FR. RANHILIO AQUINO’S ‘BRAGGING RIGHTS’

IF one were to believe all his boastful perorations on Facebook, Fr. Ranhilio Aquino would be considered the only authority hereabouts on the world’s federal forms of government, and shame on anyone else who questions his expertise and entertains misgivings about “federalism.”

The dean of San Beda’s Graduate School of Law claims to have “read and studied the constitutions and constitutional law treatises” of practically all countries around the globe with “autonomous communities” or “self-governing regions.” And he has learned more than anyone because of the volumes of legal literature he was able to devour in so short a time since he was named a member of the consultative committee tasked with drafting a federal form of government for this country.

But here’s the thing. As aptly noted by the editorial, “Undemocratic condescension” (7/11/18), Aquino is NOT a lawyer. If he is all that wellversed and wise in matters of the law and has been teaching law subjects to law students, he could have easily aced the bar exams in any given year, perhaps. Yet, for reasons known only to him, he shied away from that grueling intellectual challenge. Do San Beda law aspirants really just take his word for it?

So, pray tell, where does the distinguished dean get off thinking he alone has the “bragging rights”? REY CHAVEZ ESCOBAR, rc_esco@yahoo.com