By Joel Pablo Salud / Manila Critics Circle
Rarely do we encounter a book that crosses the oceans of laws and helps us grasp all that we need to know about life under this ashen variety of the Tuscan sun. Authors Gianna Reyes Montinola and Maria Victoria Rotor-Hilado had, of late, done what no man or woman had ever done before: make our laws palatable to the ordinary Juan and Maria.
Laws for Life by Anvil Publishing is a book that one could easily mistake for a fairy-tale book. Its orange cover, designed by Ray Sunga, where a simpler version of the evolution of man takes the diapers-to-the-grave idea to a new level of aesthetic simplicity, is anything but dull. The fonts used scream of ease in sophistication, its colors fascinating, but one that hardly disabuses itself from the intended artistic value.
The book, intended for us non-lawyers, covers three long chapters of what could be described as a “vade mecum of all manner of things to do. It is an excellent walking companion for any and all who have to negotiate the obstacle courses that are the public and private bureaucracies. To employ a modern image, it is an unerring GPS through the labyrinth of modern living,” if we go by Rubén F. Balane’s foreword. Balane is a professor of the Ateneo Law School.
For those whose knowledge of private and public bureaucracies extends only up to the limits of their noses, this book serves as a treasure-trove of navigational training skills, if not the actual map of the treasure itself. The preface says:
“At every stage of life, there is paperwork. Lots of paperwork. Documents to be prepared, filed, and recorded with various government offices […] The average Filipino has difficulty maneuvering through the maze of documents and procedures. Most are ignorant of the offices where these documents must be filed, and periods within which they must be filed. Ignorance, unfortunately, has consequences—penalties, interest fees, and charges are imposed on non- or late filing or compliance, even if due to lack of knowledge.”
This “lack of knowledge” is what this book aims to answer.
The book jumpstarts the “seminar” with Chapter 1: The Age of Minority. Flip through the leaves and you’ll find everything you need to know, in general terms, on subjects like getting a birth certificate, improving the rights of illegitimate children to traveling as a minor and entering school.
The choice of everyday language to expound on existing laws provides this book with the necessary edge. Interior artworks designed by Joshene Bersales lends an even clearer insight despite the intricacies of our laws. The topics go further down the required details, such as getting the names right to source websites for documents. Often asked questions are included in each subject being discussed, such as: “I am single and gave birth to a baby (after August 3, 1988, the date when the Family Code took effect). What should I put in the birth certificate of my baby in the entry for the name of the father?” The two-point answer given offers more than enough information as to keep the matter clear both to the parent and all those concerned.
The significance to owning this book can never be overly emphasized. As in the case of an illegitimate child traveling abroad with the biological father:
“If an illegitimate child is traveling abroad accompanied by the biological father, they are still required to secure travel clearance certificate as parental authority is vested only on the mother of the child. If he or she is traveling with his or her mother, there is no need to secure a travel clearance (Article 176 of the Family Code of the Philippines).”
In the same token, the status of the child is of great importance should an annulment takes place:
“In general, custody of children under 7 years of age is given to the mother (Article 213, Family Code). But the courts still consider the welfare and well-being of the child paramount when awarding custody.
“Children of an annulled marriage are deemed legitimate under the law.”
The book ends with the Age of Seniority and all subjects deemed important to senior citizens, such as writing a will, shares of stocks, income tax exemptions, retirement plans, adoption, purchase of real properties, etc.
Montinola and Hilado, profoundly gifted attorneys in my estimation, have crafted a book that deals also with topics necessary at this day and age of “mistaken identity”. Say for example, having a name similar to that of a known criminal and this faux pas appears during your filing of an NBI clearance. What should a good citizen do?
Purchases, bigamous marriages, kasambahay rules, taxability retirement benefits, funeral services, as well as what to do when dealing with compulsory heirs, modes of payment, car loans and brokers commissions—all these and more can be found here. Any and all questions one needs to ask has been set in paper and ink, bound in matte format—a book you may have to buy in bulk if only to share with friends and families.
It’s as enticing as the last novel you’ve read. And maybe, just maybe, it could provide the writer of fiction some needed groundwork on legal matters as to make that fictional crime story ever more believable.