NEWLY-APPOINTED Faculty of Civil Law Dean Justice Jaime Lantin intends to focus on producing “good Catholic lawyers” rather than mere Bar topnotchers during his term.
Lantin says the Bar is only an “admission for the practice of law” and passing it is not enough without ethics.
“You may be a good lawyer (but) if you have bad ethics, you’re a useless lawyer because you won’t be helping the administration of justice,” he said.
According to Lantin, the four-year law course offered by the faculty is enough to prepare all their graduates for the Bar and to enable them to become “good lawyers.”
“(We are) ranked (among the top four law schools) because of our showing and because we produce good Christian (and) Catholic lawyers,” he said.
Meanwhile, Lantin gave credit to former dean Justice Amado Dimayuga, for the improved facilities of the faculty, the competitive professors, and the good performance of the faculty in the previous Bar.
However, Lantin said, the faculty has a good chance of topping the Bar during his term since there are 43 freshmen, who are all honor graduates, enrolled this semester as compared to last year’s 29.
During his term, Lantin said, he aims to bring “the administration closer to the students.”
He accommodates students to his office just to discuss their problems, especially working students who need to adjust their schedules, and get more subjects so they can graduate on time.
“(When I talk to students), I feel (their) pulse, I understand them better. I want to win them (the students),” said Lantin.
Lantin graduated from the faculty in 1954. He then went on to become an associate justice of the Court of Appeals until his retirement on September 7, 1997. He was also a Bar examiner for Remedial Law in the September 1996 Bar examinations.
Lantin used to be a professor in the former UST College of Liberal Arts, now the Faculty of Arts and Letters, from 1950 to 1968. He was an Associate Professorial Lecturer of Remedial Law in the faculty prior to his appointment as dean.
Meanwhile, there were other administrative and academic officials appointed by Fr. Tamerlane Lana O.P for the school year 2001-2002.
Former Public Alumni Affairs Office (PAAO) Director, Prof. Giovanna Fontanilla, was appointed as executive assistant to the Secretary General, Fr. Rodel Aligan, O.P. Prof. Anna Maria Gloria Ward took over Fontanilla’s former post in the PAAO.
On the other hand, Vice-Rector Fr. Juan Ponce O.P., is now the concurrent Education High School principal and regent.
At the newly-established College of Fine Arts and Design (CFAD), Fr. Isidro Abaño, O.P. who had been dean in acting capacity, has been named formally to the post. He has been named College Regent as well.
Meanwhile, Fr. Aligan replaced Fr. Dennis Maquiraya as the new director of the Center for Campus Ministry. Fr. Maquiraya has recently been named by the Philippine Dominican Province as Director of the Novitiate of St. Albert’s Seminary in Calamba. Marie Carisa U. Ordinario and Karen M. Peña
