Long Live Justice Cruz

Former Supreme Court Justice Isagani Cruz is my idol. Cruz is most notable for his well-written ponencia (Supreme Court judicial opinions), which never fail to amuse me, and his defense of individual liberty, which never fail to inspire me. Sadly, Justice Cruz is gone. Long live Justice Cruz.

If Rico J. Puno is the answer...

Then what is the question. The question is, "Who is the present Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines?"

Yesterday, I had my demonstration teaching at a public high school. Towards the end of my demo teaching, I had a 10-item quiz. On the ninth question, I asked: "Who is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines?"

It's obvious in their faces. My students hadn't had the slighest idea who. So I gave them a clue. "His first name starts with letter "R"," I said. On the board, I wrote the letter R, and beside it I drew a tree.

I thought they would get it right. But as it turned out, it just adds to their confusion. Instead of answering Reynato Puno, they answered Rico J. Puno. It made sense, huh?

But before the quiz was a Battle of the Brains---an equally funny experience. It was boys vs. girls. When I asked who is the present Secretary of Department of Education, both teams answered what? Yes, they answered John Lapus instead of Jesli Lapus.

It made me cringe. But I took comfort in the fact that they could now enumerate the basic requirements provided by the Constitution in order to vote. And more importantly, they know what does "no substantive requirements" mean.

Moral lesson: Don't give clues anymore. And look at the positive side.