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Forsan et haec olim meminisse iuvabit: Perhaps someday we will look back upon these things with joy. By Pauline Ubaldo

The Student Law Government together with the Volunteer Corps, the Academic Bar Operations, and

the Hotel Bar Operations have come full force as the Bar candidates of San Beda College Alabang - School of Law (SBCA-SOL) converge in Diamond Hotel for the 2015 Bar Operations. These organizations ensure that the Bar candidates are comfortable in their accommodations, are well fed, and brought safely and promptly in the examination venue. This year, the Bar Examinations are being held on the four (4) Sundays of November in consideration of the academic calendar shift of some law schools in the country. The second weekend of November marked the beginning of the much-awaited Bar examinations. At around 6:00 am Sunday, the Bar candidates boarded a bus that brought them to the University of Santo Tomas, as members of the faculty, students, friends, and relatives cheered them on. This tradition continued in the succeeding examination days. Continue to Page 3

The Red Chronicles is fortunate to be given the rights to publish excerpts

of the speech of Atty. Myra Batungbakal during the Send Off dinner last September 24 which sends a message of inspiration to both Bar candidates and undergraduate students alike.

To our dearest Rector-President of San Beda College Alabang Dom Clement Ma. Roque, our beloved Dean Ulpiano P. Sarmiento III, our distinguished faculty, the hope of this country – our students, and our future brethren in the legal profession – the Bar candidates, a pleasant good afternoon. Yesterday I was asked to deliver this inspirational speech to you, our Bar candidates, who shall be hurdling the Bar exam six weeks from now, apparently the most difficult exam in your lives and the exam that the entire nation gives so much premium to. Daunting as it is, be still, the Bar is doable. By now you must all be exhausted. Bar review classes of the different Bar review centers are done. You have completed 5 months of institutional Bar review, sleepless nights, and delayed gratification. Your body is weary. You gaze into space. Somehow you feel empty inside and you feel that you are literally dragging yourself to the finish line. You question yourself as to how you can manage to review for another month without falling apart. Pause. Listen to your body. Rest a while. A tired body breeds meaningless anxieties and harbors debilitating fears. Take care of your body as it is where your spirit lies. Maintain optimum health by having sufficient sleep so that you may greet each morning with a brave heart and an unyielding spirit. In spite of all the pressure from all directions, know that the results of the Bar exams do not and will not define you. In the grand scheme of things, what defines you is your character, not the numerical figure or the rank that you obtain. As written by a poet, the measure of a man “is found in the truth of his words and the genuineness of his life.” Nonetheless, you are not precluded from aiming high, from striving hard, and for gearing up for the best fight of your academic life. Much has been given to you; it is your duty, not just task, to maximize your God-given talents and potential. You are destined for greater heights. Remember the parable of talents. Use this opportunity to show the Master that you deserve what He has abundantly given you, that you are grateful for his trust in you. You would not have gone this far if He did not believe in you. Some say that the Bar is a necessary evil. It is not. It is a door to a new world. Once the Bar exam is conquered, the admission to the legal profession opens doors to unfathomable, massive, and life-changing possibilities. The avenues for practice are as varied as your interests and inclinations. This must excite you and rekindle the spirit that you had when you entered law school. Constantly remind yourself why you chose to pursue law, lock it in your memory that you may stay focused and motivated. In the next six weeks, fortify your spirit by doing the following: 1) Look at previous Bar exam questions to demystify the Bar exams. Familiarity with the line of questioning decreases anxiety. 2) Practice answering Bar questions observing time limits so that you will know how to manage your time effectively. Familiarity with the routine and predictability of situations give peace of mind. 3) Use FLAC: F - flag your answer. L -state the law. A- apply the law to the facts given. C - conclude. Your answers should only consist of 4 to 5 sentences. The use of FLAC trains you to cite the pertinent law, to sift through the facts, and to identify relevant factual bases for your concise and responsive answer. 4) Use old-fashioned post-its and flash cards. Post elements of crimes on your mirror. While admiring what you see in the mirror, recall the elements of thefts or robbery. Post requisites for notarial will in the bathroom. You frequent the place and spend good twenty minutes there. Make it worth your while. 5) Drill. Drill with a partner on elements, requisites, grounds. Choose mnemonic devices may come in handy. Example: grounds 2|

