Kaban ni Lino Labra: ALAK, BABAYE UG PANGLABAN….

ALAK, BABAYE, UG PANGLABAN….

I could not recall where I read a story of a case involving two women traders and their five-year old civil suit of a breach of contract before a Modern-Age Spanish court.

The plaintiff was a wine maker who delivered one ship-load of red wine to the defendant-trader pursuant to a contract of sale duly executed before a lawyer. Both lawyers of the parties were wine drinkers. They handled their cases on contigent bases. But for years of drinking red wine, they lost their interest of having their case terminated in an abbreviated settlement because red wine did excite them no more.

The plaintiff sought damages for breach of contract from the defendant who failed to honor her contractual obligation to pay. After five years of litigation, the judge rendered the verdict and ordered the sheriff to open ten oak barrels of red wine in the court bodega to determine how much damage incurred on the wine after  five-years. To the surprise of everyone in the courtroom, the sheriff emerged from the bodega drunk and inaudible in his oral manifestation.

By agreement of the parties, the two lawyers with their women clients agreed to do the testing by themselves as court commissioners. Since no one emerged from the bodega after a given period, the judge went inside to see for himself what was going on. If you see women and lawyers drinking wine in the bar, that was what the judge saw. The case was dismissed without pronouncement as to cost.

Wine from grapes when aged in oak barrel tastes suave and cool like brandy and whisky. Rhum like Tanduay is from sugar cane. Their five-year old is stronger than Tanduay 65. Vodka is from cucumber famous in Asia Minor and in Balkan states. Tequila is taken from a palm endemic in Mexico. Beer is from barley abundant in temperate zone countries. Our palm like nipa and coconut produces alcohol in tuba. Rice wine is familiar source of alcohol in Japan and China as body heater during winter.

History tells us that the best wine makers were women. The reason is obvious. It requires patience and consistency that only women have these qualities. To maintain its desired and peculiar taste of their wine as local pride, women carried that burden through the years as legacy from one generation to another because women are gifted with discriminating taste when it comes to food and drinks.Places which were known before for a unique and sought-after taste of their wine were matriarchal communities. One example is COGNAC in France known for their best whisky in the world as to BAHALINA in Palo, Leyte in our country. In these places, women were wine makers and peculiarly they were good homemakers too. Hence, one cannot separate wine from women in wine-making even in this modern day. It is only when the contract is violated, that the appearance of the lawyer becomes indespensable. When lawyers come in with wine, the pandemonium breaks loose.

Unlike my law partners, I drink hard but I am not a drunkard. PINGAR lawyers drink light but they do it with light beers till middle of the night. All of us in the office drink even without lady's drink. I know of some partners who drink but when the night turns dark, they wildly demand the ladies who drink to be their tourist guides.

He he he delikado ni.

Why do we drink wine? I was asked by a partner in one of our drinking sessions. In response to the question of this ex-seminarian, I gave him this Socratic answer. Why do we drink coffee too? Coffee and wine are food for the body was my thesis. When taken beyond the limits, they become food for the spirits. Alcohol from whatever source when taken in moderation is good both for the body and spirit. Too much of it will kill your body and your spirit will be wild and free from the norms of the society. When it is done in the company of lawyers and women, like the old story of the origin of whisky and brandy, there would be no case for the plaintiff and for the defendant because you will be surely dismissed by your “WINEMAKERS” with so much cost to your marriage and family at home.

(Bug-os ang  pasalamat sa KAHAYAG ngadto sa nagsulat niining  artikulo  nga si ATTY. PAULINO  B. LABRADO, Senior Partner sa P.B. LABRADO  and PARTNERS. Magsusulat  ug magpaambitan siya sa iyang mga  hunahuna mahitungod sa  nagkalain-laing hisgotanan nga makita sa  maukiton niyang mata ug mga kasikas nga madungog sa  iyang maabtikong dunggan.)