Kill all the lawyers!

Ibet you have met this phrase in some form before. Regardless if you support this call to mass murder or not, literary experts (and maybe lawyer sympathizers) have pointed out that this is a misreading of Shakespeare’s play, Henry VI. Uttered by Dick the Butcher, this was actually his suggestion to a rebel on how to disturb the peace of the country in order to take over government. It was not meant to deride the profession but actually affirm its stabilizing role in society.

Still, the sticking factor of “Kill all the lawyers” proves that the legal profession has been suffering from this public relation problem – along with the town’s tax collector and the neighborhood swindler – since the dawn of western civilization. We cannot blame them. Lawyers, to some at least, are generally seen as agitators profiting from others’ misfortune.

Amidst this perception, the legal profession in the Philippines remains to be an exclusive club held in relative high esteem. It is cloaked in its own mythology, reinforced by a national fascination on the Bar Exam and affirmed by others who use flashy Latin magic spells such as ignorantia legis neminem excusat in a conversation over coffee. But, to my mind, this sense of mystic and distance have done more harm than good.

Thankfully, there are many good lawyers working in various fields who are tirelessly bridging this gap of language and access. Among the many, today, I raise a toast to BALAOD MINDANAW, Inc., an alternative law organization based in Cagayan de Oro. BALAOD, as we call her, just celebrated her 18th birthday.

The Debut Party held last August 11 gathered partners from the basic sectors, academic institutions, government agencies, two members of Congress, the judiciary, and lawyers among others. The diversity speaks of BALAOD’s understanding that social change requires the support of a broad coalition.

In 2007, BALAOD rose to national prominence when it led a civil society coalition behind the Sumilao Farmers’ Walk for Land, Walk for Justice Campaign. This grueling 1,700 km walk of 55 farmers from Sumilao, Bukidnon to Malacañang captured the sympathy of the nation. The Sumilao Farmers eventually won the 144-hectare land and one of their representatives spoke at the party. “Na tao kami tungod sa inyo”, she said.

Her words struck me. I said to myself, “Tao namani sila even before BALAOD came.” But I then understood that she was coming from an experience where an unjust arrangement shoved them below their dignity. This made them feel subhuman. To challenge this, BALAOD marched with them to demand a reorder of this unjust arrangement. One which is more respectful of the farmers’ inherent dignity. They won and they used the law to meet that end.

The law as a tool for social change is the founding premise of BALAOD. It has deployed paralegal training across Mindanao to bridge that language and access gap. It has transformed the traditional “lawyer-client relationship” into that of a “partnership for development”, especially with the poor and marginalized. Moreover, BALAOD has helped local governments develop legal frameworks that protect the vulnerable and the environment. Recently, BALAOD embarked on an Anti-Human Trafficking Campaign which includes monitoring of cases and awareness building among the youth. All these efforts aim to demystify the legal profession and make the law accessible to the many – especially the margins of our communities.

When Dick the Butcher suggested to kill all the lawyers, it was an affirmation of a lawyer’s stabilizing role in their realm. With BALAOD’s story, we hope that they would inspire and affirm a lawyer’s transformative role – as social healers and builders – of our Republic.