How onerous legalese imperils public welfare

IN the uproar over the 12 evidently onerous provisions found in the water supply agreements signed in 1997 by the Philippine government with Maynilad Water Services Inc. and Manila Water Co. Inc., these two concessionaires both claimed it was the government itself that imposed those provisions. This doesn’t speak well of the entities involved, particularly the regulatory agency handling water supply privatization, fueling speculations of graft and prompting itself to editorialize that “the government should hire better lawyers moving forward.”

This being an English- usage column, I won’t dwell on the particulars of this controversial issue, but just bring back this very interesting question by a Forum

Marawi

State UniversityCity: For Paramisuli

hindrance to top the 2017 Social Worker Board Exam.

A native of Tawi-tawi, Suli went to study at the Mindanao State University-Marawi.

She recalled how they felt their buildings shake when the bombings began on May 23, 2017, which signalled the start of the Battle of Marawi, also known as the Siege of Marawi.

Suli said they were in their dormitories reviewing for the exam when the clashes began. It felt like a nightmare, but they continued studying while they waited for the morning to come so they could escape the city. to understand? Is this a lawyer’s standard procedure so only he can interpret and make money out of

In my reply, I explained that legal documents and contracts use

for communicating with fellow lawyers and related practitioners.

Suli took the exam just two weeks after she graduated cum laude. She was also the valedictorian of the College of Public Administration

- ment of Social Work’s Leadership Award.

The war survivor topped the July 2017 Social Workers Board Exam with a rating of 86.00 percent.

Suli shared how empowering it was to achieve success despite the circumstances they encountered. She said,

able to achieve a goal that I have set for myself. It feels so satisfying that after all the uncertainty brought about by the current circumstances — lack of time, stress and other factors — I

Suli shared her inspiring story

Legalese presumes that the audience is adequately knowledgeable with legal concepts, so it’s often too wordy for comfort and beyond the understanding and comprehension of laypeople.

Of course it’s too harsh to say that lawyers make legalese their SOP so only they can interpret documents or contracts and make money from them. I think the fol

lawyer-blogger WiseGeek (a pen

- yers are careful when drafting legal documents to say precisely what they mean, even if the meaning is only apparent to other lawyers. Some of the word use may appear unusual to people who aren’t familiar with the law, as ordinary words can have a different

But more revealing, I think, is this insight about legalese by lawyerblogger SoMeLaw Thoughts

deep, dark secret about lawyers — we see risk everywhere. I can look at a picture of a man on a sidewalk and come up with a dozen potential lawsuits without batting an eye. And that’s before this hypothetical man crosses the hypothetical street. We lawyers spend years reading the most ludicrous cases you can imagine that involve chain reactions of people jumping onto moving trains, dropping bundles

concussive wave that tips over a large scale injuring a woman nearby ( actual,

Paramisuli ‘Suli’ Aming took the Social Worker Board Exam just two weeks after she graduated cum laude. famous case). It’s our job to see the worst potential outcome and help our clients avoid it... So when a client comes to an attorney and says, ‘Hey, can you draft up some terms for my business so that we’re protected from lawsuits?’ then the lawyer’s mind starts spinning like a rickety traveling carnival ride that was

Among Filipino lawyers, I don’t think it’s now standard practice to deliberately make contracts and documents wordy, roundabout and confusing. I believe their legalese is largely the outcome of decades of overzealous, overprecise and overbearing formulation, implementation, interpretation and application of the law. So, I believe that the

it be possible to make the English of their contracts and legal docu

That would be such a desirable

NATIONAL scientist (NS) Edgardo Gomez, founder-director of the University of the Philippines’ Marine Science Institute (UPMSI), died at

deep sadness the demise of our beloved founder, who established

country and was instrumental in making the Philippines leader in

The post cited Gomez as a visionary academic leader, honest and dedicated public servant and a great mentor.

UPM

SI is a worldclass res e a r c h a n d teaching institution in marine science, and is an internationally renowned center of excellence for national

initiatives,

National scientist Edgardo Gomez.

- searcher, scientist, conservation advocate and mentor in invertebrate biology and ecology, giant clam culture and restoration, and coral reef assessment and conservation. He was also recognized for his outstanding contributions and researches on marine ecosystems which became the bases for management of and the conservation programs for the country’s marine

statement.

- vation initiatives, such as the Global Reefs and Risk Analysis, Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network, and the International Coral Reef Action, were launched through his pioneering research. development. In recent years, in fact, a major movement has been growing in North America and the

and simple English not only in contracts and legal documents but also in court litigation and in legislation, the better for laypeople to understand, appreciate and follow the law.

Let’s hope then that henceforth, plain and forthright English and not onerous legalese will mark the government’s renegotiated contracts with Maynilad and Manila Water and with all its other major suppliers as well.

Next: Pronouns as subject complement take the subjective form

VisitJoseCarillo’sEnglishForum, steer the - ment of damage to coral reefs that led to the widespread concern over the status of coral reefs.

Gomez was able to -

was his contributions in the baseline mapping of the Philippines to handle the highly contested

the groundwork for the Archipelagic Studies Program that the UP System

He served as a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Western Society of Naturalist, World Mariculture Society, National Research Council of the Philippines, and the International Society for Reef Studies.

He was awarded the Global 500 Roll of Honor by the

United Nations Environment Program in 1989, the Outstanding Filipino in Science (Marine Biology) by the Philippine Jaycee Senate in 1992, Outstanding Science Administrator

- dential Lingkod Bayan Award by the Philippine Civil Service Commission in 2000, among others.

He was elected as a member of the National Academy of Science and Technology Philippines in 1993 and was proclaimed as National

Gomez was born on Nov. 7, 1938.

La Salle University (1962), Master of Science in Biology in St. Mary’s University Minnesota (1967) and

Biology in University of California