De-escalation

The geopolitical tensions in the West Philippine Sea – uncertain, unpredictable, unhinged – are hurting not only our valiant Navy and the Philippine Coast Guard personnel and our tireless fishermen but our businessmen as well, especially those doing business with China.

Indeed, some of these businessmen are feeling the brunt, too – now more than ever, my sources say.

I heard that it has become difficult for them to deal with suppliers from China. They are encountering delays in shipments, higher costs or non-availability of orders. Philippine exports to China are likewise facing challenges as China is now quietly sourcing from Vietnam and Cambodia, sources also say.

Could this be the reason why Filipino-Chinese businessmen did not join the strongly-worded statement of Philippines Inc. regarding the tensions and instead issued their own with a calmer tone calling for harmonious solution to the conflict?

They called on both the Philippines and China to choose stability instead of conflict.

Say 33 major Filipino-Chinese chambers of commerce and civic organizations which include the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Inc.:

“We are united in our support of Philippine President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ R. Marcos Jr. in his call for diplomacy in handling the ongoing dispute in the West Philippine Sea. We endorse his desire for a peaceful resolution of the foregoing, to choose earnest dialogue and pray for a de-escalation of tensions between our two countries.”

They also emphasized the “substantial economic partnerships” between the two countries.

“We implore both sides to refrain from actions or declarations that will only fuel the already precarious situation,” the groups also said.

They are also calling for the establishment of a neutral and diplomatic venue for discussion that will uphold mutual respect for one another.

Will China, the bigger and more powerful nation, be magnanimous and consider the call of Filipino-Chinese businessmen, many of whom trace their roots to China, the so-called Land of the Dragons?

Only time will tell if trouble will continue in our already troubled waters.

The 100-year-old Feria Law

A hundred years is a long time, way longer than the average lifetime and more than enough to carve out a place in history, whether it’s an ancient empire, a potentate or a law firm named Feria Law.

It is always interesting to read such stories if only to learn about how life was during a certain period in a nation’s history – of beginnings and turmoils; of challenges and victories; of dreams and nightmares – and to heed the lessons which may be applied to the present time or in the future.

It is especially interesting if we’re talking about a hundred years and such is the story of Feria Law, a law office founded by two individuals in 1924. Its practice areas today include corporate, mergers & acquisitions, transactional and others.

Feria Law’s storied journey is told in its centennial book “Feria Law: A Century of Dedicated Service and Legal Excellence.”

In the book’s introduction, the story goes that it was in 1924, a time when the Philippines “had earned its shining mantle as ‘The Pearl of the Orient’ and its capital had emerged as a shining beacon of Western progress in the Far East,” when a 41-year-old lawyer named Felicisimo Feria, together with Gabriel La’O, then dean of the College of Law at the University of Santo Tomas, founded a small law firm that would bear his name.

“Feria Law opened its doors in the heart of Manila. Its first office was small and cozy but the partners harbored large dreams and perspectives. It was ready to serve a prospective clientele that largely included prominent businessmen and American-style corporations as well as the everyday professionals that filled up the streets of Intramuros, Ermita, Malate and Binondo, the bustling business districts of the day.”

Felicisimo would later become an associate justice of the Supreme Court. The leadership of the law office would then be passed on to Justice Jose Yusay Feria, who followed his father Felicisimo’s footsteps as an associate justice of the Supreme Court and then to the third generation, Atty. Jose Feria Jr., senior partner of what is known today as the Feria Tantoco Daos Law Offices.

Early this year, the law firm celebrated their centennial at the Grand Ballroom of the Grand Hyatt Manila in Bonifacio Global City.

Lifestyle and culture writer Edu Jarque, who gave me a copy of the book, said in an article about Feria Law that the firm’s founding fathers would later team up with sterling individuals, such as former Philippine president Diosdado Macapagal, former justice of the Court of Appeals and Commissioner of the Constitutional Commission Jose Colayco, Supreme Court Code Commission member Luis Feria, former senator and secretary of Foreign Affairs Raul Manglapus and associate justice of the Court of Appeals Gabriel Robeniol.

In his welcoming speech at the centennial celebration, name partner Ronald Mark Daos said, “One hundred years ago, a vision was born. A vision that sought to uphold the principles of justice, fairness and integrity. Today, we celebrate the realization of this vision and the profound impact Feria Law Office has had on the legal landscape.”

Edu sums up the story of Feria Law: “From the founding fathers being kindred spirits just after World War II, they shared the dream of a system which favored the common Filipino over the ambitions of the powerful. Today, this vision has become the lasting legacy of Feria Law.”

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Email: [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @eyesgonzales. Column archives at EyesWideOpen on FB.