CEBU CITY, Philippines — Manuel (not his real name) is a fire arson investigator for the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in a local government unit (LGU) in Cebu island and is supposed to take the Bar examination in Cebu City tomorrow.
He isolated himself from his family and other people since January 9, 2022, and he has not seen his daughter since. Yet upon taking an antigen test on February 2, 2022, he proved positive for COVID-19.
The policy of Cebu City is that a positive antigen test is already sufficient to diagnose the infection. So even if Manuel is asymptomatic, he will not be able to take the Bar Exams.
According to the Supreme Court Bar Bulletin No. 47, those who prove positive for COVID-19 will not be allowed entry to examination sites.
The takers must present a negative antigen or RT-PCR test result taken 48 hours or 72 hours before the exams, respectively.
“I have been in isolation since January 9 pa. I am also fully vaccinated. Of course, I was surprised and devastated at the same time. I was so confused since grabe ka strikto ang isolation protocol namo sa BFP. Also, decontaminated and disinfected akong room sa among team. We are all trained in CBRNE (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and high yield Explosives) response. Wala sa kumingking namo ang decon procedures sa mga hospitals,” he said.
(I have been in isolation since January 9. I am also fully vaccinated. Of course, I was surprised and devastated at the same time. I was so confused since the isolation protocol of the BFP is very strict. Also, the room of our team is decontaminated and disinfected. We are all trained in CBRNE (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and high yield Explosives) response. We are way above the decon procedures of the hospitals.)
“Yet still this happened. Lisud kaayo ug bug-at kaau akong pamati tungod sa result. I have prepared for this for so long and sacrificed so much. I haven’t seen my daughter na gani for a long time already,” he said.
(Yet still this happened. I am devastated and I feel so down because of the result. I have prepared for this for so long and sacrificed so much. I even haven’t seen my daughter for a long time already.)
Manuel is also a victim of Typhoon Odette with his house damaged on December 16, 2022, Yet he continued to work for the restoration and rehabilitation of his LGU as the BFP was helping the towns and cities recover at that time.
The Bar candidate has dreamed of becoming a lawyer for a long time and sacrificed so much for his education in hopes of taking the Bar exams.
“Mao extra difficult ug mas grabe ang sacrifices nako para ani nga exam. Imagine serving the country without question while trying to study at the same time. Lisud. I really hope the SC will reconsider our plight kay di jud lalim,” he added.
(That is why the sacrifices I took so that I can take this exam is extra difficult. Imagine serving the country without question while trying to study at the same time. It’s really difficult. I really hope the SC will reconsider our plight because it is not easy to be here.)
Yet Manuel is only one of the many Bar candidates whose hopes are crushed after receiving their antigen test results yesterday.
The Emergency Operations Center (EOC) refused to reveal the actual number of Bar candidates who tested positive opting to give way for the Supreme Court Bar Council to do the announcement.
However, Councilor Joel Garaganera, the deputy chief implementor of the EOC, said that these Bar candidates had been isolated already.
Cebu City’s appeal
Garganera said that as early as 2021, Cebu City already made a request to to the Supreme Court that all takers who would prove positive for COVID-19 would still be allowed to take the examinations in a separate isolated site.
“As early as last year, nihangyo na ta nga ato we will allow them to take the exam. The city will provide the isolation, the venue, tanan. It will be at no cost to the city gani because we have lawyer friends who are willing to spend, even our own Mayor Michael Rama is willing to spend because he is a lawyer,” said Garganera.
(As early as last year, we already appealed that we would allow them to take the exam. The city will provide the isolation site, the venue, everything. It will be at no cost to the city because we have lawyer friends who are willing to spend, even our own Mayor Michael Rama is willing to spend because he is a lawyer.)
However, the Supreme Court refused the offer because some LGUs hosting the Bar examinations flatly refused to do what Cebu City offered to do.
If other LGUs would not provide a separate site for COVID-19 positive Bar candidates, the Supreme Court cannot allow some LGUs to do so.
The councilor said that Iloilo and Bacolod had also requested a similar arrangement, but they were refused by the Supreme Court as well.
“We have exhausted all our efforts to help the Bar candidates because we really feel for them, but wala tay mabuhat (there’s nothing we can do now) because the final decision is with the Supreme Court,” said Garganera.
The City Council also sent out an appeal to the Supreme Court on February 2, 2022, during their regular session in hopes to change their minds on the policy.
However, Associate Justice Marvic Leonen, the chairperson for the Bar Council, has tweeted his response to the many appeals all over the country.
“Again, I am so sorry. Please do not ask the Supreme Court to violate an existing DOH Circular. All our accommodations are in Bar Bulletin No. 37. We cannot violate health protocols issued by competent authorities,” he said.
Dreams shattered
Manuel said that he did not know what to do as of now since the Supreme Court was bent on following their issued guidelines.
He might have to wait for the next scheduled Bar examination to take the exam again.
Another Bar candidate from Cebu City told CDN Digital said that she felt depressed after getting her positive test results. She felt her dreams were shattered.
“Grabe kaayo akong pagtuon the past year, nya nagsige pa gyod ka move. My dreams are shattered. I don’t know if I will have the energy or the money to take another Bar,” said the candidate who requested anonimity.
(I studied so hard in the past year and the schedule of the exams has been moved a couple of times. My dreams are shattered. I don’t know if I will have the energy or the money to take another Bar (exams).)
COVID-19 has already taken lives and livelihood from Filipinos. This time, it has taken the dreams of many Bar candidates whose dreams of becoming a lawyer will have to wait another year.