Campus may be next bar exam venue

THE UST campus may be the venue of next year’s bar examinations, following the bomb explosion last September 26 in front of the De La Salle University that crippled two law students and injured 45 people.

Chief Justice Renato Corona announced last October 4 that the bar exams will no longer be held at De La Salle on Taft Avenue after the explosion at the “salubong,” a street party which marked the end of the month-long bar exams.

Faculty of Civil Law Dean Nilo Divina said he would like UST to host the licensure exam for lawyers.

“It is certainly a welcome development. It is also very timely as it will coincide with our Quadricentennial celebration,” Divina said.

Corona said UST, Adamson University in Ermita, Manila, and the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Roxas Boulevard were among the venues being considered for next year’s bar exam.

But the a body headed by Associate Justice Roberto Abad, former Civil Law dean, will have the final decision.

Divina said it would not be a problem hosting the bar examinations since there are more than enough rooms to accommodate the number of bar takers that usually reaches as much as 6,000.

Thomasian law graduates said they were “fortunate” to have avoided the blast.

Moises Acayan, who was taking his exam when the explosion occurred, said the UST bar examinees were supposed to go out to the gate where the explosion happened but they instead waited for each other to finish the legal ethics subject.

“We waited for one another so we were fortunate that no one was injured, if not, the candidates could have been one of the many casualties,” he said.

Meanwhile, Civil Law condemned the bombing and launched a fund-raising campaign for the victims of the blast.

“The Faculty of Civil Law strongly condemns such senseless act of violence. Hence we will hold a fund-raising drive for the benefit of all the victims of the September 26 bombing,” Divina said in a statement.

Civil Law professor Edwin Rey Sandoval said the bombing was “really bad.”

“I believe may kinalaman siya sa frat war. Hindi tama ‘yun, dinamay pa ‘yung iba. It’s a much-awaited affair tapos sisirain nila,” Sandoval said.

Freshmen law student Kristine Jane Liu said all that happened was just a case of “law students’ arrogance.”

“Law students have the tendency to be arrogant and mayabang, they think they can get away with what they want that is why such violence could happen among law students,” Liu said.

Police said a member of a fraternity may have thrown a grenade at a rival group during the closing of the 2010 bar exam.

Raissa Laurel, a law student from San Sebastian College, lost both her legs while another law student who refused to be identified by the media needed to have one of her legs amputated. Justinne Chynna V. Garcia and Darenn G. Rodriguez