Kaban ni Lino Labra: ANG PAGPILI SA MINAAYO KONTRA SA BUHAT NGA IKOGAN

 LESSER EVIL FOR THE GREATER GOOD

Our decisions in life are anchored on our conviction, philosophy and religion in our search for the greater happiness.  Sometimes we set aside the criteria whether it is good or bad for the greater happiness and for the greater good at the expense of our belief.

In the movie, “KINGDOM OF HEAVEN”, Jerusalem was enjoying peaceful co-existence with its hostile enemies (Muslims or Arabs called as Saracens) for a long time due to the diplomatic tact of their aging king. But with the belligerent policy of the young and aggressive prince (who was groomed as successor to the throne), that long lasting peace between the Christians and the Muslims was being threatened. To arrest that impending internecine conflict with the Saracens, the King proposed to Balian, the crusader from Europe, to marry Sybilla, the princes, so that Balian would be the king’s successor. To materialize that plan, the prince had to be killed to pave the way for Balian to marry Sybilla. Balian declined the king’s proposal because to him, he was not like the prince who was greedy for power. As the offensive war invasion of the prince was taking tolls to the resources of Jerusalem, the city became vulnerable to the enemies.  On the verge of their surrender to the Saracens in order to spare more lives and destruction of the city, Sybilla was quoted telling Balian in regret: “There will be a day when you wish you had done a little evil to do a greater good.”

How many times in life that we have chosen for the lesser evil for the greater good?

A retiring judge and a retired judge at one time were talking about their younger days as lawyers inside the courtroom in a component city. They were known to have been equipped with the virtues of loyalty of the Sumarai to their queens. They were not ashamed to share their romantic interlude in their lives that every time they went astray in conventions outside of the city they were always told to carry rosaries in their pocket by their wives to scare off the devils in their midst. In our conversation while waiting for the last hearing of this retiring judge, both of them shared to me these words of wisdom. Dong, dako kaayo namo pagmahay.Mentras batan on ka pa, paglipay for your greater good inig katigulang na nimo, labi na gyod nga wa kay ank aron di ka magmahay og maghinuktok nga wa nimo mabuhat ang angay untang buhaton.

My student in college was diagnosed to have been suffering from disturbing lymph nodes in her uterus. She was advised to take medication or a surgical operation to remove it. Both were expensive medication to her lingering illness at young age. When she asked the doctor for a less costly solution, she was told to have an early pregnancy to clean her reproductive organs of unnecessary waste. But she was still single nurturing conservatism of the old as her virtue. She had a boyfriend but her virginity was safely guarded by a chastity belt before marriage. Getting married prior to graduation was not in her bucket list. To unchain her chastity belt would cure her illness is another case of lesser evil for greater good.

Majority of my cases in nullity of marriage are similarly situated with the facts of the case of a landmark decision of the Supreme Court Te vs. Te. Surprisingly, 90 percent of these voided marriages that I handled have ended up into happy and contented second marriages with their respective foreigner husbands. To the dogmatic Catholics, nullity of marriage is evil because it violates our marital vows. With a successful second marriage, Te vs. Te is right. What is the use of allowing the marriage to continue if the family life is like hell to parties and their children?

The same university student called up for a meeting last Saturday afternoon for consultation. It has been a long time since we met when she confided to me her myoma problem 12 years ago. She worked in Manila and she came to Cebu for a vacation.  After learning that I am now a lawyer, she managed to communicate with me for our meeting in a coffee shop near my office. She opened up our conversation with an answer to my query on her health condition. She opted for surgical operation instead of early pregnancy for a medication of her illness even it was so costly to her family.

Without qualm and hesitation, she confided to me having been in loved with a doctor who is 11 years her senior. The man is married but he has no issue. The doctor has been courting him for three years and she is in quandary to accept him or not. She is scared to death with the legal and moral implications of having a relationship with a married man.  She is certain that the doctor love her so much as certain as her feelings towards him. Her father died several years ago. She is now living alone with her mother because her sibling works in abroad. At past 30, she is a little bit apprehensive of living alone in case her mother passes away. The doctor too shared the same problem with her too leaving this world without complying with Confucian definition of a successful man.

Since her concerns are substantially not my forte, I summon the dialogues in the same movie KINGDOM OF HEAVEN for the words of inspiration. From Sybilla, I paraphrased to my student that sometimes we choose for lesser evil for the greater good. I told her that if you really love him, how can you be in hell?”  In love, you can’t go wrong. When you are in love, there is no hell because there is no love in hell.

(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.)