I WOULD have wanted to share my thoughts on the proposed city reclamation project but since the city government has decided to shelve the project, then I believe further discussion would serve no purpose.
Other topics na lang ta.
* * *
The widow has a son who is an incumbent mayor.
Since the death of her husband, she has given her son more “say” on family issues, especially those affecting the properties of her late husband.
Kon unsay isulti sa anak nga Mayor, motuo ra pod dayon ang inahan.
One time, the discussion was about the property of the husband that was owned in common with his brothers and sisters, most of whom are already residing out of the province.
They wanted to sell the land because they needed the money for the election campaign of the son who wanted to run as Mayor. There was no problem with the mother on the issue of selling the land.
But her problem was somewhere else.
She was not sure if they could sell it because she knew that the property sought to be sold was owned in common, and in her thinking, all the owners should decide, not just one owner.
But the son has a quick solution to that.
He made it appear as if his deceased father was a sole heir and therefore, entitled to sell the property by his own authority.
* * *
Mahimo diay na, was the question of the mother.
Mahimo kaayo, ako ray mahibalo ana Ma, salig lang nako, was the retort of the son.
And true enough, they found a buyer and after some negotiation, they agreed on the amount for the land, signed the deed of conveyance, and presto, they got the money.
With the bulk of the money entrusted to him for his candidacy, the son won and he is now the mayor of the town.
One day, the brothers and sisters of his deceased father went home and started their own investigation because they heard that their nephew has sold one property that was owned in common.
True enough, they got confirmation right from the mouth of the buyer, who showed the document of conveyance as proof that he became the new owner of the property.
So the brothers went to see the son, the new Mayor of the town, in order to seek clarification.
But instead of extending a remorseful stance, having been caught in flagrante delito, stood his ground that the sale was valid, legit and legal and even dared and challenged his uncles and aunties to file a case against him.
Kiha lang mo, tan-awon nato og molusot ba nang inyong kaso, the verbal challenge of the mayor.
* * *
So the uncles and aunties got themselves a lawyer and filed the corresponding criminal and civil cases against the widow and his son, the Mayor.
Upon receipt of the Summons, the Mayor was prevailed upon by his mother to get a lawyer. So they got a lawyer.
But only up to that point, to get a lawyer.
Why?
Because the Mayor considered himself as an MA (morag abogado) and drafted all the pleadings of the case. He came up with a defense, arguments and all that, the usual legal works, except that this time around, it was the Mayor, not the lawyer, who drafted and did all the works.
Because he could not sign the documents themselves, the Mayor not being a lawyer, he used the name of the lawyer and asked the lawyer to just affix his signature on the “already prepared” legal documents.
Initially, the lawyer resisted but eventually he was prevailed upon by the Mayor to just toe the line, anyway, he was paid his legal fees as agreed.
Not being a lawyer, the “illegal documents” that was submitted in court soon got the attention of the judge.
For one thing, the form used was not as prescribed. And another thing, the pleadings contained vile, intemperate and insulting language, and mostly written/printed in capital letters.
He was reminded to temper his pleadings, avoid using vile and intemperate language and should comply with legal forms.
Normal people should have understood right away, he was not trained to do legal works but this Mayor is abnormal.
He insisted on doing it his way and so the Judge threatened to cite the Mayor in contempt if he continued employing his gutter language in the pleadings. The Judge also reminded the Mayor to leave the legal works to his lawyer because he was not authorized to practice law because he was not a lawyer.
Baleng paita ning kinabuhia, the lawyer of the Mayor told his peers.
Naunsa man nis Mayor nga mo-insister man og himo sa pleadings sa kaso unya mao pay magbuot sa legal strategy, mao pod ang mo-print unya di mosugot nga usbon nako kay kanang iyang gihimo lagi maoy ipa-file sa court, the lawyer said.
Well, nobody knows why the Mayor is doing this.
Either he is a frustrated lawyer or he believes he is intelligent enough to act like a lawyer when he’s not.
Anyway, the lawyer says he in planning to terminate the retainership soon because he is risking his name for a Mayor who thought himself qualified to practice an illegal profession.
Batan-on pa ang Mayor pero kurakot na, like in the immortal words of former Senator Ernie Maceda who once said, so young yet so corrupt.
