BLOCK A PRIMER

GENERAL OVERVIEW of the YEAR:

First sem is adjustment period and the hardest for block A. You have The Big 3
(Cande, Vallente, Sta. Maria) and you will be under so much pressure. But dont
fret, you will learn how to cope. Its just a matter of learning early.
Classes start in the morning at 8am, Monday to Friday, so try to make a schedule
that would work for you (ex: class 8-1pm, sleep 2-4pm, study 4-7, dinner break,
continue studying 9pm-12mn) But this varies per person. Adjust to what you feel
comfortable and most productive with. BUT ITS IMPORTANT TO SLEEP. No
matter what. Your brain will not work in the morning if you always lack sleep.
Its not advisable to go out. Sacrifice your time first to adjust and study. You can
party afterwards when you get the hang of it. Time management and priorities
are very crucial because you can get kicked out after the first semester if you
dont handle it wisely.
Failing your midterms under the Big 3 doesnt mean its the end of law school for
you. It happens ALL THE TIME. Make sure you show your professors that you
are striving to do well aka do better in the finals.
Cases under Consti will be very heavy. Do not go to class without knowing all the
assigned cases.
Use the core subjects to pull up your grades. Do not treat them are irrelevant. It
might be your saving grace.
Take advantage of free cuts/holidays/typhoon and read in advance.
Dont be afraid to recite. Practice at home.
Give extra importance to Persons because its 4 units.
During 2nd sem, we had no classes every Wednesday but we had Saturday class.
Youll be better in 2nd sem because you know what the profs are looking for
already in your recits, exams, etc. You will be more confident in your recits. You
will read and understand cases faster.
Case load is heavy in 2nd sem for Consti as well.
Focus on Oblicon because its 5 units.
Aim for 90 + in core subjects. It really is doable. This is the time to pull up your
qpi especially if you end up in probation after the 1st semester.

WORK AS A BLOCK. MAKE BLOCK DIGESTS. DO NOT PULL EACH OTHER DOWN.
SHARE REVIEWERS. BE A FAMILY
Subject: Consti 1
Professor:
Atty. Abad Gamo/Dean Candelaria

Teaching Style:
- purely recit on cases and the primer. There are some cases where you have to
look at the footnotes to answer her question but it usually happens once or twice
only.
- recit flow is usually based on how attendance is checked, first one she calls is
first to recite. If she finishes the deck, she shuffles. But it depends on what part of
the syllabus you are in because she randomly shuffles in the middle of the sem.
- she asks about current events also/general knowledge
- read the cases carefully and know which parts of the case she would ask, she
also asks to compare cases that are similar
-always go for this formula: FACTS, ISSUE, RULING
- shes generally a nice person so if you do well in recit, youre on her good side.
- at the end of the sem, she has a group project that pulls up your grades. Make
sure you do well and go all OUT! (One group did a showtime segment, make it
FUN and at the same time effective in presenting the lesson)
- Less than 10 students usually fail in her class, some intentionally drop it.
- she emails you before finals if youre in the lower half or upper half of the class
so you know your standing.
-Dean Candelaria substituted for her a couple of times. His recits are usually
faster than Atty. Abad Gamos but more in depth. He asks the questions right
away.
- Know the landmark cases BY heart. These are the cases assigned during intro
to law: 1. Rubi v. Provincial Board of Mindoro [39 PHIL 660]
2. Co Kim Chan v. Valdez Tan Keh [74 PHIL 113]
3. Republic v. Sandiganbayan G.R No. 104768 July 21, 2003,
4. Cruz v. SEC of DENR [GR 135385 Dec. 6 2000]
5. Province of North Cotabato v. GRP Panel [[564 SCRA 402]
6. Imbong v. Hon. Ochoa [GR 204819 April 8 2014]
7. Belgica v. Hon. Ochoa et al. [GR 208566 Nov. 19 2013]
8. Disini v. Secretary of Justice et al. [GR 203335 Feb 18 2014] and Disini Motion
for Reconsideration [april 2014]
Recommended Books/Reviewers:
- Green Book: Fr. Bernas Commentary
- Bernas primer
- Block 1A 2014-2015 Consti case digests, Block D digests
Grade Range:
- recit grades:
o if absent = 60
o if present but cannot answer/pass = 70
o her recit grades range from 75-85
- grade breakdown: 40% recit, 20% midterms, 40% finals
Preparation for:
Recitations:
- FACTS, ISSUE, HELD recite in a fluid manner, like a story
- Memorize provisions

