997

We all have personal images of what heroes ought to look like tucked in the personal recesses of our minds. Such concepts of heroism, courage, and martyrdom are more commonly associated with power, strength, and physical might. But how do we reconcile this association of heroism and martyrdom with the life of Abraham “Ditto” Sarmiento Jr. the lanky bookworm who vigorously fought the repression and depravation of the martial law regime?

The Bespectacled Bibliophile
” Ordinary” and “quiet” were the words family and friends would use to describe the young man wearing a thick pair of bifocal lenses. Born the eldest son to the affluent couple Attorney Abraham Florendo Sarmiento and Irene Montano Pascual, on June 5, 1950, Ditto lived a pampered, sheltered and silver-spooned existence. He studied in the exclusive Ateneo de Manila from grade school to high school. His mind was considered at par with the level of geniuses by family, peers, and school officials. Up to his adulthood, Ditto’s exceptional intellect did not go unnoticed, with even his military interrogators asking about his impressive IQ. His preference for the company of books and his perennial bouts with asthma did not help erase the ‘geeky nerd’ label attached to Ditto during his grade school, high school, and to some extent, even in college.

Ditto’s asthma and his weak physique were problems that hounded him throughout his life. This, coupled by his maternal grandmother, Lola Inggay’s overzealousness in shelling out cash for his forays in the bookstore during his early days gave Ditto a head start in his passion and appreciation for books. Ditto entered college and had his first dose of radicalism and activism in the University of the Philippines during the summer of 1967. At the age of 20, Ditto married Marsha Santos. Their short marriage eventually ended in a separation but bore a son named Dritter.

The Paper
The University of the Philippines and its official campus paper, the Philippine Collegian, became institutions central to Ditto’s life. During his sophomore year in UP, he joined the Alpha Phi Beta Fraternity, and the Philippine Collegian. Starting as a reporter, Ditto’s diligence paid off. He became editor-in-chief in 1975.

Ditto’s assumption of the Editorial post had come at a time of severe political turmoil. Under Ferdinand Marcos’ Martial Law, printing presses were being padlocked and journalists were being arrested en masse. It was in this time of eerie silence that the Collegian, at the leadership of Ditto, found its strongest voice. With a sharp mind and an equally sharp pen, Ditto openly bashed the dictatorship, rousing student concern about the worsening national political crisis. In the editorial for a September 24, 1975 issue titled “On the Right of the Studentry to be Represented,” Ditto wrote “The University is not, after all a Diliman Republic. We do, after all, live in the Philippines. And the Philippines, after all is in a state of crisis.”

Ditto’s clear cut stand on the role of UP during the dictatorship rang clearly in his editorials. One, dated July 23, 1975, stated “We must never lose sight of the fact that we are under Martial Law with its concomitant restrictions on civil liberties and personal freedom. For opposed to this is the idea of the University, a University dedicated to molding young men and women into mature adults capable of thinking and deciding for themselves. The University should not only offer knowledge it should also inculcate wisdom, for as Dr. Renato Constantino wrote, knowledge is power, [but] only wisdom is liberty.”

Crimes Against the Military State
The Collegian soon faced the ire of the Martial Law bigwigs. Abraham Sarmiento Jr. was “invited” by the military for an interrogation on December 26, 1975, only a few days after his mother died. But Ditto remained unfazed, his editorials not in the slightest bit lacking in sharpness. In the article “A Message of Hope to Filipinos” of the December 16, 1975 issue, the Collegian printed an article citing 500 signatories challenging Marcos to convene the Interim National Assembly which would provide an orderly transmission from the presidential to the parliamentary government. From the Bangkok Post, Collegian reprinted “Where Does The Philippines Go From Here?” an article questioned the way the military regime was leading the country.

In a bold and unprecedented move, Collegian distributed copies of its January 14, 1976 special issue with the editorial titled “Uphold Campus Freedom” right inside the building in the University where Marcos and his wife Imelda were invited as ‘honored’ guests, almost directly in front of them. In the editorial, entitled “The Collegian and Suppression” Ditto’s remembered words appeared: “Kung Hindi Tayo Kikibo, Sinong Kikibo? Kung Di Tayo Kikilos, Sinong Kikilos? Kung Hindi Ngayon, Kailan Pa?” Ditto continued “If it is the youth’s conviction that the time has come to uphold strongly their right, not only for free expression but to pursue truth, justice and freedom, then so is the Collegian’s decision to begin with the struggle for people’s and student’s rights.” The editorial adds “The time has come for us to take action and not lie silently about as our rights increasingly become trampled upon. The time is now, for if not now, when?…Only us the studentry in alliance with other progressive sectors of society can stand up to fight our inherent right for free expression.”

