ITL
firm factual and legal conviction when he declared
Ready Specifically!
9/26/2016
Cojuangco vs Palma
A.C. No. 2474 June 30, 2005
Facts: On June 22, 1982, respondent Atty. Leo J.
Palma, despite his subsisting marriage, wed Maria
Luisa Cojuangco, the daughter of complainant
Eduardo M. Cojuangco, Jr. Thus, the latter filed on
November 1982, a complaint disbarment against
respondent. Palma moved to dismiss the complaint.
On March 2, 1983, the court referred the case to OSG
for investigation and recommendation. The Assistant
Solicitor General heard the testimonies of the
complainant and his witness in the presence of
respondents counsel.
On March 19, 1984 respondent filed with the OSG an
urgent motion to suspend proceedings on the ground
that the final actions of his civil case for the
declaration of nullity of marriage between him and
his wife Lisa, poses a prejudicial question to the
disbarment proceeding, but it was denied.
The OSG transferred the disbarment case to the IBP,
the latter found respondent guilty of gross immoral
conduct and violation of his oath as a lawyer, hence,
was suspended from the practice of law for a period
of three years.
In his motion for reconsideration, respondent alleged
that he acted under a firm factual and legal
conviction in declaring before the Hong Kong
Marriage Registry that he is a bachelor because his
first marriage is void even if there is judicial
declaration of nullity.
Issue: Whether or not a subsequent void marriage
still needs a judicial declaration of nullity for the
purpose of remarriage.
Held: Respondents arguments that he was of the
before the HIC authorities that he was a bachelor
since his first marriage is void and does not need
judicial declaration of nullity cannot exonerate him.
In Terre vs Terre, the same defense was raised by
respondent lawyer whose disbarment was also
sought. We held:
xxx respondent Jordan Terre, being a lawyer, knew
or should have known that such an argument ran
counter to the prevailing case law of this court which
holds that purposes of determining whether a person
is legally free to contract a second marriage, a
judicial declaration that the first marriage was null
and void an initio is essential. Even if we were to
assume, arguendo merely, that Jordan Terre held that
mistaken belief in good faith, the same result will
follow. For if we are to hold Jordan Terre to his own
argument, his frist marriage to complainant Dorothy
Terre must be deemed valid, with the result that his
second marriage must be regarded as bigamous and
criminal.
The FOUR Cs of Effective Decision Writing
As training/learning professionals we are expected to
put into writing what learners need to know in order
to be successful on the job. Our job is to simplify
the complex, not complicate the simple. This can be
easier said than done. To ensure the success of our
writing we should utilize the four Cs of writing: it
should be Clear, Concise, Complete and Compliant.
Let me explain.
Clear
Our writing needs to be easily understood by the
target audience. A clear beginning is a good way to
start. Begin by preparing the learners for what is to
come by including an objective (purpose), a benefit
statement (Whats in it for me?), and an overview
(summary of key concepts). The material should be
structured so the content is easy-to-follow (i.e. there
is a clear continuity of thought) and targeted to their
needs (i.e. job-specific and written at the appropriate
reading level).
Concise
When it comes to writing, less really is more. To
keep your writing short and simple, remember the
following:
Punctuation
Remember that using punctuation such as
commas, semi colons, colons, and question
marks is like providing road signs. They are
meant to help guide the journey. If you have
a question about which punctuation mark
should go where, check the style book.
Spelling

Dont use more words than needed to get the
point across (e.g. use soon rather than in
the near future).
Use the active voice. The active voice makes
your sentence clear, direct, and forceful (e.g.
The ball was hit by John [passive] versus
John hit the ball [active]).
Avoid the use of jargon. If you must use
jargon, explain the meaning the first time it
is used (e.g. Always use NLP [Neuro
Linguistic Programming] and PAL
[Principles of Adult Learning] when
designing training).
Avoid redundancy. (e.g. Dont say I will
use true facts to present my case. Facts are
true, so you only need to say, I will use
facts.)
Try to use 15 to 20 words per sentence and
four to five sentences per paragraph.
Witch rite is write? Proofread your own
work thoroughly; spell check would accept
the previous sentence.
Grammar
The eight common parts of speech are the
following: nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs,
pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions, and
interjections. Make sure they are used
correctly (e.g. make sure the verb and noun
agree, and the pronoun and noun to which it
refers agree as well).
Word choices
Deciding which word to use can be tricky. If
youre not sure which word to use when,
consult a style guide to avoid misusing
words like used to versus use to or
then versus than.

Complete Following these four Cs will make your job of

simplifying the complex, not complicating the
Whether were writing a memo or a task analysis, our simple that much easier.
learners should have all the information needed to
perform the next steps, or the job task, after theyve
finished reading our content. Where appropriate,
provide examples, create case studies, role plays, etc.
to make the content realistic or to illustrate a point.

Compliant

This means following the rules of good grammar and

includes rules for punctuation, spelling, grammar,
and word choices. The wrong choices in any of these
areas can confuse the learner and/or have an impact
on your credibility. Find a good style book and use it.
Keep a dictionary and thesaurus close by. Do not rely
on spell check when proofing material.