4 mins to read • Friday, 27 April, 2018
MALAYBALAY CITY (April 27) - On the day the Supreme Court was scheduled to release the results of the 2017 bar examinations, Kim Carlo Tangian preferred to do field work. He could not stand the pressure of waiting in the office.
“I felt like being eaten by fear of anticipation,” said the 29-year old contractual property appraiser in Land Bank of the Philippines – Bukidnon Lending Center.
He eventually got the news while in the bus on the way home from a field work in Kibawe town.
Tangian is now a lawyer along with seven other Bukidnon State University graduates who passed the examinations held in November 2017 (see related story).
Tangian, currently with LBP’s property valuation and credit information department, is planning to pursue his path in corporate lawyering because of his career now.
But he said he would wait for opportunities that may come before him in Landbank, before considering other options.
“I want to build my career first. In corporate lawyering, there are many avenues for learning and growth,” said the bachelor who holds a Commerce degree major in Business Management. He finished his law degree in 2015.
The new lawyer’s journey to the legal profession, however, did not come on a silver platter.
Still recovering from losses in his life, he thought there was also a half-hearted feeling deep within. It was quite a journey, he said, adding he previously harbored feelings of resentment.
He suffered a grave set back when he first took the exams in 2015, he added. His score was 74.45 percent, very close to the 75 percent passing.
He said he began to question his abilities – even his life choices.
“Am I in the right choice of career?” he added.
This brought him to some level of discouragement. He skipped the exams in 2016. When the results were released, he also felt regret again knowing that in 2016, the passing rate was 59 percent, perhaps the highest in 30 years in the history of the bar exams.
Two months before taking the 2017 bar exams, he also lost his 72-year old father, who was the one who inspired him to be a lawyer.
“I felt like I was a spring being stretched to the limits,” he said. He added that he felt that the saying: ‘quitters never win, winners never quit’ really hit him hard.
Going to law school was an “unachieved dream” of his father who eventually became an engineer.
“That’s why I have mixed feelings passing now. How can I show him my happiness?” he said.
He added that somehow his dad will see and he, too, has to move on and do what he has to do.
“God, indeed has his own way of doing things,” he added.
Tangian said he is very thankful to his friends at the Brotherhood of Christian Businessmen and Professionals (BCBP) for helping him realize there is hope ahead.
“You man of little faith,” his friends reminded him of this Biblical quote.
He said he was inspired to put his heart again into his journey to the legal profession. He said he was inspired by another Biblical quote: “Do what you can and God will do the rest.”
Tangian said he also holds high esteem for the BukSU administration for providing enough support through the traditional bar operations team.
He said the university provided them with exam tips, vitamins and food supplements and shuttle among others.
The performance of the university in the bar examinations through the years, he said, showed the establishment of quality legal education in Bukidnon.
“We can compete with other law schools, we even have higher passing rates than other neighboring schools and it can still be improved,” he added.
To fellow law graduates who have yet to pass the bar examinations, he said: “Let’s wait for God’s perfect time. It is never too late, never too early.” (Walter I. Balane/Office of the President – Information and Publication Service)