Reflection about my Internship in BALAOD MINDANAW

Under the law, everyone is equal but not everyone can understand the law. Inequality happens when because of the ignorance to the law. This leads to abuses, exploitation and even deprivation of life and property. Filling in the problem of ignorance is what my summer internship in BALAOD is all about. My summer internship is completely unexpected. I thought my summer will be spent with my books. But when one my classmates informed me about the revival of Liceo de Cagayans Center for Alternative Lawyering and invited me to join a summer internship program, I decided to join without even knowing what the internship program really does. I agreed to join thinking that internship in a law office wont be difficult. I thought of assisting in the legal research, helping them make pleadings and probably just do office chores like photocopying documents and arranging papers. I didnt know that I will be venturing to a life-changing internship program. I didnt know that this internship program will forever change the way I look at law and people. With some hesitation, I decided to push through the internship. I met the other interns at the BALAOD office. In our very first meet-and-greet day, we were told that we will be having and immersion at El Salvador City. The idea of an immersion really hit me hard in my mind because, again, this wasnt what I expected. I wanted to withdraw my application at first but my mind tells me to just continue. So, I joined the immersion activity and everything sunk in to my mind I must finish the internship at all costs because I need this as a person seeking to become a lawyer. The immersion opened up my eyes to many invisible things. My exposure to a very poor family and experiencing their hardships which most of it are brought about their ignorance of the law brought me into realization that if I become a lawyer, I will help educating the poor about their rights and the law. Without this internship I would have been one of the people who scream the idea that the poor need not know the law you just have to help them but not educate them about the law because they wont get it. It was a false and wrong mentality that I believed ever since I can remember. After our immersion, I got exposed to a number of Paralegal Trainings and Clinics. This made me really thankful of the internship program. I met farmers, fisher folks, and different community organizations such as the women committees in a number of barangays. The Paralegal clinics have educated me about the present conditions of the rural people. I learned their day-to-day problems and how they plan to resolve it. Most of their major problems are legal related some have lands that are taken away from them and some have simple legal disputes within their communities that drag them into poverty even more. As an intern, I helped in the facilitation of these legal clinics. I listened and took note of their discussions. I helped in answering some of their legal problems and in some occasion laughed together with the participants. What I treasure more about the Paralegal trainings and clinics is the fact that people in remote areas have the ability to understand the law even how complicated the law is. I realized that if one can only invest a time in trying to explain how the law is followed, applied and used to any people regardless of

their educational background or where they live. The clinic enabled them to fight for their rights and impose their legal rights to their lands. Most of them, after the paralegal training, they were able to solve their problems with less help from the lawyers. Some managed to have their lands titled to their names. In other words, with the help of the BALAOD MINDANAW they were able to fully feel and enjoy what the law offers them. My visits to a number of remote places to meet farmers, fisher folks and community leaders have motivated me to finish my law degree and pass the bar. It changed the way I look at the law profession. Back then, all I could think of is to fight for my clients rights and thats a noble thing to do. Law as a profession means that you get paid for fighting for your clients right. So, I thought it is noble because you get to fight for a right and earn in the end. Alternative Lawyering, as what my internship taught me, is more than the client-lawyer relationship that I usually see in the city. Its more of fighting for the rights of people who cannot afford the fees imposed by lawyers or even if they can afford, they dont have enough opportunities to hire one. What is really so noble about alternative lawyering is the fact that its not the clients who are going to find you and visit you in your law office but it is the lawyer who will reach out to the needy. It is noble because you serve the ones that need you the most. You give voice to the people who are unable to find a voice. The law profession is noble because it keeps people equal in the eyes of the law. Without lawyers, the ones in power will always be able to abuse the ones not in power. Abuse, oppression and discrimination can never be stopped if more and more people are becoming ignorant of the law. The internship program I had with the BALAOD MINDANAW is a treasure that I will always look back and learn with. It taught me to teach law. It taught me to care for the less fortunate people.