Herbert Hernane: The Final Cut

Herbert B. Hernane, or just Bert, is no stranger to high-stakes situations. As a Partner in his firm’s Litigation and Labor Practice Groups, and an accredited Mediator with the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines, he has built a career navigating disputes, resolving conflicts, and finding clarity in complex cases. But the most profound turning point in his life had nothing to do with a courtroom.

On May 4, 2009, a date that coincided with signing the roll of attorneys or beginning his career as a full-fledged lawyer, Bert stopped running from himself.

“I felt light. I felt free. This is me.”

As a young man, Bert had thick, wavy hair that he liked for its natural volume. Managing it, however, was another story. Without much knowledge of hair products, he relied on gel or baby oil, a decision that made his forehead gleam on many humid days. “I used a lot of hair gel or baby oil, which was just wrong.”

But like millions of men worldwide, Bert began to notice the creeping advance of male pattern baldness. For years, he tried to hide it: parting his hair strategically, adjusting his style to cover thinning spots. It was a battle he never admitted openly, but it quietly shaped his self-image.

Then came that morning in 2009. Just an hour before preparing for his Supreme Court appearance, Bert walked into a barbershop and made a decision that would change how he saw himself. He asked for a clean shave. His first ever.

As the clippers buzzed and his hair fell away, so did the weight of years spent in denial. No more carefully positioned strands. No more hiding. When he looked in the mirror, he saw something surprising: the real Bert. “I felt light. I felt free. This is me.”

“I wasn’t losing something—I was letting go.”

The reaction from friends and colleagues, what Bert jokingly calls “Tripadvisor reviews,” was mostly positive. But the real shift happened internally. Shaving his head wasn’t just about appearance. It was about acceptance. By letting go of the fight to control his hairline, Bert freed up not just time and energy, but mental space.

“​​It was liberating. I stopped fighting a battle I was never meant to win. My hairline was retreating, and instead of resisting, I surrendered. And in that surrender, I found peace. I wasn’t losing something—I was letting go.”

When he entered the legal profession, the change proved symbolic. In law school, he had spent more time than he liked to admit worrying about his hair. Post-shave, that energy was redirected to the things that mattered: preparing for cases, building his career, and living life with greater authenticity. It was a small act, but a powerful one. Proof that surrendering isn’t always defeat. Sometimes, it’s peace.

“Everything else is just noise.”

For Bert, the experience revealed something important about identity. Physical appearance is inevitably tied to how we see ourselves, but it can’t be the foundation of self-worth. Hairlines recede. Faces change. Time leaves its mark on everyone. What matters, he realized, is anchoring one’s identity to qualities that last: curiosity, kindness, resilience, and the deliberate choice to invest energy in things that truly matter.

“These days, I try to be more intentional with the things I do, and I choose to devote my energy to things that really matter, like my family, work, personal growth, and peace of mind. Everything else is just noise.”

As liberating and symbolic as shaving his head was, in a literal sense, freeing yourself from superficial appearance also gives you clarity. Bert uses his ability to see the truth and look past facade with his clients and in court. Truth is revelatory and lies beneath the surface. He has learned that and draws that out in his clients.

His Guiding Principles

Bert doesn’t claim to have a fixed life philosophy, but two quotes have stayed with him:

1. “Hope is not a plan.” — A reminder that preparation beats wishful thinking.
   
2. “Everyone has a plan till you’re punched in the mouth.” — Mike Tyson’s blunt truth about adaptability.

To him, both are essential. Plans are good. Adaptability is better. And sometimes, adaptability looks like picking up the clippers and starting fresh.

“I think it let me be who I am.”

Bert’s story is a reminder that identity is built not just from achievements and titles, but from moments of honesty with oneself.

For him, shaving his head in 2009 was more than a grooming choice. It was a declaration that he would no longer tie his self-worth to something as temporary as hair. That he would define himself by what he does, how he thinks, and how he treats people, not by the reflection in the mirror. When asked if the sudden change in hairstyle revealed who he was or if it reinvented him, the answer was simple: “I think it let me be who I am.”

We all have something we cling to because we believe it defines us: an image, a possession, an old version of ourselves. Letting go can be uncomfortable, even frightening. But as Bert’s journey shows, it can also be liberating. In his case, what began as a simple haircut became a turning point. He wasn’t losing anything. He was making space for the person he truly is.

(Interview and write-up by: Zeus Earl Roy D. Custodio Jr.)