Blind barrister seeks light at end of BAR exams’ tunnel
“The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.” — Helen Keller
October 26, 2014 was the annual cheer and salubong Bar Operations. The event is composed of four Sundays where you get see law students bid their ‘good lucks’ to barristers before entering the bar site. As a tradition, law students will stand by at the entrance of the bar site and wait for barristers in entering the bar site then hand them bags (exam kits) stuffed with fruits, chocolates, candies, energy drinks etc. Fraternities, student organization and different college university holler their respective cheer to their colleagues upon entering the gates. Early as five in morning, the streets of Espanya outside the University of Santo Tomas (the Bar site) is already crowded of law students chanting for their colleagues while hundreds policemen were scattered both inside and outside UST.
Due to the Manila heat, I found myself standing under the shade of an overpass outside UST. Then all of a sudden a loud buzz and applause filled the air. Eager to witness what’s the commotion all about, I squeezed myself through the crowd. Looking on, I saw my fellow UBians handing a blind individual who happens to be a barrister, exam kits. This blind barrister is being guided by a woman (his mom) in the entering the gates of UST. Because of curiosity, I asked my fellow UBians who is he? And it’s only then I learned that this blind barrister’s name is Christopher Yumang a graduate of University of Baguio Law and a native of Bontoc, Mountain Province.
After the entrance of all the barristers, I grabbed the opportunity in interviewing his former classmates outside the UST gates. Denis Codangos one of Yumang’s long time buddy narrated how they first met. According to Codangos, he met Yumang during his undergrad in Bachelor of Science in Political Science in Mountain Province State Polytechnic College (MPSPC). As a student intern, Codangos assisted Yumang in entering their classrooms before class and often times also in going home. He added that after graduating, both of them enrolled bachelor of laws and letters in University of Cordilleras in which they remained as best buddies. Yumang then transferred to UB while Codangos stopped in 2008. They were reunited when Condangos went back to law school and enrolled himself in UB in 2011.
Yumang graduated in 2012 but choose not to take the BAR exam right away due to problems that took him years to fix. The problem was regarding his name wherein he was using ‘Christoper’ as his first name which is supposedly ‘Christopher’ with an ‘h’ as written in his birth certificate. According to his classmates in UB, Yumang did not receive any special treatment in law school. He was treated by instructors as a regular student wherein he’s with the same section together with the regular students. During exams and quizzes he was given same questions like what his regular classmates receive. The only difference is that, student assistants assist him by reading him the questions.
Yumang reviewed for the BAR exam at Albano Law review center. With a little aide from a software installed in his laptop that reads encoded words aloud in his computer, he was able to complete his three months review.
Meanwhile in an interview with his mother after assisting him inside UST said that Yumang’s studies is supported financially by his husband who happens to be a policeman designated in Mountain Province. According to her at first Yumang wanted to be Catholic priest but unfortunately he was rejected that’s why she was surprised and at the same time smiled when Yumang changed his mind and suddenly wanted to enter law school.
According to earlier announcements of the Supreme Court, Yumang is the first ever blind barrister that took the BAR exam. His BAR exam was assisted by a clerk stenographer of the Supreme Court by reading him the question while Yumang deliver his answers orally then to be written by the stenographer. Yumang finished his first attempt of the BAR exams and hopefully his last as he wish to be announced as a license lawyer next year.
Yumang touched a lot of barristers’ hearts during the recently concluded BAR exams of 2014 especially law students of the Cordilleras. Regardless of the results, Yumang has already brought honor to our region by simply taking the hardest professional exam administered by our country.
Now, Yumang together with the 2600 barristers will have endure the hardest part of the BAR exam which is waiting for months until March where the Supreme Court will release the official results of the exam.
With that, we send our salute and prayers to Christopher Yumang may you continue to be an inspiration to all differently abled individuals in Cordillera. Despite of your visual impairment, may you enlighten the eyes of law students and lawyer hopefuls for them to envision our peoples’ clamor and to practice true justice.
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