characteristics of an ideal dean student-alumni interactions

•present to attend to details in the college In my first term, I touched base with the alumni. Feedback from
•actually knows alumni in various parts of government
•who can represent the image of the college
•someone that people will feel that he understands the faculty
•open to students
•will not stay in office more than necessary ~ given the faculty that we
have, everyone should be given the chance
•someone who makes a difference
MVFL •should not be a political accommodation
the alumni is very important. Ongoing project with the Alumni
Relations Office: sort of a clearing house where UP Law
MVFL graduates who are in between jobs can look at the list of job
offerings by UP Law employers. It will be open to current
students as well. Alumni talks, the triathlon (Dean’s Cup) and
other forums ~ opportunities for the students, especially non-
affiliated ones, to get to know the alumni

accessibility to students

I am open to students’ concerns. However, I do not want this

MVFL accessibility to be used as an avenue to shortcut certain
procedures. Accessibility is not the same as agreement. I
can be reached by text or e-mail and students are welcome
to contact me through those modes.

Unavoidable yan. Kasi pag-dean ka, constitutent

mo na sila. Paano ka magiging effective as dean
kung wala ka naman connect dun sa estudyante eh
sila nga yung number one concern mo?
dlc
 facilities
Changes have been over the years, so the rest may be embellishments.
*During MVFL’s term, the construction of
MVFL the Law Dorm started, including the
satellite campus of UP Law in Taguig
dlc
Kakaunti yung computers niyo diyan. Tapos siguro yung mga
subscriptions natin. Baka dapat meron na tayong subscription sa
Harvard collection para mapabuti sa research. Yung microphone, at
baka yung course material nung teacher, baka maganda naka-
projector na. At yung gusto ko nga na sinasabi ko sa class, yung
merong push-button pag magtanong sa klase yung teacher na yes
or no, every recitation day is a quiz day, yung parang sa game show.
Who knows? Ang sa akin kasi, studying should not be an ordeal. To
me, studying should be enjoyable. Nung kami mga estudyante dito,
nag-e-enjoy kami mag-aral eh. Enjoy na enjoy kami. We didn’t
consider it as a chore. Marami kaming grupo-grupo kami nagtatalo
on a certain provision. Kasi we enjoyed studying.
Ang tingin ko rin ang ating library ay maliit na. Ang balak ko nun when I
was Associate Dean, yung buong Law Centre, i-de-devote na sa library
and classrooms. Magpapatayo kami dun sa where the Toyota is,
pumayag si President Emerlinda Roman (Emer), na magpatayo ng
building na magiging Law Centre. Gusto namin magpatayo ng building
pero ayaw ko naman na mang-limos sa mga congressman na katakot-
takot naman ang hihingin in return, so I want to raise the money in-
house. Tiningnan ko yung finances. Well, pwede tayong magpatayo ng
building, mga 4-stories yan. Para saan yung building? Para yung Law
Centre lilipat na dun. Yung Bar Review dun na di na sila papasok sa
loob ng campus doon na lang sila sa harap. May malaking parking
doon. Ngayon? Pagpumunta kayo dito, minsan ang daming mga pulis
diyan, kinukuha yung parking space niyo, kung sinu-sino nakikita niyo,
gusto kong ilayo yung Law Centre activities dito.
*DLC brought this up to the UP System but unfortunately, the plan did not
come into fruition due to time constraints.
support for bar operations
Institutional support ~ for the PEP, we have
discounts and the 2nd takers get everything free. MVFL
There is an MCQ project on going to create MCQ
reviewers, given the proper incentive.
dlc
Pag maganda ang performance sa Bar, it’s always an accomplishment
attributed to the Dean. Imposibleng di ko kayo suportahan diyan kung
ako ang magiging dean. Natural gusto ko 100% tayo, diba? Imposible
eh, imposible na di ako susuporta.
Sa akin kailangan ng logistical support para yung mga bata worry-free
sila habang nag-aaral sila para maka-concentrate sila. Ang problema
kasi, baka hindi tama yung method, yung focus ng mga ating bar
reviewees. Dun natin dapat umpisahan yun eh, papano natin sila i-fo-
focus. Ano ba dapat ang method sa pag-re-review. Inimbita nila ako, ‘Sir,
i-bar review mo naman sila sa corporation law.’ Sabi ko ‘Wag na ako kasi
narinig niyo na ako eh. Pag nag-review ako ma-b-bore kayo, narinig niyo
na yun kung anong sinabi ko. Para mas maganda, kumuha kayo ng
another guy na di niyo pa narinig.’ So pag narinig niyo na yung ibang guy
na yan, sasabihin niyo ‘Eh, di naman yun yung sabi ni Dannycon eh.’ So
pag narinig niyo na yan, maalala niyo na yung sinabi ko o yung sinabi
niya so when you encounter that in the Bar, alam niyo kung anong
isasagot niyo.
Ang tingin ko andun na yan. Ang tingin ko, a lot of the efforts of the
students in reviewing for the Bar is misdirected. It’s the system, the
review structure na dapat ituro sa estudyante. Kasi yung iba ultimo
binalutan ng tinapa binabasa. Ang sa akin, the more materials that you
read mahihirapan ka na dun. Basic lang naman. Dapat drills.
Kinakailangan niyo drills on the basic. So dapat ang reviewer na
kinukuha natin, dapat ganun yung style niya. To remind you, to make
you remember and realise na mali pala para alam niyo kung ano yung
drills.
 magna carta
on tuition fee increases
*as a graduate program, TFIs are now within the discretion of the Dean
It’s necessary to assure students of due process
in the implementation of the academic policies
Tuition fee increase is totally unnecessary. We can get the
MVFL
funds we need from other sources. However, the Ll. M.
Program will be priced a little bit higher, but still
competitively. MVFL Ah, yung bill? Okay naman sa akin yan. Kasi iba na ngayon
ang panahon. Nung araw yung mga estudyante,
*MVFL offered financial assistance to students last semester in danger of pinupukpok, sinasakal para matuto. Di na ganun ngayon. I
being purged from the class due to non payment of TF could actually help you in drafting the Bill kasi isa sa mga
dlc talents ko yan.

