Slaying the Bar Exam Dragon: My Secret Weapons

For me, passing the bar proved nothing of my worth yet. It did not prove anything about my study habit, my discipline, the number of books that I've read, the string of cases I have digested or the measure of laws and principles that I have learned from law school or during review. It proved nothing, except for two things: first, The Power of Prayer; and second, perhaps I have proven before my wife that I did not do anything dirty while I was alone reviewing at the big city.

The bar exam or taking the bar exam is not that hard as first takers like me normally think. But passing it, is the real measure of how hard it really is. I keep with me three secret weapons which helped me nail it. Secrets which, I feel, are ought to be shared. Simple, hard, maybe.. but doable. These are...

1. Prayers (dasal-dasal din pag may time)
2. Hardwork (basa-basa din minsan); and
3. Karma.

Prayers really do wonders. In Matthew Chapter 17 Verse 20, the Holy Bible states, “Our faith can move mountains.” It really did for me. There should be no space for any doubt, not even reasonable doubt. Faith. This is what kept me hanging from day one until the release of the results.

I don't know if it will work for you, my future barristers, but what I want to share with you, which you may try right after reading this and before going to bed, worked well for me. My prayers were definitely of single subject, I didn't juggle up all the things I wanted and asked from the Lord. Isa-isa lang, baka kasi malito si Bro, hindi nya tuloy maintidihan ang gusto ko. And then sa prayers pa lang, brinaso ko na talaga! Ok, Listen! I said to God, always, after thanking Him and asking for forgiveness for my petty sins, “Lord, let me pass the bar, the 2014 bar, and no other bar. I really need to pass this bar because I can never take a second chance. Of course, you see my sacrifices and hardwork, and the sacrifices my family has made just for me to pursue this. I do not want to give them another damn whole year of agony, and I hope you understand. I am determined to pass this with all your help, and I will never repeat it. Never. Thank you, Lord, for listening.” Yun lang... and the Lord replied, “Who U?” … Really, never underestimate the power of prayer. Praise the Lord! Amen? Amen.

Aside from prayers, of course, hardwork. How dare you ask the Lord for help when you yourself did not even bother lift a single page of the SCRA. Nobody would notice but, despite of my being a full-time employee, full-time husband, full-time parent to my children, and a working student with full-load courses, I managed to read all my books from cover to cover, not only once but thrice. I digested cases myself, although not all of those assigned by Sir Bobby, but most of the digested cases I submitted were my sole work, and I never copied them, except for some, of course, who ain't copyin' here anyway. I memorized what needs to be understood. I almost did memorize the whole Rules of Court, the Constitution and the Tax Code... almost during the review. I researched for latest laws and jurisprudence and digested them even if not required. I tried to refine my penmanship during the review, but unfortunately, the raw unrefined one suddenly appeared in my booklets during the bar. But I was not surprised because I have already heard of this phenomenon, and I have formulated a secret but effective remedy for it, so that I just added a line in my prayers telling the Lord to grant the examiners peaceful and accepting mind and let them read my answers notwithstanding the unsightliness of my writings.

So look now, I am starting to believe that hardwork really pays off.

Finally, Karma. I really am not a fan of the Golden Rule, which states, “Do unto others what you would want others do unto you.” Anu yun, pag nang-rape ka, rereypin ka din? Ang saya-saya naman nun, di ba? Pag nakabuntis ka at tinakbuhan mo, mabubuntis ka din at tatakbuhan ka? Parang ang sagwa naman din, di ba?

Karma, the law of moral causation, the principle which teaches us that good intent and good deed contribute to good karma and good fortune and future hapiness, while bad intent and bad deed contribute to bad karma and future suffering. Sabi pa sa books ni Justice Paras, “This is self-explanatory!” But let me explain how I did it and how karma returned back the favor.

Truly, as I've said earlier, I did not do anything dirty during my studies, during the review, and even before or after that. You know, the metropolis is such a huge ricefield, filled with full-grown rice just waiting to be reaped and picked up, so I tried hard not to transform myself into a chicken. Maraming palay, kaya busog na busog sana ang manok. Tuka dito, tuka dun. But I never did that. I was never persuaded. Sabi pa ni Lebron James, “Not once, not twice, not thrice..” Never. And the Lord saw all that, and Karma felt all that. Restraint, discipline, karma. Bad deeds beget bad karma. So what did I get? Good karma, of course, which means that...? You're all principled and intelligent law students, you very well know the answer.

Good deeds beget good fortune. Do you still remember Article 19 of the Civil Code, “Every person must, in the exercise of his rights and in the performance of his duties, act with justice, give everyone his due, and observe honesty and good faith.” Self-explanatory. But then again, let me explain. My explanation though, may be far away from what the law means. Anyway, just listen.

Share what you have. Help those who are in need. Give justice to everything you do. Back at law school, I never hesitated to share what I know, what I have learned and what I have. Kaya nga I got the “Uber Award” during our hooding exercises because I had the over-confidence to share to everyone in the class what I learned. I blogged my digested cases for the consumption of those who need them. Sino ba dito ang nagbabasa ng “School of Ants” or ng “Memoirs of the Colony?” Sorry ha, pero ako po yun, the Commander of the Red Army Ants. Dinaygest ko po ang mga cases dun, and it always elates me to hear law students fest on my blog and copy them in toto and submit them to Judge Rosadiño, Atty. Sison, and Atty. Figueroa. But what were I thinking in doing that? Karma.

'Wag ka din masyadong pala-away, or if you have done something wrong to someone, ask for forgiveness, even if that someone wouldn't let you off. And if somebody asks for your forgiveness, pagbigyan nyo na kaagad. Kasi alam nyo, Karma...

And you know what? When you always do good things, pag mabait ka, every person who knows you, prays for your success. Inaabangan ka at ipinagdarasal na sana pumasa ka. Hindi naman po ako masyadong mabait, but as much as possible, I always try to do good. Ganun lang naman po kasimple yun.

One more thing. Don't be ashamed to tell your friends and relatives an nag-bar ka. Don't hide and be too concerned of what they will say in case you won't make it. Because most likely, your friends and relatives will include you in their prayers and intentions if they know that you are in it. Para bang pag tataya ka sa Lotto, dapat i-share mo din number combination mo, para maraming nagpe-pray na sana lumabas yung mga numero mo.

Those were just the things I kept before, during and after the bar. I lived and dined with them. And I know me is doing it right, because I already saw the result. Let thus these secret weapons be revealed, shared and nurtured. Share the word. Share the weapons, and let everyone slay his own dragon, the bar exam.