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NO MAN IS ABOVE THE LAW
Marian Baltazar
Class of 1980,
University of the Philippines College of Manila
AB Political Science
We always hear this saying that “No man is above the law,” but the question still lies if we really adhere to it. It
is intermittently true and yet we still wonder if this can be applied to officials, who are both in private and
public and those who occupy a high position. Does it really matter whether they do or they don’t do follow this
rule? We often stand in awe when we see these officials break the laws that they try to enforce to everyone.
But there is something deeper than comes into it, which is the law is there to protect the weak from the strong
and does it really happen or is it visible enough for everybody to see?
Oh, yes it is very much seen nowadays when powerful men and women try to look down and crush anybody
who actually gets on their way. A concrete example would be the affair of David with Bathsheba when he
tried to cover-up and get away with his crime in eradicating the husband of the latter. Here we see that even
when David was the king, he could also be a divine subject. As it is, he was subjected to the law of God. In this
instance we can see that the law serves as a social and moral leveler, that everyone is accountable for their
own actions.
Apparently, there’s a big difference between God’s law and man’s law wherein some laws can be either good or
bad. We can clearly see that there is the relevance of situations when we see officials break the law for no good
reason at all. But still we see that they increase in their power and are yet rewarded for the crimes they have
committed. As it is, the law should be protecting us, ordinary citizens from those people who are in the
government. Most often than not, this does not hold true.
We know pretty well that the sole function of the law is most likely to protect the ordinary citizens. But if in the
process we can see bluntly that those who are in power or in position in the government wants to take
advantage of those who are not in any way connected to the government, then it is obvious that the law will no
longer serve its purpose. Subsequently, even when people ignore the law, it should still functions as such. In
truth, we are all created equal. Therefore, we will all be fascinated to see that those in position or in power will
still hold the rule of the law in such sacred regard. When all has been said and done, we should all follow the
law and should not make any exceptions for no man is above the law.
Questions for discussion:
1. Should we take the law in our hands? Explain your answer.
2. Do you agree that no man is above the law? Why or why not?
3. Do officials follow the law and adhere to it? Justify your answer.
4. In what circumstances do you think that man is not above the law?
5. Should there be any exceptions to the rule of “No man is above the law?” Explain further.