During these past few weeks, Dan and I have been thrown into the policy-making process...and I am feeling a little lost. Not only are we trying to come up with draft laws to suggest to government councillors, but we are also right in the middle of the Anti-Child Pornography Bill campaign. We will be visiting a university to collect signatures and raising awareness in the community about the need for and anti-child pornography law. We are also running a fund-raising campaign.

It’s really interesting to see the ‘other’ side of law. In class, we studied jurisprudence and the application of written law to the facts, but here, we are learning about the policy-making process and the various efforts (by NGOs, the community leaders, government persons) to pass a law.

Lawyering in the Philippines is quite different... maybe because the country is made up of 1000+ islands? Everything here takes more time and a lot more effort. FedEx isn’t exactly what it is in Canada. Filing a motion required a 2-h bus ride. Actually getting to court requires a 2h bus ride (AT 4AM.), a 1-h ferry, and a 15-min tricycle. We got to court, and before the witness could even give her testimony, it was lunch time..........So now the hearing is set for the end of July.

Basically, it was a 6-h commute for 15 min of face-time with the judge.
I have a newfound respect for the legal professionals in the Philippines.

Aside from work, we have been travelling every other weekend or so, checking out all the famous areas in the Philippines. Thanks to Dan, we climbed a chocolate mountain... and my legs now look like a clip from a horror movie. There are cuts and scrapes everywhere... as well as a large burn on my calf (but that was my own fault). I don’t have my photos here to upload, but I am sure dan/tim/shivani will be posting them.

I can’t believe this internship is almost half-finished. Definitely dreading going back home.