International Law Conference + Photography

I have an opportunity to listen to the International conference with the theme "Trade, Investment and International Law: Perspective for Development conducted at Syscip, Salazar, Hernandez and Gatmaitan Law Centre in Makati City yesterday, July 12, 2006.

So what I am doing with these populated venue of Lawyers and Associates? Well then, I was contacted to be the official photog to cover the event. It was a very tearful skies the whole day because of the incoming typhoon as per the weather bureau and going somewhere else specially to the office is such a second thought. Besides, I have a lax time since I have accomplished much of back logs at the office. So, going for this "raket" is something that can make my mood swing to a hip. So, I am here trying to understand the language of the law :)

The speaker is Prof. Peter L.H.Van de Bossche, a professor and authority in International Economic Law, consultant to international organization on WTO law and an author of "The Law and Policy of the World Trade Organization". Attendees are mostly celebrity lawyers of their own, to name a few, former Sen. Wilberto Tanada , former Chief Justice Florentino Feliciano, Sec. Peter Favilla of Trade and Industry, etc.

One of the topic that I like most besides the discussion on GATT,Economic Policies, is the concern on Intellectual Property Rights. It discuss on International Policies on IPR but to what I have observed on the policies, mostly, are in favor of the western countries. Participating lawyers of out government sectors has commented and give their reactions but they can get sufficient response to give way to our end because we lack of pre qualifying bill that can uphold our IPR claims and patents to our scientific and medical inventions and findings. Sad to say that our lawmakers have not done anything to create such law that can give us more opportunity to be at par with the international trade. This meant to say that the Philippines has no concrete law on IPR to protect us againts foreign claims.Our present law on IPR should be amended to have broader scopes that can address different issues to our advantage.

I am saddened for a while, we too have problems with IPR. The photography community has been lobbying this to the government about the protection of their images. There are several instances wherein a photographer had claimed his rights against the unlawful use of their images by these multinational companies who are gaining profit from the impact of the images they have created. If the government is fair enough to its people, their benefits are the most given priority before their own. We are being discrimated because we are allowing it to happen. Unless the government and lawmakers have understood that we Filipinos are capable of anything and always making good to what they do, Protection of their creativity is the only thing they are asking in return.