My Personal Statement for my Application in Law School

In my application for law school, I submitted a one page personal statement which I think made a difference that paved the way to my admission to law school (in addition to my admission test of course!) I suggest that applicants for law school should submit a personal statement even though it is not required. Not only does it help the admissions committee, it does a great help to the applicant because the act of making a personal statement can lead to his discovery of what he wants in his life and why he wants to enter law school.

Here’s mine, entitled “Discovery”:

D I S C O V E R Y

As a child, I have always pondered about myself helping other people and being of service to our country and to my fellow Filipinos. A particular event that changed my life occurred when I was in Yokohama, Japan attending as delegate to the 25th International Youth Peace Forum on Juy 1990. I was able to meet different people from different races. In this forum, I voiced out the experiences of our Filipino youth. It was an experience where I was able to make other races grow likeness to our culture and our geography. A friend from the West approached me, I guess to establish familiarity, and asked whether I like law or politics. I answered in the negative. Since that little conversation, I never saw her again. The thought of engaging in politics or law never crossed my mind until a series of events happened to me during my college days.

I switched courses a couple ot imes, first from BS Computer Science to BS Biology where I though of becoming a doctor instead of a computer expert. But while in Biology, I was not comfortable with the field of study, in fact, I was even more interested in Economics, wherein I won 1st Place in the 1995 Economics Quiz Bee held by the College of Science.

I was told that one’s duty is to search for your calling or purpose, and not stopping until you find it. So, agains I shift courses after realizing that I am more interested in Business and Economics, this time to Business Administration. This is where I finished college after learning a lot in life. These changes of courses would explain why it took me six years to earn a college degree. Fortunately, every year was well spent. It never occurred to me, though, that I should be taking up a career in law as a means of serving mankind until during our community service, where we reached out to street children and other less fortunate people, and where I saw how our people need help. Like a Eureka, it hit me that I should make a difference by helping our people and by being the advocate of their needs, their pains and suffering. Moreover, my interest in law became more intense with my detailed study of Economics and Development. That made me realize this is what I ought to do, to be the voice of our people.

I had been told long time ago that my calling was to serve our people and as early as my high school days, I was told to take the step. It took me a while to realize this, but the process of discovering my purpose for my existence is a bliss.

Ombudsman: Toothless Tiger?

There are much debate about whether the Ombudsman has the power to directly remove erring government officials. The Ombudsman has the power.

While the 1987 Philippine Constitution enumerates the powers and functions of the Ombudsman, the framers intended that additional powers be given by law.

Thus, under the Omndusman Act, the legislature gave the ombudsman specific powers. The Ombudsman Act was challenged on constitutional grounds before the Supreme Court of the Philippines. The Supreme Court en banc unanimously upheld its constitutionality. Said the Supreme Court, “[t]he powers of the Ombudsman are not merely recommendatory. His office was given teeth to render this constitutional body not merely functional but also effective. Thus, we hold that under Republic Act No. 6770(Ombudsman Act) and the 1987 Constitution, the Ombudsman has the constitutional power to directly remove from government service an erring public official other than a member of Congress and the Judiciary.”