The Untold Story of a Bar Passer
by Joy Falceso Dungca
April 15, 2009

The 2008 Philippine Bar Examination results was released on April 3, 2009. Eager and anxious faces await the results in front of the Supreme Court, hoping that their names will appear in the monitors that were set in front of the gates. Out of 6,300 only 1,300 passed the said exam. The Supreme Court had to lower the passing rate from 75% to 72.5% otherwise only around 7% new lawyers will be inaugurated.

I am Joy Falceso Dungca and I am blessed to be one of those who belonged to the chosen few who passed the exam. I am third among the four siblings of Engr. Jesus Infante Dungca, son of Pablo and Pioquinta Dungca, and Ms. Evangeline Manliclic Falceso, daughter of Salvador and Carmen Falceso. I graduated Bachelor of Laws from the University of Santo Tomas and Bachelor of Arts Major in Philosophy at the University of the Philippines.

In the thanksgiving party held at Macabacle, Bacolor Pampanga, my mother asked me, “Anong sasabihin mo sa speech mo? Sasabihin mo ba kung paano at kelan mo naisipang mag aral ng batas? My answer was short and non sensical, “Mag papasalamat lang naman ako sa mga taong nag ayos para maging successful ang party.” I was walking up the stairs when I gave her that answer. When I reached the top of the stairs, I realized that she wanted me to do more. The people did not want to hear the words “thank you” plain and simple. What they wanted to hear were stories about my experiences as a law student, what I felt during the four Sundays of the bar examinations, what I did during the long wait, and what was may reaction when I learned that I finally passed the exam.