THE POWER OF TWO
by Nima S. Sevilla
Two of the most sought after and promising young lawyers of the Municipality of M'lang are now neophyte members of the 16th Sangguniang Bayan of M’lang, Atty. Russel M. Abonado and Atty. Regerick L. Benito. Both lawyers were batchmates in high school at thr Notre Dame of Mlang for SY 1991– 1992.
Atty. Russel M. Abonado finished his preparatory Bachelor of Arts major in Social Science at the Southern Baptist College in 1996. He started his first year of law proper at the Ateneo de Davao University but was able to finish his Bachelor of Laws at the University of Mindanao in 2001.
Atty. Regerick L. Benito on the other hand, finished his preparatory Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy at Christ the King Seminary in Quezon City and graduated Magna Cum Laude. He was then a part-time instructor at the University of Southeastern Philippines in Davao City while earning his Bachelor of Laws at the Ateneo de Davao University where he finished in year 2001.
The two (2) lawyers took and passed the bar exams in 2002 and started practice with the same law firm in Kidapawan City, but eventually put up their individual law offices. Atty. Abonado became the Provincial Legal Officer of the Province of Cotabato from year 2004 to the early part of 2007, while Atty. Benito practiced his profession at the Public Attorney’s Office in Kabacan, Cotabato. The latter won the COTELCO Board of Director’s election in May 2005 but resigned in March 2007. In their fervent desire to serve their people in the municipality, both resigned from their respective positions, run and won in the May 2007 local elections as members of the Sangguniang Bayan,.
Armed and equipped with knowledge and experience in legal matters, both lawyers are no longer be confined to argue in the four walls of the court room, but also in the four walls of the Sangguniang Bayan’s Legislative Chamber.