This, it turned out, was the straw that broke the old Apo’s back. The next editorial by Ditto for the Philippine Collegian entitled “Where Do We Go From Here?” was published a week afterward, disputing Marcos’ New Society or the “Bagong Lipunan.” This was to be his last editorial and presswork for the Collegian as he was arrested at his house and detained at Fort Bonifacio on January 24, 1976 for his violation of Presidential Decrees Nos. #33 and #34, rumor mongering and printing and circulation of leaflets and propaganda materials.

Ditto’s incarcerations at Fort Bonifacio and Camp Crame worsened his fragile health. While his father continuously lobbied for his transfer from the sub-human conditions in the military prison to a hospital, Ditto shared his prison cell with other detainees, those whom the Military dictatorship considered detrimental to the “New Society” because of their critical view at the government and their desire to enact change. It was in prison that Ditto met the urban poor, and the others of society whom he never got to know of during his sheltered childhood. In prison, Ditto met such activists as Leonardo Nicdao, Nestor Bongayong, Mariflor Parpan, Edgar Maranan and Satur Ocampo. In a letter to Ditto’s family, Ocampo, his cellmate, wrote, “Ditto in one sense was quite a boy, but he was in times of crises, no ordinary man. His rectitude and courage as a Collegian editor attested to this. At close range I witnessed his strong will to disregard his frail health and prepare himself for a hunger strike when the two of us were faced with such a challenge.”

The fetters of captivity did not bar Ditto from fighting his battle in the four corners of his cell. Ditto was more than willing to engage in a hunger strike, along with other political detainees. Fellow inmates in the Bicutan Rehabilitation Center said, “Ditto rose above the situation and braved the wrath of the powers to assert truth over falsehood, principle over obsequiousness, the people’s interest over the ruling few.”

A Comet Exits
Under orders from Philippine Constabulary Chief General Fidel V. Ramos, Ditto was granted temporary liberty on August 27, 1976. But the almost six months he was denied adequate medical attention coupled with the non-conducive surroundings of his prison had taken their toll upon Ditto’s frail body. On November 11, 1977. Abraham Sarmiento Jr. died of a heart attack, alone, in his room. He was twenty-seven.

Ditto’s heroism and courage will never cease to inspire. Former President Diosdado Macapagal’s words ring deep and true in his reply to Ditto’s queries. “Kami ang kikibo, kami ang kikilos, hindi bukas kundi ngayon.”

From GMANews.tv –

This Monday on I-Witness: a true tale of two frats, two victims, two mothers…

During the four Sundays of September, along festive Taft Avenue, thousands have taken the bar exams to become lawyers and future leaders of the country.

Hazing victim Cris Mendez had dreamt of going to law school and someday passing the bar. Instead, he was buried on the first day of the bar exams.

In the intense month of taking the bar and soul-searching over Cris’s death, I-Witness’ Howie Severino explores UP Law, the nation’s leading law school — now known for fraternities that produce both leaders and killers.

Unable to find the suspected fraternity, Sigma Rho, Howie spends time instead with the frat’s archrival, Alpha Phi Beta. Some of the APB brods were convicted for the 1998 hazing death of Alex Icasiano and spent up to two years in prison. One brod talks movingly about the stigma of being an ex-convict in law school.

Was there justice? Could this be a road map for Sigma Rho? Howie asks the mother of Icasiano, the APB neophyte who died. She describes the hard path to the conviction and ultimately forgiveness, and her relationship with the frat today — which counts two Supreme Court justices and rising stalwart, Senator Chiz Escudero, in addition to her son among its proud roster of brods.

In a moving scene of the documentary, Mrs. Icasiano meets Cris Mendez’ mother for the first time to offer her condolences. Howie for his part finally comes face to face with Sigma Rho brods and is surprised by the kind of men he meets.

It gives him hope that Sigma Rho will eventually choose to do the right thing.

Watch this I-Witness documentary by Howie Severino on Monday late night after Saksi on GMA.”

Series 1