BARRACUDAS, JEEPNEYS, AND JUSTICE The Sabah Law Society’s Unforgettable “Mabuhay” Expedition

(Dec 1–5, 2025)

By Alexander Decena

If you have ever dived or snorkelled at Sipadan Island, you will remember the schooling vortex of barracudas—thousands of them moving in tight, chaotic, yet somehow perfectly synchronised formation.

Metro Manila traffic is exactly like that. Except, instead of silent, majestic fish, it is a roaring river of jeepneys, buses, and cars—flowing with a chaotic logic that only locals truly understand. And right in the middle of this urban ocean, fourteen of us from the Sabah Law Society (SLS) spent five days—1 to 5 December 2025—swimming with the current on a mission to expand our legal horizons.

We went to learn. We went to network. But mostly, we went to bond.

The “Mission Impossible” leader

Every good story needs a hero with a secret mission. Ours was Roger. As the delegation leader, he was the picture of composure—until, suddenly, he wasn’t there. At breakfast on the first morning of our official visit, John Sikayun broke the news: “Roger had to rush back.” Rumours flew. Was it a secret extradition? A covert operation? A hostage negotiation?

The truth was even wilder.

Fresh off the Sabah 17th State Election, Roger pulled off what can only be described as a logistical miracle: Manila to Kuala Lumpur, then to Jakarta, then back to Kota Kinabalu—just in time to be sworn in as a Nominated State Assemblyman before the TYT. Then, in defiance of the laws of fatigue, he flew back to Manila and arrived at the Oakwood Hotel at dawn—only to hop into the front seat of our coach looking fresh as a daisy for our second official programme.

He even kept his promise to treat the delegation to Jollibee. We feasted on “Chickenjoy” and the famous Filipino spaghetti—sweetish, but surprisingly nice—fuel for the days ahead.

The cast of characters

With Roger briefly MIA, the torch passed seamlessly to John Sikayun, senior partner at Luping & Co. If you didn’t know John was a lawyer, you might have guessed he was a headline act in Vegas. As Antonio C. Pido, senior partner at Siguion Reyna, Montecillo & Ongsiako, put it: “Elvis is alive, and he’s in Manila.” John loves to talk, but he loves to sing even more—and, to everyone’s delight, he is genuinely good. He kept morale high with his crooning, channelling the King when the rest of us were running on coffee and conference schedules. Then there was the “Advance Party”: Iris Chin, Sharmine, and Saroja, who arrived early to perform a vital public service—a shopping mall recce.

• Saroja was our Sergeant Major, counting heads with near-military discipline and ensuring no lawyer was left behind in Manila’s beautiful chaos.

• Sharmine, a detail-oriented corporate lawyer, applied conveyancing-level precision to navigating sales racks and store maps.

• Iris, together with the team, advised Douglas—our luminary retired judge—on where best to shop.

Douglas, with his larger-than-life frame and larger-than-life wisdom, is an old hand in the Philippines (a veteran of nine biker expeditions). He had a singular mission: find Columbia trousers that fit him at Robinsons Mall. Alas, the verdict was null and void—no trousers were found. Still, he found solace on the hotel’s third floor by the pool, often joined by Jane, a wise and dependable senior practitioner, for a quiet smoke and a post-dinner debrief.

The quiet, the bold, and the karaoke

The group dynamic was electric: different temperaments, different practice areas, one shared sense of adventure.

We had Aizah (Luping & Co), a sharp senior lawyer who proved to be the ultimate team player—quietly helpful, always ready, always steady. We had Ann Gilong, whose calm presence made the entire trip feel more manageable, even when the itinerary ran like a court list at 4.55 p.m.

Then there was the “power couple” dynamic. Marriane Ghani, the charming SLS Committee member (who, during a High Court hearing, persuaded me to join this trip), can sing beautifully—yet remains modest about it. Her husband, Chris Chong, is quietly confident. Marriane insists he is “so shy,” yet during the dinner reception hosted by the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP), Chris didn’t take the mic to bring the house down—proving that it’s always the quiet ones you have to watch.

We had Wendy—intelligent, candid, delightfully irreverent—who admitted she prefers predictable workflows over the adrenaline of litigation deadlines. And we had Kershing, the youngest of the pack: fearless, independent, and unexpectedly generous. She braved busy streets alone for fresh air, returned with local buns for the rest of us, and turned heads on the flight home in a dainty white tennis skirt and stylish shoes—serving looks while the rest of us served justice.

History, heritage, and hospitality

Between the shopping and the singing, we did serious work—and our programme was as packed as a Monday cause list. What made it even more meaningful was that the itinerary wasn’t “ceremonial busy-ness”: each stop had substance, each session carried ideas we could bring home, and every host met us with a level of warmth that felt both professional and genuinely personal.

