2010 Bar topnotcher vows to help uplift tarnished law profession

Bar exams 2010 topnotcher Cesareo Antonio Singzon Jr. on Friday vowed to help uplift the law profession at a time when the image of the Philippine judiciary has reached a low point. "As a lawyer, at least, maraming opinion pero you have to remember na ang goal mo is to uplift the profession...The goal really is to make the profession better for everyone," the Ateneo Law School valedictorian said in an interview with GMA News TV's News To Go. According to Singzon, the best contribution neophyte lawyers can make is to simply not participate in making the legal profession's problem worse. "When you see a negative view of the profession, do not add na lang [to the problem]," said Singzon, who considers as role models his lawyer-father, Constitutionalist Fr. Joaquin Bernas, SJ, and veteran lawyer Estelito Mendoza. Singzon led the 982 passers of the 2010 Bar Examinations in September last year with a score of 89.00. He said he did not expect to top the exam, but his achievement didn't come as a surprise to his batchmates. "There was a lot of pressure... A lot of people would be disappointed kapag [hindi ako nag-top sa batch namin]," confessed Singzon. Rarely does a class valedictorian also emerge number one in the bar exams. But with a systematic approach to his review, Singzon said he was able to breeze through the day-long examination at the De La Salle University campus last year. Bar exam blast The 2010 bar exams will be mostly remembered for the grenade blast that injured 40 people, most of them students outside the campus preparing to celebrate the end of the bar exams with the baristas. Though he was inside the campus, Singzon didn't learn about the explosion until he finished his test. "When it happened, I was still answering the exam questions. My girlfriend and I learned about the incident while on our way out. Nagkakagulo ang tao and there were several tricycles that came in and a young woman was bleeding," he said. Singzon said he has been working for Caguiao & Gatmaytan Law Office since last year. He said he plans to do further studies abroad later in the year. — LBG, GMA News