Some time ago, I wrote a column asking people not to call me “Attorney.” It was published on the day I took my oath as a lawyer, after a decade-long journey toward a title I had once imagined would change everything. It did not. I wrote then that “Attorney” was
September 30, 2026
There is a strange paradox about political power: The more insecure an administration becomes, the more aggressively it tries to prove that it is in control. A criticism is treated as an attack. A question becomes disloyalty. A political opponent is no longer simply someone who disagrees, but someone who
September 26, 2026
We’ve had an interesting occurrence lately at FMC Law: we’ve had an influx of foreign clients. Among the many other legal needs that they have, however, the consultation usually devolves into a topic that Filipinos have been forced to learn to live with: brownouts. The setting is familiar. Electricity is
September 7, 2026
Change has to start somewhere. This is especially true at a time when traditional systems are becoming increasingly difficult to maintain. So when one city dares to innovate and challenge the norm, it creates a ripple effect that extends beyond its borders. What begins as a local reform can inspire
October 24, 2025
The budget keeps the ball rolling for any government, big or small. Under Republic Act No. 7160, or the Local Government Code of 1991, local governments – barangays, municipalities, cities, and provinces alike – are empowered to govern independently. This authority, however, comes with responsibility. Local governments must carefully prepare
October 22, 2025
During disasters, the clock moves differently. Every minute lost to miscommunication, missing data, or manual coordination can mean lives upended – or worse – lost. That’s how it is in governance and that’s why it needs to be better. This is the sixth installment in my series on building Smart
September 26, 2025
In my years working with and around LGUs, one thing has always stood out: the same bottlenecks keep coming back. Long queues at city halls. Files passed from one desk to another like a baton in a never-ending relay. Delayed permits. Departments blaming each other for lost paperwork. It’s 2025,
September 20, 2025
I believe that the foundation of every government is its people and it is imperative that the public’s best interests be served. While this logically means putting the needs of the people first, that’s not always the case given the outmoded processes and bureaucratic web of steps that we civilians
September 16, 2025
By Lcid Crescent D. Fernandez The first step is always the hardest. That first step carries with it no momentum, and requires a spark to move forward. In governance, I call this “spark” the courage to change. It is the vision to see beyond what is currently before us – and taking decisive action to
September 11, 2025
In my time working with and in LGUs, it has always given me pause that manual processing is still the norm. Laptops and cellphones are now more accessible than ever, the internet is widely available, artificial intelligence is free to use with any decent gadget… and yet we still keep
September 6, 2025
The term “Smart City” gets thrown around a lot, mistakenly and particularly with any gadget or internet-related endeavor of an LGU. For example, free internet within the city or municipal hall – is that enough to claim the title of Smart City? Is an IT seminar a “Smart City endeavor”?
September 2, 2025
It has been 171 days since I took the lawyer’s oath and began my practice as a lawyer. While law school and the bar exam may have been mountains to climb and rivers to cross, I look past them now and fix my gaze toward what lies ahead. Like many
July 15, 2025