Baguio City, Philippines – Despite limited preparation time, an Igorot lady managed to secure a spot in the Top 20 of the Bar examinations held in September 2023.
With an average of 87.7375 percent, Rockylle Dominique Laureta Balisong from Baguio City and Sagada, Mt. Province placed No.18 from the 3,812 passers out of the 10,387 hopefuls of this year's Bar exams.
After graduating with honorable mention from San Beda University, the 26-year-old topnotcher shared she took a week off before starting her two-month review.
She then organized her schedule and she recalled how frustrating it was when her schedule was not strictly adhered to. However, she always try to get back on track so as to avoid drastically missing the schedule.
Before selecting review materials, she first read everything she can. She made selections on what to commit to memory in order to prevent being overwhelmed by too much information.
Focusing on her weakness and praying
Beyond simply reviewing all the reading materials, her primary focus was on honing her ability to answer questions properly since it was her weakness at that time.
“I prayed the rosary everyday, without fail and then prayed the Novena 9 days before the start of the bar exams,” she added.
She recounted that like others, there were days when she did not feel like studying, “so on days like that I just read what I can, then bawi the next day. I don’t force myself kasi sayang sa time because wala din akong naaabsorb. If sobrang suffocating na sa bahay, lumalabas ako to destress.”
Throughout her review period, Balisong did not impose a complete restriction on going out; instead, she exercised self-discipline to limit the frequency of her outings.
Balisong acknowledged that she experienced intense feelings of panic during her review and she there were times when she doubted if she can finish everything before the examination day, given that there was a lot to read and she only had two months to prepare. During those times, she kept reminding herself to take one step at a time, and the load will be lessened.
Inspired by her family, she put forth her utmost effort.
“Ayaw ko talagang ma-disappoint sila if hindi ako pumasa ng Bar. So that was really the goal, to make them happy and give them a happy Christmas,” she conveyed.
Asked if she was expecting to land in Top 20, she said ‘no’ as she had a hard time answering the questions in the exam. Though she prayed to top the Bar, if not pass it, she never expected that her prayers would be granted.
When Balisong was watching the announcement of the Bar examination results livestreamed on Tuesday on the Supreme Court’s official YouTube account, she saw a picture resembling her own visage.
“Turns out, ako pala talaga yon kasi sinabi yung family name ko. It was really a happy moment for me kasi it meant na hindi ko narin kailangan maghintay sa list to know that I passed. I loved the moment lagi ko siyang nirere-live because it was so surreal,” she expressed.
Balisong has nothing but gratitude for her family who supported and prayed with her throughout her Bar exam journey; for her high school, college, and law school friends who never fail to motivated her; and for her boyfriend, Mark Jose Padual Vivit, the No. 2 Bar passer of this year, for the love and support as well even though he himself felt anxious during their review.
“To everyone who extended their congratulations, thank you. I cannot reply to you all individually but know that I’m really grateful,” she added.
For the aspiring lawyers, she encouraged them to memorize what needs to be memorized and to “never take shortcuts, read full text, read books, read codal.”
“Sipag talaga ang kailangan sa law school. Kahit matalino ka, kung di ka masipag talo ka talaga… If nagkabagsak, that’s okay. Grieve and then get back up and read again. Hindi dinedefine ng isang bagsak mo ang law school performance mo. Law school is difficult so you have to have the right mind for it,” she concluded.
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