DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 8 Sept)—Supporters, classmates, relatives, professors, and deans of law schools across Mindanao gathered early Sunday at the Ateneo de Davao University-Senior High School (ADDU-SHS) in Bangkal, this city, to rally behind the bar takers on Day 1 of the three-day September 2024 Bar Examinations.
In an interview, JR Santos, a third year student at the Mindanao State University (MSU) College of Law-General Santos City Extension and member of the Mu Kappa Phi fraternity, said that they travelled to Davao to support their bar examinees to ease the latter’s burden while preparing for the bar exams.
He said they ensured that their bar takers received their bar kits, which will be essential during the rigorous examinations.
“We are doing all we can to serve what they need. Lastly, we are also praying for them because that is the most important. Nothing is difficult for our brothers and sisters. We will do everything for them,” he said.
John Ray Codilla, who is on his final year in Jose Maria College-College of Law’s (JMC) five-year law program, said that several law students showed up on the first day to motivate their law graduates as they take on the bar exams.
“It has been a tradition in majority of the law schools to support our bar takers and through this, we can motivate them as they enter the exam center. When they go out, we also cheer for them,” he added.
In an interview at the Kingdom Cafe & Bistro, lawyer Israelito Torreon, dean of the Jose Maria College-College of Law, said that the school hopes to achieve a 100-percent passing rate for their 37 examinees, despite the ongoing tension between the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) members and law enforcers.
“They have no other choice because they graduated already and they have to take the bar exams. And it is their dream so they should not be disturbed by the current challenges that are present in JMC law school,” he said.
He added that aspiring lawyers need to be strong to face the challenges that come their way.
Dawn Cabusas, a fourth year law student of the University of Southeastern Philippines-School of Law (USePSOL), said he decided to become a member of the university’s bar operations committee because the school has instilled a strong sense of empathy, understanding the challenges of the journey through law school.
“Any help we can offer to lighten the load the bar takers are carrying is our genuine expression of love, support, and camaraderie. The bar operations, for me, is truly the embodiment of the bayanihan spirit that we, Filipinos, are known for,” he said.
Lawyer Justine Rizon, a USePSOL alumna who passed the 2023 September bar exams, also expressed her support for the bar candidates and encouraged them to persevere through the bar exams week.
“Believe in yourself because if no one will believe in you and you don’t believe in yourself, then what will become of you? You have already prepared for so long and sacrificed a lot. You are already prepared,” she said.
This year’s bar exams, chaired by Supreme Court Associate Justice Mario Lopez, are composed of six core subjects, with two subjects taken per exam date, one in the morning and another in the afternoon.
Examinations on Political and Public International Law (15%) and Commercial and Taxation Laws (20%) have been set for September 8; Civil Law (20%) and Labor Law and Social Legislation (10%) on September 11; and Criminal Law (10%) and Remedial Law, Legal and Judicial Ethics with Practical Exercises (25%) on September 15.
ADDU-SHS and Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan in Cagayan de Oro City are two of the 13 testing centers in the Philippines and are the only local testing centers in Mindanao.
Out of the 12,186 bar applicants, Lopez said that there were only 10,483 examinees who showed up on the first day of the bar exams. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
