As I have repeatedly stated in my past blogs, internal politics and power-play continue to poison and destroy the top power structures of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, in the process causing grave demoralization among Filipino lawyers and debilitating the delivery of its legal and civic services to the poverty-stricken and disunity-infected Philippine society, as shown by news items published in Philippine dailies some months ago. Here is an example:
CONTROVERSY ROCKS INTEGRATED BAR
OF THE PHILIPPINES OVER POLL RESULTS
by Manila Standard Today
15 May 2009
The incumbent head of the primary organization of lawyers has voided the election conducted by a breakaway group of regional governors for the post of executive vice president over allegations of violations of rules and regulations.
In a memorandum to the Supreme Court, IBP national president Felidano Bautista clarified that it was Roan Libarios who was duly elected as the new executive vice president of their organization and not lawyer Elpidio Soriano III who earlier claimed to have bagged the post in an election.
The Integrated Bar of the Philippines, which is under the direct supervision of the Supreme Court, has an estimated 48,000 members in 83 chapters nationwide.
Libarios, a former congressman and the IBP governor for Eastern Mindanao region, obtained five votes when the nine IBP regional governors held an official and legitimate election on May 9 which was witnessed by Judge Amelia Manalastas, the SC’s appointed observer.
Soriano, who claimed to represent the Greater Manila Region, even issued a press release declaring that he has been elected as the incoming EVP of the IBP, according to Libarios’ camp.
Soriano belongs to the faction that included incumbent EVP Rogelio Vinluan who is set to replace Bautista as IBP national president on July 1.
Soriano ran for the EVP post even though there are still legal questions surrounding his claim to be the Greater Manila regional governor.
Under the IBP rules, only duly elected regional governors are qualified to run as EVP.
In the same memorandum, Bautista effectively nullified the election of Soriano when he declared that “whatever actions or correspondences made by the EVP and four of the incumbent governors [affiliated with Vinluan] are deemed illegal and have no effect.”
Bautista also asked the SC to immediately calendar and preside in the oath taking of Libarios and the nine elected regional governors including the incoming president.
Source:
http://74.125.153.132/search?q=cache:4Z7oPBoRvdUJ:www.manilastandardtoday.com/%3Fpage%3Dpolitics5_may15_2009+new+IBP+governors+take+oath+2009&cd=10&hl=tl&ct=clnk&gl=ph
