TYPHOON Ondoy did not only submerge Metro Manila and its neighboring areas, it also dampened the celebrations of Bar takers.

The final set of Bar exams were postponed from September 30 to October 4 due to the floods brought on by the tropical storm. The exams are normally set on all four Sundays of September.

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Because of the postponement, provincial law schools, particularly in Cebu, ran out of resources to finance bar operations (Bar ops) and after-exam celebrations.

University of Cebu (UC) and University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) were only a few of these schools.

UC in particular had to cut down on the Bar ops as they could not anymore finance accommodations and their plane fares. They also had to forego celebrations, compared to previous years when lechon (pig-on-a-spit) from Cebu would be a centerpiece to their feast.

USJ-R Bar takers also had to transfer to a cheaper hotel, said law school Assistant Dean Elaine Bathan.

“We had to raise funds with the help of the alumni, kay zero man (our funds were completely depleted) because we were not prepared for that calamity,” Bathan said. They managed to raise enough for one week.

The difficult part, according to Bathan, was getting volunteers for Bar ops, especially in the rebooking of flights and providing a place to stay.

Bar ops from Mindanao State University (MSU) in Marawi also said they had to forego celebrations due to the lack of budget.

The luckier ones

University of San Carlos (USC) and Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU) law schools, however, were more fortunate, as they had emergency funds.

AdDU law school Dean Manuel Quibod said their contingency fund helped them last one more week.

“It (the delay) was advantageous to the students because they could study more, but it was disadvantageous when it came to funding,” he said.

Law students from first year to fourth year pay P500 per year for bar operations.

The Bar ops fee is then separated and put into a trust fund, Quibod said.

He also pointed out that AdDu, despite its law school being in existence since the 60s, is only on its fourth year of Bar ops.

“Before, there was not much (moral) support (for students). The dean would only come here every first and fourth Sunday to see the students,” Quibod shared. He added that Bar ops help the examinees be more confident.

Their entire bar operations cost about P300,000 to P400,000, he said.

Dean Alex Monteclar of USC meanwhile said the alumni association was able to give them some amount, on top of the proceeds of the Mandatory Continuing Legal Education (MCLE).

MCLE is a seminar that aims to give continuous education to lawyers and USC is one of its providers.

The USC group was able to have lechon in their celebration.

What they had to cut back on though, was assistance from the bar ops.

“Usually on Saturday nights, they are very pampered,” Monteclar pointed out. The normal practice, he added, is examinees only contribute for accommodations.

“We (the school) take care of the rest,” he said, referring to food and other provisions.

“Nadala raman (We were able to manage),” he added. (Justine Paredes/Sunnex)