MANILA, Philippines — Remember your “why,” Associate Justice Ramon Paul Hernando said in a moving message to aspiring lawyers who will be taking the upcoming Bar examination.
“If you find yourself struggling to continue this journey, remember your ‘why.’ Your ‘why’ is your beginning, your end, your core, and your North Star. Think of the reason why you started in the very first place and why you held on for so long,” Hernando said in the Bar Bulletin No. 8 released Friday.
“See your ‘why’ in your loved ones. And see that the goal is already in clearer sight. Look at, not how much further you need to go, but at how far you have come,” he said.
Information from the Office of the Bar Confidant (OBC) pegged the number of examinees tentatively at 10,867. The number is not yet final as there are still pending withdrawals.
Hernando, the current chairman of the 2023 Bar examination, also told law graduates to believe in their own power and resolve.
“Take a special moment to truly appreciate yourselves and your efforts…As the culmination of your preparation for a professional license approaches, keep in mind that making it this far is a remarkable feat in itself that you should be proud of… Have faith in yourselves and reap the bounties of your hard work and perseverance,” he added.
After 13 years, the Supreme Court went back to the September schedule of the Bar examination. But this time, it will be for three days instead of four — Sept. 17 (Sunday), 20 (Wednesday), and 24 (Sunday).
The last time the Bar exam was held in September was in 2009 at the Dela Salle University in Manila. In 2010, the venue of the Bar exam moved to the University of Santo Tomas and was conducted in November.
The upcoming examination will be conducted in 14 testing centers nationwide — six in the National Capital Region, three in Luzon and Visayas, and two in Mindanao.
The Bar Chair is hoping to be able to release the result before Christmas.
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