REMEMBERING LOLO

Today, October 19 is my grandfather's 122nd birth anniversary. Jorge C. Bocobo was born in Gerona, Tarlac of hardy Ilocano parents this day in 1886. He was a man who wore many hats, so to speak, and among them were that of a lay preacher who was instrumental in the building of the Central United Methodist Church along T.M. Kalaw in Ermita, Manila. He was a law professor at the UP College of Law and thereafter became its Dean of the College of Law, and further on became the 5th president of the University of the Philippines. He served under President Manuel L. Quezon's administration as Secretary of Education, was Chairman of the Code Commission which drafted the Civil Code of the Philippines of which he has written most of its statutes. He was a moral crusader, a poet and an essayist, and translaled from Spanish to English Dr. Jose Rizal's Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. His translations were the unexpurgated versions and thus were censored by the Roman Catholic Church. He wrote many poems and short stories, and among them the first Filipino novel written in English entitled, 'Henry and Loleng.' He served in the Judiciary as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, and most of all, he was a patriot who loved his country with a burning passion, and together with that he always looked to the Holy Scriptures as the Living Word of Almighty God. He was a man who lived what he preached. A man who loved the law of the land and the law of God. In Article 19 of the Civil Code, he wrote: "Every person must, in the exercise of his duties, (1) act with justice, (2) give everyone his due, and (3) observe honesty and good faith." This is known to be the golden rule of Philippine laws. Today, many have probably forgotten the man and what he has given to his beloved country. His memory lives on in my heart and in my love for Scriptures the same way he loved it. In the way he loved humanity and how he fought for righteousness and justice, especially for the oppressed. His spirit of patriotism lives on in the hearts of all the brave men and women who dare not bow down to the enemy among us. I salute the man as I toast his contributions to our country.

(Image from http://filam.si.edu/)

THE TRUTH XIAO PREVAIL

For those who still do not know what has happened to my friend, UP Professor Michael Charleston "Xiao" Chua, well, his application for renewal as instructor in the History Department of UP Diliman I believe was unjustly denied without just cause or due process, and without transparency and decorum due him as a well-loved faculty member of UP. In the UP, the students (and faculty) pride themselves in upholding the ideals of a free society which embodies the fundamentals of freedom of speech, freedom to believe in any ideology without fear of reprisal. Such a shame that this travesty of justice and the perversion of truth has befallen the majestic halls of UP, especially in the History Department. This is an outrage we must not let pass. This is an incident we must act upon - or should we just stand by and wait for Edmund Burke's belief that "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing," to happen? It seems that the suppression of the truth is no longer exclusive for Malacanang and its squatters pretending to be honorable public servants. You may show your support for Professor "Xiao" Chua by visiting: http://truthxiaoprevail.multiply.com/

(Image form http://www.upsolidaridad.com/)

UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES - 100 YEARS

Yesterday, January 8 was the 100th year anniversary of the University of the Philippines (UP). My grandfather dedicated most of his public life to the UP. It was his second home, his fountain of knowledge in which many of the chapters of his life story evolved around it. Allow me to post a citation given to him by the same institution many years ago.


THE UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES
Know All Men By These Presents:
That the President of the University of the Philippines in conferring the degree of DOCTOR OF LAWS (honoris causa) upon JORGE BOCOBO on the fourteenth of April, nineteen hundred and fifty-three, delivered the following address:

Jorge Bocobo, native of Gerona, Tarlac, jurist, codifier, civilist, legal scholar, educator, moral leader, man of letters, for your outstanding work as Chairman of the present Code Commission of the Philippines, being mainly responsible for the present Civil Code of the country and contributing most of two of the three books of the proposed Code of Crimes; for your brief but distinguished service as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines, enriching the jurisprudence of the country with decisions that are landmarks in the field of Civil Law, couched in lucid and elegant language, for the outstanding recognition you have won in the bench, the bar and the legal circles of the United States and Spain as a towering figure in the field of Civil Law; for the able leadership you displayed as Secretary of Public Instruction and President of the University of the Philippines; for your long and fruitful tenure as the first Filipino Dean of the College of Law of the University of the Philippines; establishing therein a standard of scholarship that has long been a challenge to sister legal institutions of this country and a cause for its high repute in university circles abroad; for the literary works that have profusely come from so versatile a mind and from so prolific a pen; for the long, devoted and unselfish service you have rendered your fatherland dating back to almost half a century ago, the University of the Philippines hereby confers upon you the degree of Doctor of Laws (honoris causa) with all the privileges thereunto appertaining.
In testimony whereof, you are hereby presented with this diploma and invested with the appropriate regalia of your academic rank.


VIDAL A. TAN
President of the University

Attested:

PATERNO SANTOS
Registrar of the University

(Image from www.maniladailyphoto.com)