Gil M. Camaymayan Women and Children

Court Visit Paper(RTC Branch 209 – Mandaluyong City)

1. What are your observations on the court environment?

Initially we had a hard time looking for RTC Branch 209 in Mandaluyong City.

There seems to be a lack of appropriate directional information available in the vicinity

in order for individuals who are unfamiliar with the place. RTC Branch 209 was located

on an old building opposite the Mandaluyong City Hall which was actually its contrast

for the City Hall was newly built and looks fairly respectable as compared to the former.

Inside the Court room the place was a mess and would probably need

renovation. There were old type writers laying around the court room, stacks of papers

serving as dividers and insufficient sitting for people who are and might be interested on

the trial that could and will transpire during the day. But even with such situation of the

court it remained to be clean and respectable. Beside you don’t see anyone complaining

about anything which gives me the impression that this kind of environment as per the

court situation would be of something considered to be common in the courts in the

Philippines. The situation of the Mandaluyong court room is a far cry from the court

rooms you see on movies and in the television where everything was furnished quite

nicely and elegantly.

2. What are your observations of the judge, his/her demeanor, court management,

including the case calendared for the day, interaction with the lawyers?

Judge Quisumbing-Ignacio was the presiding judge of RTC Branch 209 in

Mandaluyong City. My initial impression of her was that she is a woman in control,

someone who devote most of her time to her craft and career advancement. She was all

too serious upon entering the court room but upon further staying, I was able to sense

that there was a lighter side of her especially on times wherein she gave a smirk smile

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Gil M. Camaymayan Women and Children

on certain instances during the trial. All in all to sum it up Judge Quisumbing-Ignacio is a

strong woman who portrays a person of justice and integrity.

Initially court management was a bit unorganized, firstly the hearing already

started late and most of the parties in the cases lined up on that day did also not came

in not on time from which it seems to be something that would be expected since the

presiding judge was not strict in regards to punctuality of the parties and their

respective counsels. There was a roll call done by the secretary every now and then but

seems like no one was listening and only a few individuals have approached the

secretary in order to acknowledge their presence in the court room. Before the

presiding judge entered the court room, the ambience and feel of the place was kinda

social. You can see people interacting (by the parties and counsel) against one other;

there were social talks, jokes and a small amount of laughter going around which

emulates a light mood within the court room but all of which has change when the

presiding judge has entered the court room and her presence was acknowledge by the

people inside the room. The light mood initially became quite adversarial, especially

when testimonials of witnesses and cross examination of which were conducted.

3. What are your observations on the lawyers and litigants?

Lawyers and litigants that were within the court room during that day were a

mixed of different breed. You have those who are social and does small talks to every

person they know within the room, you also have the entertainer type that seems to be

the life of the conversation by throwing out small talks, jokes and laughter that brings

about a lighter mood in the court room, there are also those who seems to be pretty

determined during that day and of course there are also those who seems to not really

care at all and mind their own business by pressing something on their phones. But as I

mentioned above that all of which has change soon after the presiding judge has

entered the room, everyone became a bit serious and attentive all of a sudden which

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Gil M. Camaymayan Women and Children

reflects professionalism on the part of the lawyer and being respectful on the part of the

litigants.

4. What did you learn from your court visit that you could apply when you become a

lawyer?

Being a lawyer is for a noble cause and that professionalism should always be

conducted in and out of the court room. Becoming a lawyer is not only to serve as a

representative of a party but more on advocating his cause and promoting his interest

by either defending his right or availing of relief that would be of benefit to the him.

Championing a person’s cause is a noble task for it not only gives hope and a sense of

security to a person but it also gives them a new perspective in life that there are people

who would try to defend his cause and help him get through on this part of his life. This

holds true either if you are on the side of the claimant or defendant. A lawyers role is

not to juice money out of his client but to afford and give them hope that their cause

shall be defended, their rights shall be respected and due justice shall be provided unto

them. Just like the case we witness during the visit wherein a man was requesting the

court to have his marriage to his wife be revoked. The lawyer of the man is trying to

defend his client right to have a better, peaceful and a happy life together with his

children; and his cause that his wife was not fit to stay in the marriage. And of course

the lawyer of the wife would try to defend the right of the wife for support and custody

of the children and to defend the cause of the wife that the person incapacitated to

continue with the marriage was the husband and not her. Lawyer’s are like knights and

the client as the King; and as lawyers we do as much as we can to defend and advocate

the right of the King and give the King what is duly to him.

Professionalism as a lawyer should be practice not only in the court room but

also outside of it. As lawyers we should give due respect to everyone not only against

the opposing party and his counsel but also to the judge, court officials and in general to

everyone. The adversarial atmosphere in the court room should not be brought outside

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of it. Everyone should be able to interact and communicate with anyone without

hostility. A lawyer should not take actions of the opposing party or counsel personally

during the trial but rather think of it as the right of the opposing party afforded to him

by law. Humility should always be observed by a lawyer for he is not above anyone else

but the same with anyone else.

5. What did you learn from your court visit that you would never do when you become

lawyer?

The thing that I learned from this court visit that I would never do in practice if

ever comes that day that I would become a lawyer is that I would treat every person in

the court room the utmost respect a person should be afforded with. There was this

lawyer by the complainant who was cross-examining the expert witness. My impression

against the lawyer upon doing the cross examination and even during his direct

examination of the complainant on the witness stand is that he was to more of a bully

rather than an advocate of the right of the complainant. I don’t know if it was a form of

strategy on his part or if it was something common to him but his line of questioning,

gestures and reaction during his examination was disrespectful and was somehow

discrediting the person on the witness stand. I my own opinion he was not only

disrespectful to the expert witness and the opposing party’s witness but also to his own

client. His line of questioning and approach on discrediting the expert witness has

caused delay in the proceeding of the case for a continuance was requested due to so

called unawareness of the expert witness on her own report. I think most of the lawyers

in our country lack a sense of humility especially when dealing with people. Not sure if

the status or their profession has gone to their head or that it is just an approach they

took on things but one thing is for sure that respect and professionalism should always

be observe especially by a lawyer who is seen by society as a person of integrity and

stature.

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