Alam mo yung tuition fee naman natin, kaya hindi ako nag-po-propose
masyado mag-taas ng tuition fee kasi pagkinwenta mo maliit eh. Ilang
estudyante ka lang? Bakit pa natin tataasan, pagagalitin mo pa yung
mga estudyante, yung mga parents, eh konti lang naman yung i-r-raise
mo. Maybe sa University, pero sa akin di ko na problema yun.
Ang sa akin I don’t mind the students to pay the same tuition as long as
they will study hard and they will give me good performance. I’m willing
to subsidize the education of the students in the College. You know,
one of my talents is to look for resources. Kaya nga nag-presidente na
ako ng isang university. Pinaki-usapan ako ni Cardinal Sin, I turned-
around that university in less than a year. Madali lang naman tayong
kumuha ng resources. Ilang estudyante lang ba tayo? 200 x 5, one
thousand students ka lang, mag-increase ka ng tuition, magkano lang
makukuha mo? Sa akin it’s not a big addition.
I think mas maganda rin na i-institutionalise yung student loans, kasi
mahirap na yung isa-isa, kanya-kanyang approach. We are willing to do
that, but we have to improve our admissions policy. Kung kinakailang i-
admit mo itong isang bata, kinakailang bigyan mo ng scholarship, bigyan
mo ng stipend, gagawin dapat natin kasi magaling yung bata. Parang si
Pelias, parang yung valedictorian. Alam mo para masuportahan yung sarili
niya, nagt-trabaho dun sa Dili Mall, sa Xerox Copier. Imagine? Ang sa akin,
built and improve his character, now a self-made man. Pero sa College of
Law kinakailangan din merong self-made man pero napakahirap minsan
maging self-made man so kinakailangan tulungan.

Kung gusto mong tulungan ang isang estudyante na magaling para

makatapos hindi sufficient na bayaran mo yung tuition niya. Kailangan i- dlc
support mo yung kanyang living expenses. Baka kinakailangan i-libre
na natin sa dorm yan, kinakailangan may stipend yan. Ang tingin ko
magagawa
 involvement in national & on frat-related violence
university issues
Establish contact early with the heads and the fraternities and make it
transparent (the secrecy has an effect). I am willing to do whatever is
The dean should be very involved in university issues. He must take
necessary, and to act quickly like we did in the past. What I am
the time for university council meetings, take time to attend and
unwilling to do is to pass the problem to Diliman level. While the heads
contribute. Because we are the UP College of Law, we must help
are in the College, it is better to resolve it on this level.
UP. On national issues, the dean must also be very involved. This is
the very reason why people come to UP Law, because we can bring
the ideas of the faculty outside. On this level, we must focus on the MVFL
SC decisions, like the flip-flopping on the Dinagat Island case and
the LCP case and there should be no backing down.
MVFL I think we’re able to strike a balance, participating in these issues
does not take time away from the students to study.
Well, I’m a fratman. Sa madaling sabi, nakakahiya naman kung yung frat
nung dean yung nangunguna sa rumble. Ang sa akin, kung fratman yung
dean, tanggalin niyo yung fraternity yan sa gulo, so one fraternity down
ka na. Ang maganda lang kasi kung fratman yung dean, alam namin how
to approach the problem. Dapat sa College of Law walang nag-r-rumble
kasi mga-graduate students na kayo eh. In fact nung panahon namin,
I think it should not be the dean because the dean should just be a yung mga law students yung nasa losing end eh. Pag sila nagtago dahil
presiding officer. The dean should avoid his personal stand to be in sa rumble hindi sila makakapasok, maraming mawawala sa akin. Kaya
conflict with the stand of the faculty. Dapat may presentation sa nung panahon naming, yung mga law students na frat man yung nag-s-
faculty, tapos kung ano yung pinagusapan sa meeting, dapat yun start ng initiative para matapos yung gulo na yan, di mag-escalate yung
yung stand. Kasi tandaan mo ito, the college has to lead with anything gulo na yan, you simply have to tap them.
that has to do with the legal profession and the interest of the country.
Kinakailangan may stand ang college. The college has to make a Dapat on that same day meron silang truce. Pero sa akin dapat
stand. Kung faculty, faculty, pero kung college siguro dapat kasama preventive ka, the policy will be to prevent that situation from cropping
yung students. So may meeting dapat. The dean should only facilitate up. It shouldn’t happen at all, not in law school. Nung panahon naming,
and the dean should not go against the faculty. Dapat institution yung meron kaming Inter-Fraternity Council. Tapos yung ginagawa nung mga
stand. And there is a mechanism to get a consensus. Although hindi deans, yung mga leaders ng frats, same section sila. Kaya andyan
lahat ng issues, kasi ayoko rin namang namumulitika yung faculty. So naging close yung head ng Upsilon na si Dick Gordon, yung head ng
kung may national issue, kinakailangang we have to make a stand, Sigma Rho na si Tony Carpio at yung head ng APB na si Oscar Orbos.
kasi tinitingan tayo, ‘ano ba yung stand ng mga abogado sa UP.’ It’s Pare-pareho silang na-suspende
the institution and not me personally.
dlc

