Model of Integrity, Honesty amd Fairness

 

By: Joe Mauricio

 

Last December 2, I was asked by a neighbor friend to be a witness in the case against an abusive tenant, who skipped rental payments for three months. When my friend asked for payment, the tenant for some reasons, refused to pay and filed charges against him. But this is not the story (tenant-landlord relationship or conflict) that I want to share with you. This is a story of a judge, a Filipino judge, to be more specific, whose chamber is Room 1104 at the Circuit Court of Cook County at the Daley Center, where our case was assigned. The story began when the judge saw me talking to my friend’s attorney inside the chamber before the trial began. When he recognized me, he immediately made an announcement that he was excusing himself as the presiding judge, because he has a personal relationship with one of the witnesses. This is a story of integrity, honesty, and fairness, exemplified by a Filipino in the justice court system in Chicago. Integrity is one of the fundamental values that justice system is looking for. It is a hallmark of a person who demonstrates sound moral and ethical principles. A person with integrity lives his values in relationships with the people of his community. Honesty and trust are central to integrity. Acting with honor and truthfulness are also basic tenets with a person with integrity. People who demonstrate integrity draws others to them because they are trustworthy and dependable. They are principled, and can be counted on to behave in honorable way even when no one is watching. Integrity is also attributed to some parts or aspects of a person’s life. We talk of attributes, such as professional, intellectual and artistic integrity. Hpwever, the most philosophically omportant sense of the term “integrity” relates to the general character of a person. This character was formed and molded by his Filipino parentsm and I, as a Filipino myself, am so proud of this Filipino American judge. The Filipino/Filipino American community of Chicago should be all proud of this Filipino judge. He is a good example for all the aspiring lawyers who want to be a judge….follow the example of integrity, honesty and fairness of *JUDGE ISRAEL DESIERTO. *Judge Israel (Izzy) Desierto is former recipient of the Chicago Filipino Asian American Hall of Fame award in the field of law before he was appointed the first Filipino American Judge in the state of Illinois.Maligayang Pasko sa inyong lahat!