Peacemaker

Peacemaker once referred to the Colt .45 caliber pistol popular in the old American West. It was the gun made famous by Wyatt Earp. Who would have thought it might one day refer to a Filipino lawyer. Who is Atty. Marvic Leonen and how did he succeed in bringing about such an unprecedented prospect for peace in Mindanao?

They met many years ago in the mid-1990s. Leonen was then chief lawyer of the University of the Philippines (UP) with main offices in Diliman, Quezon City. He came to Cebu to settle a local crisis involving the chairman of the Humanities Division of UP Cebu. Two fine arts students might not be able to graduate on time because the chairman  had allegedly not assigned them “sufficient” general education courses (minor courses for other university institutions). The lawyer wanted to know directly from the chairman  exactly how this crisis came about.

The chairman explained that he assigned them only enough general education courses as he felt was justified. University rules at that time were clear that the assignment of general education courses for students with previous degrees was at the discretion of the chairman of the division. Since the students had already graduated a previous degree, he felt they should take only as much general education courses as they felt they needed to ensure their proper education. As these students went from freshmen  to seniors he went personally at numerous instances to the college secretary’s office to consult their records. At all those instances the College Secretary found no anomaly.

But as these students applied to graduate from the university in the final semester of their senior year, questions were raised about their lack of general education course credits. These questions finally came to a head when news came that they may not be allowed to graduate.

The chairman  was of course incensed. But then, he could very well imagine how a problem like this might come to be. He attributed it mostly to the UP bureaucracy. UP Cebu was then under UP Visayas, whose offices are in Iloilo. All fall under the university system in Diliman, Quezon City. This represents at least three layers of bureaucracy each of which might have their peculiar interpretation of rules and technical terms like “discretion.” These differences of interpretation cut into fundamental attitudes individual officers might have with regards university policies.

In this instance, the chairman  was after teaching the two students as much art as quickly as possible on the premise they had already earned their share of general education course credits from their previous course. Up the ladder of the university bureaucracy someone brought up the issue of university standards and why the two students fell below this to such an extent that they should not be allowed to graduate. It was only a few weeks before the end of their final term when this “bad thing” hit the fan.

To end his summation, the chairman  informed the university lawyer that he was committed to protect the interests of his students even if he had to demonstrate by himself at the university gates. He added that while all enrollment forms including those of these students were first endorsed at the level of his office they were finally approved by everyone up the bureaucracy. He was ready to go to court with this, he fumed.

Leonen’s reply was both terse if soft spoken. He started talking to the chairman as a fellow teacher instead of university bureaucrat. He summarized the chairman’s case pointing out to him the strengths and weaknesses of his position. He posed no “human” arguments having to do with sentiments for the students or even the cause of justice. Instead, he posed arguments and possibilities within technical and legal boundaries. He gave him a cold rational preview of causalities and possibilities.  In other words, he spoke to him as a good and proper lawyer, ironically ending his advice with, “The worse thing you can do with this is to take it to court.”

Which advice surprised the chairman. But the lawyer explained: “If you bring this case to court it will take years before it will be settled. That’s not in the interest of your students.” Indeed, one of the students was Korean. And as if for final irony he added: “In the formal complaint as a court will require, your name will come out first before the names of all your superiors all the way up to the university president.” He did not say that we would also be working against each other should that case ever transpire. He did not have to.

Even so, After this meeting, the crisis came to a sudden if silent end. His students graduated on time. The chairman  met the good attorney a few more times after that before finally reading about him in the papers. The news brings a smile to his face. He has no doubt at all the country has the best person to do this particular job. He is proud to have known Atty. Marvic Leonen. Peacemaker.