for extinguishment of obligations: Please Come Now Papa Coco Martin Love. P for performance, C for compensation, N for novation, P again for payment, C for condonation, M for merger, and L for loss of the thing due. Choose mnemonic devises that are close to your heart so that you may not forget them. The aforementioned mnemonic device was made by a male student who was enamored with Coco Martin. 6) Pray that you learn what you have to know - be it perseverance, humility, or magnanimity of heart. Come November, brace yourself for the ultimate fight of the century. Do not use energy drinks or uppers that will give you a momentary lift but may cause you a catastrophic crash. A good friend of mine who had an energy drink was up until 4 in the morning of the first Sunday trying to absorb as much as she could only to be asleep during the entire Bar exam in Political law. Rely not on false resources but on your authentic adrenalin rush. Your angels will keep you alert and awake, if you let them. After the first Sunday, put Political law and Labor Law behind. Do not discuss questions with your friends. This will only dishearten you and not let you focus on the task ahead. Prepare for the next Sunday, and the next, until you finish the last Sunday. Compartmentalize. Remember to move on to the next week with the least baggage. Coverage for the Bar subjects for the following weekend is enough, you need not burden yourself with thoughts of what you have done or could have done during the previous Sunday. While taking the Bar, remember that the examiner is a mortal just like your professors who appreciate good grammar, legible handwriting, direct to the point answers, legal and factual bases, and persuasive answers. Remember that answers in the Bar exam are akin to ideal partners, they should have both form and substance. Make it easy for the examiners to check your booklets and you will be fairly rewarded. Use legal parlance and use the terminologies in the specific subject that you are taking. Mastery of the language in that subject gives the examiner the presumption that you know the subject matter well. Know the key words. Avoid having a blank page. It is not customary for would be lawyers and lawyers to confess ignorance all at once. The examiner may initially be aghast with the answer, but will later on admire your courage. When you are asked a question in Civil law, find an answer in Civil law and not in Political law. In desperate times calling for desperate measures, students taking Tax exam find comfort in basing answers on Constitutional law instead. Please refrain from this futile exercise. It is unhealthy for you and the examiner. It may cause him a heart attack and you, your grade. Avoid any earth-shaking, drastic changes during the Bar exams. Do not break up with a loved one. If you must, wait until the last Sunday. Also, do not hunt for love, love will find you. As you now approach the Bar exams, know that your professors and the Bedan community hold you in highest estimation. You have been trained, nurtured, and educated in the best possible way. You have arduously prepared for this. You have the tools you need to succeed. You have every opportunity to shine. There is no stopping you. Claim it here and claim it now. Believe and all the forces of the heavens and universe will unite to help you achieve your dream. In closing, I share with you excerpts of a poem I have committed to memory since I was 10 that have inspired me and propelled me to move my own hills and mountains. “Think big and your deeds will grow, Think small and you will fall behind, Think that you can and you will, It is all in the state of mind. Life’s battle does not always go To the stronger of faster man, But sooner or later, the man who wins, Is the fellow who thinks he can.” Abundant blessings to us all.

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Three long Sundays have passed, and the finish line is Due to its scope and difficulty, the Bar Examinations is undeniably one of the most (if not near. Like lions, Bedans persevere to attain justice â€“ to the most) difficult professional licensure exam in the country. Here is a quick figure of the Bar give others what is due and equitable. A lion pounces examinations: its prey for pride. And no matter how wounded it is, 3 topnotchers came from San Beda College Manila in 2014, it will rise and catch food for himself and its pride to including the highest over-all rating of 85.500% survive. It will persevere. This is what sets us apart from the others - the goal to be a true, Bedan Chris1,126 out of 5,984 (18.82%) passed the 2014 Bar Examinations tian lawyer by imbibing the values of Prayer and Work, Integrity, and Passion for the Truth. The Bar examinations 2015 marks the 114th exam since it was first conducted in 1901. The end of the beginning is in sight. For while the The Bar Bar examinations will soon be over, the portals of in the legal profession now beckon to our future Bedan There are 7,146 Bar examinees â€“ lawyers. So to our Bar candidates: Remember everywhich is by far, the highest number of bar examinees. Numbers thing. Feel every frustration and trepidation. Celebrate The first bar topnotcher was Rodolfo Q. Aquino who earned the every moment, because someday, you will look back upon these things with joy. Our beloved Dean Ulan 10th place spot in 2011 with a score of 83.7276%. Sarmiento said that as long as you keep your faith, There are 195 Bar candidates for SBCA-SOL. hope, do work, and listen with the ear of your heart, you will be proud and we will rejoice!

SEND OFF MASS AND DINNER

1st week of the bar

Photos by Gemille Dolatre, Meg Ariola, Aylwyn Valenciano & Katrina Belarmino

In between praying and studying, The Red Chronicles asked some of

the Bar candidates to answer random questions as a relief from the pressure and stress of the Bar examinations. If it is any indication of sanity, their answers reveal a glimpse of what goes on in the mind of a Bedan Bar candidate.

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