Kaban ni Lino Labra: PANAHOM SA KUGIHAN MOLUHOD UG KASAL...

LAWYER AS SPONSOR TO A WEDDING OF TWO LAWYERS

While sorting out office files of scrap for disposal, I was awed by the sight of my collection of wedding invitation cards as guest and sponsor. They come on different sizes and shapes. From their looks, the disparity in the  social standing of the celebrators in the society is very apparent in the quality of the card, the venue of the wedding and the reception and the list of wedding sponsors.

For more than a decade in the practice of law, I have been invited thirty times as wedding sponsor. I remember having missed only one of them because the venue had to hold me hostage in a place for two days at most. For this year alone, I would be winding up five sponsorships in a wedding. One was last July wedding of a relative. Today would be my second in a grand wedding of two lawyers who are grandiosely in love to each other.The third and fourth would the much-awaited wedding of my two office partners. I am referring to Atty. Kim Chiu to her Yabyo and Atty. Bebs to his Langinging. And the fifth would be another relative to wed before the year end.

From my experience, lawyers and politicians are the usual favorites MANINOYS in a wedding particularly in rural areas. Except for the age requirement, there is no law or rule from the state and the church defining the qualifications as to who would be a sponsor in these two church rites. Pre-Cana seminar is only for the groom and the bride. There is none for the sponsor unlike in the baptismal ceremony where baptismal sponsors are required to attend seminars as pre-qualification. It is this seminar that we learn our obligations to our godchild. But there is none in a wedding. It is only from the sermon of the priests in the homily that we are briefed on our role as wedding sponsor in the life of the newly-wed couples. For years of listening these briefings from the priests, I am now beginning to doubt whether or not lawyers and politicians are worthy mortals to be one? Do they have moral scruples to remind the groom to be faithful always and forever to the only one till death but no other one to die with except the one whom you announced on your wedding day to love from this day forward?

As lawyer and having lawyered politicians through the years, I am not in comformity with the society giving them that privilege to be priority in the list to be wedding sponsors. Based on the experience of all my law partners in the office and from my politician-clients, these two are not loyal to their vow of fidelity to their respective wife. Hence, they have no integrity to be your marriage counselors. If I were to suggest, I would recommend judges and doctors as your sponsors because other than their integrity, you have celebrities in the list.

Even Michal is a lawyer, he must not have known that CKD tribe is  vanishing specie of lawyers in the country today with the advent of cellphones with two sim cards. He must not have known that his flocks in IBP in Cebu have favorite places to go when the night is dark. When he invited me to stand a his wedding sponsor today, I was hesitant at first. Before I said yes to his request, I asked myself this question. Am I worthy to be his marriage counselor and as model husband? To be one, is to me, a gargantuan task to couples who are smart lawyers like Michal and Christine.

(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.)