Mabini Hall - Access to Justice

It was President Ramon Magsaysay who said that “he who has less in life should have more in law.” I think this is one of the most popular and often quoted lines in history. A statement repeated enough times by as many people indeed become gospel truth. Given the state of the nation, perhaps this singular saying is contributory to the present affairs for is it true that those who have less in life should have more in law?

The first charge is that a statement reflects an unequal protection of the law. President Magsaysay believed in the majesty of constitutional and legal processes as he did in the inviolability of human rights. Our legal regime enshrined in the rule of law says that all are equal before the law and that no one is above the law. Surely this is meant to apply to the rich and powerful who flaunt their violations of the law. So too, those who have more in life should not be treated harshly but simply fairly. It applies with equal force to the less privileged – they should not be exempted from legal compliance under the cover of their status.

To say that the good President meant that the law applies selectively or that the poor should be excused is ridiculous of course. What he meant is that the marginalized should be entitled to a bit more food and a bit more to the basic necessities in life. Compassion for the common man is the defining character of any leader.

Alas, this leads to the second charge, one of dependency. Those who have less, believing that they deserve more from the law, read it to be dependence on government and its dole outs. After all, government is the biggest welfare institution in this country where employees are not hired for what they can do.

President Magsaysay believed that there is neither need nor reason to compromise the dignity of man. When people are judged and promoted based on connections and based on misplaced pity, this is a debasement of the intrinsic worth of that person as a productive member of society. The whole community stands to suffer gravely by a governance of interests and incompetence.

Any forum, meeting, or activity always points the accusing finger to a government that is not doing enough if at all, that is not responsive and relevant. We see the lack of support for tourism, the lack of infrastructure, the lack of good policies, the lack of enforcement, the lack of personnel, and above all and always and forever the lack of budget. If this ‘lack of’ mentality is not the source of dependency and the consequent lack of (that phrase again) empowerment, I do not know what else we lack.

It is time to re-examine the credo of our beloved President who died a premature death. We ought to resurrect the other things he said and attribute them properly in context lest constant repetition result in another collective flaw. He believed too that government starts at the bottom and moves upward, for government exists for the welfare of the masses of the nation, that a high and unwavering sense of morality should pervade all spheres of governmental activity, and that this nation is endowed with a vibrant and stout heart, and possesses untapped capabilities and incredible resiliency. What more can we ask for?

We can ask and I thank my good friend Lawrence for this quote: “Those who have less in life should study more or work harder.” Those who already have more or more than enough in life should work for an enabling governance structure and societal framework that distributes the levers of power of money from the top 160 families that control our country to the people. Better yet, join the government or minister to the missionaries there.

Those who have less in life truly deserve more. This does not mean in any sense of President Magsaysay’s words that they stand by or roll over until good tidings come or to look for government for any conceivable need or want or gripe. It does mean that they should at least exert effort to live up to their human dignity. It is up to us to make sure that their efforts are not in vain.