Salubong and Bar exams: Where kin, friends greet loved ones for completing tests
Parents and friends greet their loved ones who took the 2023 Bar examinations on September 17, 20, and 24. | CDN File photo by Niña Mae Oliverio
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Bar examination is one of the anticipated exams in the Philippines for future lawyers.
Preparing for it requires an immense amount of commitment, dedication, and determination.
On the last day of the three-day regionalized 2023 Bar examinations, friends, families, and supporters of the examinees flocked the exit gate of one of the venues of the exam in the city.
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Crowd to greet Bar exam takers
As early as 4 p.m. on September 24, the crowd gathered at Sanciangko Street in Cebu City to greet their loved ones who took the exam on September 17, 20, and 24.
The degree of support they showed were evident in the bouquets of flowers, banners, balloons, and most of all, their presence.
And this is what they called, “salubong” or a welcome gesture.
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Salubong of parents from Bohol
Among the people who showed their support for their children on Sunday afternoon were the two mothers from Tagbilaran City, Bohol.
Ma. Alfreda Lim Bulecer and Mary Ruth Gango said that they were grateful and proud for what their children have achieved.
They said they witnessed their children’s struggles in law school and in preparation for the Bar exam.
“Whatever achievement nga ilang makab-ot, murag kami sad maoy naka kab-ot sa maong achievement,” Bulecer said.
Whatever achievement that they can get, it seemed that that is also the achievement that we get.)
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Parent’s dream to be fulfilled by child
Meanwhile, Gango, who is a teacher, said that she dreamed to be a lawyer when she was younger, but that was not the case anymore because her daughter would be achieving the dream she once dreamed of.
Now that the Bar exam has finished, both parents said that they would let their children decide the path they would take while still giving them their full support.
“For now, among gihimo kay sila they’re doing their best in their studies and focus sila sa ilang review, ang amo ra gyung nahimo as parents, we continuously prayed for their success,” Gango said.
(For now, what we can do because they are doing their best in their studies and focused on their review, what we can do as parents, we continuously prayed for their success.)
Gango and Bulecer also hoped that their children would pass the exam so that their hard work would not be put to waste.
“Na appreciate gyud namo among children sa ilang pag-eskwela. Nakakita gyud mi sa ilang pag paningkamot,” Gango added.
(We appreciated our children in their schooling. We saw how hard they worked.)
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To law students
Besides the parents, law students were also there to greet their schoolmates who took the exam.
Among the crowd was Trina Louise Rivera, a fourth-year law student from the University of Cebu.
Trina Louise Rivera (second from the left), fourth-year law student from the University of Cebu
Rivera said that giving salubong to the examinees was a gesture of celebrating their success in taking the exams.
“It (salubong) also (is) giving them the good luck and all the blessings in which we are very hopeful that they will hopefully top the Bar and pass with flying colors,” she said.
Rivera said that greeting the examinees after the days-long exam was significant to the law students because they would also take the examinations soon.
According to the Supreme Court, the results of the Bar exams might be released in December or before Christmas Day.
There were 10,816 examinees who took the Bar exam this year.
Of the number, 5,832 were first-time takers while 4,984 were re-takers.
/dbs
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