dlc
 on the curriculum & bar performance on bidding
Reforms take time, but certainly UP Law will be better then as it is
now. I want to prove that it is possible to have an academic institution
that is not geared towards the bar, but excels in what it can do.
*The bidding system started during the term of MVFL
Re. Curriculum – I just want a full blown debate wherein everyone is
given a chance to express their opinion. Also, I want more
MVFL
international law units.

Bar performance is important, but not that important. Given the

reforms in place, there will be improvement in three years’ time. The
experiment is working. Getting the right professors is one way to
address this. In my first term, my priority was providing economic
support to the faculty. This also meant economic restrictions, if
necessary. Now I want to put in discipline within the faculty, and this
includes attendance, etc. Offering review classes as electives will not
answer the problem. What could be better is to take advance bar
review and sit through the subjects that you really need.

Sa tingin ko kinakailangan natin baguhin, pero ang problema kasi natin,

we have to contend with the Bar. Kaya nga ang sabi ko sa kanila, mag-
dlc
active tayo sa Philippine Association of Law School, ako naman, active
ako sa Philippine Association of Law Professors. Kasi pag-nag-
combine tayo, tayo ang may malakas na boses na sabihin sa Supreme
Court na magbago ng style sa Bar. Para ganun, maka-move tayo to
change our curriculum. Kasi kung uunahin mong baguhin yung
curriculum, tama magiging maganda yung curriculum ng estudyante
mo, prepared na sila sa globalised practice, international practice na
sila, magagaling sila, eh hindi naman sila pumasa ng bar. Magaling nga
sila pero hindi sila abogado. Eh iba yung tinanong sa bar eh, hindi
naman napag-aralan. So kinakailangan umpisahan natin dun sa bar.
Babaguhin mo muna yung bar. Pag nabago mo na yung bar,
babaguhin mo yung curriculum. Ngayon kung binago mo yung
curriculum na hindi binago yung bar, may problema tayo diyan. Kasi
yun yung indicator niyo eh. That is the qualifier for our graduates for
practice to become lawyers. Hindi natin pwedeng sabihin, ‘We are not
preparing our students for the Bar, we are preparing them to be
leaders.’ How can they be lawyers if they won’t pass the Bar? First and
foremost is you have to be a lawyer. Pag hindi ka lawyer, wala ka. You
might be an international law expert, but you are not a lawyer, I’m sorry,
di ba?
Well, ginagawa rin yan in some schools. Ako, I’m open to it. Siguro i-
evaluate din yun, kasi it was done for your benefit, so kayo mag-
evaluate. Ang sa akin naman bakit may ganyan? It’s just a symptom of
the malady. May mga teachers na iniiwasan. Pero kung magagaling
lahat ang teachers, hindi yan problema.
Akala ko nga walang mag-e-enrol sa akin, pero may
nag-enrol nga, o baka wala lang silang mapuntahan? Wala naman
pwedeng mapuntahan. Actually nung bata-bata ako mas malakas akong
mambagsak. Pero siyempre through the years, nakukuha na nung mga
estudyante kung ano yung tinuturo ko, andyan na yung magic notes.
Kung di ka pa pumasa dito ewan ko na lang. So because of that,
nagiging test-wise na sila. Ngayon, alam na nila, ‘Ah dito magtatanong
yan, paborito niya yan.’ Nakukuha nila. Ang sa akin okay naman yun eh
ang importante makuha nila.