#pupians

Since the very beginning I am eyeing for Polytechnic University of the Philippines as my law school for the following reasons:

Even if I am currently working, it is the most affordable for me. From what I’ve read from the blogs, the cost per unit is P500 plus P1,500 miscellaneous fees. Even if it is affordable, I believe that the quality of education is not at stake. 

I want to try something public. I came from a Catholic high school where located beside the church and cemetery. Very peaceful, calm and quiet. Then I graduated from University of Manila with the degree of BS Accountancy and MBA, where the students are really tight mouthed and cannot demand anything more from the university. I am not an activist but I want to witness students fighting for their rights, something that I should have done. 

The location is near from my work in Cubao and part-time job. Unfortunately it is far from our rented home in Pasig. But it is only a two-ride fron PUP. 

PUP College of Law is offering Juris Doctor which I really do not know. From there I realized that the one being offered in UM (yeah, it is much more cheaper in UM) is Bachelor of Laws. So I decided to google it.

The Juris Doctor degree or Doctor of Law degree (J.D.), also known as the Doctor of Jurisprudence degree (D.Jur. or DJur), is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law. 

Law degrees in the Philippines may be classified into three types—professional, graduate level, and honorary.

Professional law degrees

In order to be eligible to take the bar examinations, one must complete one of the two professional degrees: The Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) program or the Juris Doctor (J.D.) program. Advanced degrees are offered by some law schools, but are not requirements for admission to the practice of law in the Philippines.

Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) - The LL.B. is the most common law degree offered and conferred by Philippine law schools. It is a standard four-year law program covering all bar exam subjects. Almost all law schools follow a standard LL.B. curriculum, wherein students are exposed to the required bar subjects. Other schools, like the University of the Philippines College of Law, allow students to substitute electives for bar review subjects offered in the fourth year of study.

Juris Doctor (J.D.) - The J.D. degree was developed and first conferred in the Philippines by the Ateneo Law School in 1991. The J.D. program is a four-year law program. Like the standard LL.B. program, the J.D. curriculum covers the core subjects required for the bar examinations. Unlike the LL.B., the Ateneo J.D. program requires students to finish the core bar subjects in 2½ years, take elective subjects, undergo an apprenticeship, and prepare and defend a thesis. Aside from the Ateneo, other law schools offer the J.D.: the University of Batangas College of Law, and just recently, the University of the Philippines College of Law  The change in degree title from Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) to Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree at the University of the Philippines was approved by its president, Dr. Emerlinda R. Roman, on July 31, 2007. In 2009, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila College of Law and the Silliman University College of Law started its own J.D. curriculum. In 2010 the Central Philippine University in Iloilo Citystarted to offer this degree. Juris Doctor (JD) program of Central Philippine University College of Law is the first Juris Doctor (JD) program in any Law schools in the Philippines approved by the Philippine Legal Education Board.

University of St. La Salle in Bacolod city is also offering a J.D. program. Centro Escolar University School of Law and Jurisprudence offers J.D. program in theirMakati campus.

Juris Doctor–Master of Business Administration, (J.D.-M.B.A.), - The J.D.-M.B.A. program is a double degree program in law and management offered at the professional-graduate level. It was introduced and is so far offered only by the La Salle-FEU MBA-JD Program, a consortium of Far Eastern University Institute of Law andDe La Salle Graduate School of Business. Under this program, the requirements of the J.D. and M.B.A. programs are satisfied by the taking of concurrent units of study, allowing students to complete the program in five instead of six years.

Graduate law degrees

Beyond the J.D. or LL.B., members of the Philippine bar have the option of pursuing graduate degrees in law.

Master of Laws (LL.M.) - The LL.M. is a graduate law degree offered to holders of basic law degrees (LL.B. and J.D.). It is generally offered to law graduates and lawyers of any nationality. Six Philippine law schools so far conduct the program—the Ateneo Law School, which offers an International Master of Laws program; the University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Civil Law, which first offered the LL.M.; University of Manila College of Law; Manuel L. Quezon University College of Law; Central Philippine University College of Law in Consortium with San Beda College; San Beda Graduate School of Law; and PLM Graduate School of Law of the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila(University of the City of Manila). LL.M. programs were once offered by the Far Eastern University Institute of Law, the Escuela de Derecho de Manila (now Manila Law College Foundation), and the University of the Philippines College of Law but were eventually phased out due to lack of enrollment and funding.

Doctor of Civil Law (D.C.L.) - The D.C.L. program is a doctoral program in law offered to holders of the LL.M. degree. Candidates who hold only LL.B. degrees may be admitted upon completion of prerequisite LL.M. subjects. The D.C.L. was pioneered by the University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Civil Law. Their program structure is highly similar to the D.C.L. offered in the Complutense University of Madrid.[8] The PLM Graduate School of Law has already opened its own D.C.L. program.

Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D. or J.S.D.) - The S.J.D. or J.S.D. program is currently offered only by the San Beda Graduate School of Law. While the candidate for the degree is required some academic units, the grant of the degree relies on the candidates research output as well as his or her participation in international symposia, seminars and programs as lecturer, panel presenter or paper presenter. The candidate presents a doctoral dissertation that is argued before a Panel of Oral Examiners and then delivers a 'lectio coram' -- a lecture in the presence of legal luminaries.

Honorary law degrees

Some Philippine universities also confer the honorary Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) degree. It is given to famous individuals who, in the discretion of the awarding institution, were found to have made significant contributions to a certain field, or to the improvement of society or development of the conditions of mankind in general. Honorary law doctorates in the past include:

former Philippine President Carlos P. Garcia (LL.D., honoris causa, Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan)

King Juan Carlos I of Spain (LL.D., honoris causa, University of Santo Tomas)

UNESCO Director General Koichiro Matsuura (LL.D., honoris causa, University of Santo Tomas)

former International Court of Justice Judge César Bengzon (LL.D., honoris causa, Ateneo de Manila University and University of Santo Tomas) 

former United Nations General Assembly President Carlos P. Romulo (LL.D., honoris causa, University of Santo Tomas and University of the East)

former Philippine President Corazon Aquino (LL.D., honoris causa, University of the Philippines and University of Santo Tomas)[11][13]

former Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos (LL.D., honoris causa, University of the East)

former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay (LL.D., honoris causa, University of the East)

former Philippine Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban (LL.D., honoris causa, University of Iloilo)

Canadian Chief Justice Beverly McLachlin, P.C. (LL.D., honoris causa, Ateneo de Manila University)

former Philippine First Lady Aurora Aragon Quezon (LL.D., honoris causa, University of Santo Tomas)

former Philippine First Lady Imelda Marcos (LL.D., honoris causa, University of the East)

Philippine Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago (LL.D., honoris causa, Centro Escolar University and Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan)

former Philippine Senator Raul Manglapus (LL.D., honoris causa, Ateneo de Manila University)

former Philippine Commission on Elections Chairman Christian Monsod (LL.D., honoris causa, Ateneo de Manila University)

former Philippine Supreme Court Chief Justice and currently a Truth Commissioner Hilario Davide, Jr. (LL.D., honoris causa, University of San Carlos)

founder of Chronicle Broadcasting Network Don Eugenio Lopez, Sr. (LL.D., honoris causa, Silliman University)

source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_education_in_the_Philippines

I know that this is only the prologue of my law journey. I am targeting 2nd semester of S.Y. 2016-2017 to be my 1st semester in the law school. With all the necessary mental, financial and emotional preparations, I know that I can nail the PUP College of Law Entrance Exam. 

I will keep posted for the necessary preparations.