We arrived on Monday, 1 December 2025 on Flight Z2502 (8.55 p.m.), settling in at Oakwood Makati Avenue, which became our base of operations in the heart of Manila.

On Tuesday, 2 December 2025, the trip properly began. From 10.00 a.m. to 12.00 p.m., we visited the IBP National Office and witnessed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) and the Sabah Law Society—a formal marker of something informal but real: a commitment to closer regional ties. Over a Welcome Lunch (12.00 p.m. – 1.00 p.m.) at JBL Reyes Hall, conversation flowed as easily as the traffic didn’t. The afternoon brought a high point: our Supreme Court Courtesy Visit (2.00 p.m. – 4.00 p.m.), a reminder that institutions matter—especially when they are seen up close.

On Wednesday, 3 December 2025, we went deep. From 9.00 a.m. to 11.00 a.m., the IBP hosted a Roundtable Discussion (Legal Forum) under the theme: “IBP Going Global Initiative: Strengthening Legal Ties with Sabah Law Society.” The discussions ranged from legal aid and public service initiatives (Atty. Manuel Joseph B. Ibañez), to Bar governance and continuing legal education (Atty. Ernesto Altamira III), to international arbitration (Atty. Ian Ray P. Malilong and Atty. Michael Marlowe Uy), and to IPRA and indigenous peoples’ protection via Zoom (Atty. Burt M. Estrada). The session was thoughtfully moderated by Atty. Mary Claire Hernandez, Atty. Rodolfo A. Sabulao, Jr., and Atty. Ana Padua—and it left us with a clear sense that our professional concerns in Sabah are neither unique nor isolated. After Lunch (12.00 p.m. – 1.00 p.m.) at JBL Reyes Hall, the afternoon shifted to history as we visited Fort Santiago (2.00 p.m. – 6.00 p.m.), generously sponsored by the Greater Manila Region headed by Governor Ma. Elena Go Francisco. That evening, the warmth turned festive with a Networking Night at JBL Reyes Hall, with dinner sponsored by the Greater Manila Region—one of those evenings where friendships are formed not by name tags, but by laughter and shared stories.

On Thursday, 4 December 2025, we engaged directly with issues close to home. From 9.00 a.m. to 12.00 p.m., we visited the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) Central Office (Conference Room, 7th Floor, Sunnymede IT Center, Quezon Avenue, South Triangle, Quezon City). The exchanges were frank, textured, and deeply relevant— because questions of indigenous rights, protection, and policy are not abstract in Sabah and Sarawak; they are lived realities. Later at 12.30 p.m., we had a meeting and lunch at Siguion Reyna, Montecillo & Ongsiako (Makati). Visiting the firm—the oldest in Manila, established in 1901—felt like stepping into a living time capsule. There is something quietly inspiring about a practice that has survived over a century of upheaval and reinvention while keeping its professional spine intact. The afternoon continued with institutional bridges: at 2.00 p.m., we visited the PDRCI Office and signed the MOU between PDRCI and BICAM, followed by a 3.00 p.m. visit to the ACCRA Law Office—a reminder that law, in its best form, is both tradition and modernity: old principles meeting new problems.

On Friday, 5 December 2025, the itinerary mercifully read “Free & Easy”— a small but wise acknowledgment that the mind needs quiet time to digest what it has absorbed. We departed on Flight Z2501 (4.15 p.m.), carrying home more than souvenirs and receipts. The highlight for the bench, of course, was our courtesy call to the Supreme Court of the Philippines, where we were warmly received by Associate Justices Rodil V. Zalameda, Jose Midas P. Marquez, and Raul B. Villanueva. Beyond the honour, it was the encounter itself—the human face of judicial service—that stayed with us.

We also paid our respects at Rizal Park (Luneta) and walked the walls of Intramuros, holding a quiet moment for the civilians who perished during the Second World War and the destruction that scarred Manila. It was a sobering reminder: the rule of law is not an abstract ideal—it is the shield that protects humanity from repeating its worst chapters.

The verdict

The IBP rolled out the red carpet: gifts of woven textiles, eco tumblers, and—more importantly—genuine friendship.

As we boarded the plane back to Sabah, we realised this was not merely an overseas visit. It was a deepening of professional ties, regional understanding, and personal camaraderie. We ate, we sang, we learned, and we laughed. We remembered that whether you are a fish in Sipadan or a lawyer in a jeepney in Manila, the current can be strong—but it is always easier to navigate when you swim together.

Here’s to the Sabah Law Society: expanding horizons, strengthening friendships, and building bridges—one Jollibee meal at a time.