I completed my law degree at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon in 1999. Like the rest of my batch, I was to take the bar examinations in September of that year. The Philippine bar exam is a most difficult national exam because the passing rate can dip to as low as 20%.
Needless to say, I went up to St. Joseph one more time to entrust the intention that I pass the exam. That year has also been challenging because I was engaged in January and set a date to be married in December. My fiance (now husband) and my father-in-law took care of all preparations while I focused on my studies.
Of course the pressure of the exam was on me as well as the the pressure of well-meaning relatives who worried about my not passing the bar! Yet, I was very confident that I would make it through, after all the decision to get married was sifted through intense prayer and deep discernment with my spiritual directors. My fiance also did the same. We knew that the timing was auspicious, therefore, we made a choice despite human considerations.
The Philippine bar exam is notoriously tough not only for its low passing rate, but because a candidate has to go through rigorous written examinations on the different aspects of law for four Sundays of September. Yes, you read it right. The exams are in essay form and must be handwritten. No multiple choices or computers on this one.
Once more, I went to St. Joseph. Ite ad Joseph.
When I received my examination room assignment from the Philippine Supreme Court, I knew St. Joseph was watching over me. I was assigned to take my exam in St. Joseph's Building of De La Salle University-Manila. So, I took the exams with the usual jitters but with less anxiety and stress. I just knew I was in good hands.
I finished the exams in September. I got married in December and started working as an associate in a law firm in January. By March 2000, rumors started to surface that the exam results were out. I was not really in the loop at that time, so I just ignored the rumors.
My husband and I were in Enchanted Kingdom one time. We were with friends and family. We went through the usual rides and scared ourselves half to death. We, then, proceeded to Robinson's Mall along Pedro Gil for supper. Before we settled ourselves in a restaurant, my husband pulled me aside to inform me that he received a page (no text messages and cellphones then) hours before from a friend that the results were out. I turned numb and cold, and started going to the nearest available phone. I called up my friend, Dinah. She ecstatically declared that we both made it. She said the passing rate was about 16.59%, an all time low, and continues to be so to date.
That day was a Sunday. It was March 19th.
No comments:
Post a Comment