Usually covers 25 cases but can go up to 40 if the pace is fast in the middle
of the sem
Read cases in originals
Make a block digest because it helps during recit to refresh your memory

Midterms:
- Usually does not repeat questions
- MCQ and essay
- Questions are related to current events
- Helpful to answer and check samplex with answers so you know what kind of
answer gets full points
Finals:
- MCQ and essay
- Questions are related to current events
- Questions are usually not repeated

Subject: Persons and Family Relations

Professor:
- Atty. Mel Sta. Maria
Teaching Style:
- Recitation is purely by the book
- Socratic method
- Hell give you examples that you need to answer, sometimes he asks you to
recite cases from his book
- Recit is in rounds so you wont be called again unless he finishes with the
whole block. Make each recit count.
- Hes a finalist so make sure you pass the finals. Even if you get as low as 30
in the midterms, if you get a 75 in the finals, you will pass his class.
- He uses words like thats JJ suntok sa buwan suntok sa pluto/blackhole
when you are not making sense in recit. DONT PANIC. Its okay. Youll get a
3.5 (highest is 1, lowest is 4) for that, depending on how bad you did. But it
seems like he purposely does this durig the first day/week of recit.
- Do well in the Moot, he gives bonus recit grades if you win
Recommended Books/Reviewers:
- Persons and Family Relations by Atty. Mel Sta. Maria
Grade Range:
- He can give as low as line of 60s, DO NOT LET THAT HAPPEN
- Average is 70-78

Preparation for:
Recitations:
- Read his book, more than twice if you can
- Do not skip the lesson just because you got called already, you will get lost
and you will not be able to recover
- Avoid backlog
- Recite with conviction.
- He will try to confuse you during recitation. Stick to your gut feel. Do not let
him rattle you.
Midterms:
-100% essay
- review simplexes
- exam difficulty: 9.8/10
- you will most likely fail but it IS possible to pass
Finals:
- 100% essay, comprehensive so read the book again start to end
- review simplexes
- PASS HIS FINALS.
- Usually theres a bonus so theres a bigger chance of passing
- If you fail this, you will take the subject again
- Finals is 50% of your grade

Subject: Criminal Law 1

Professor:
- Atty. Giovanni Vallente
Teaching Style:
- remember to put your gadgets into silent mode or turn it off! he might walk out if he
hears any gadget
- keep quiet! he might also walk out of class or give everyone 70s for recit if he hears
anyone talking or even looking at your seatmates book
- he usually shuffles the index cards after he calls attendance but he (sometimes)
separates those who have already recited last meeting
- the discussion for the first few articles may take more time than you think
- As he says, he is a father first before a lawyer/professor so he skips classes to make
time for his family but he makes sure that he holds make-up classes

- Near the end of the semester, there may be joint classes with other block/s he teaches
to make up faster for the class meetings he missed.
Recommended Books/Reviewers:
- Criminal Law book 1 by Reyes
- San Beda Reviewer
Grade Range:
-Recitation grades: 60-absent, 70-pass, 82-89 -average, seldom gives 90s
- 1/3, recit, 1/3 midterms, 1/3 finals
-if you pass his finals, you will pass his class
Preparation for:
Recitations:
- closed book recitation but you can read when you are not yet called
- random recitation via index card pick
- usually calls one person per provision, memorize the provisions
- he usually asks first the codal provision, then the elements (if any) or the
commentaries (see recommended sources) and then a situational question.
There are times he would just ask the codal provision especially if it is long.
- lots of follow-up questions which either leads you to the answer he wants or just
another idea
- usually asks for examples not in the book
- usually asks definitions of important terms not defined in the (Reyes) book
- When he thinks you are not ready, he would let you answer his last question and
then lets you sit down. He generally does not embarrass any student.
Midterms:
- questionnaire is 15-25 pages
- usually 20 points MCQs and 80 points essay questions
- some MCQs might come from sample exams
- long essay questions with lots of facts (both unnecessary and necessary) so
manage your time well. Concentrate only on the relevant facts and what is
being asked.
- essay questions may be based on current events or cases already discussed
in class
- he really reads your answers because your bluebooks would have lots of
comments and markings
- essays would merit at least 1 point unless you did not write anything
- coverage is usually until Art.14
- he always reminds students to write legibly!
- tips: Ace the MCQs; Answer everything
- memorize elements and provisions
Finals:

usually raw scores of most students would not reach 75 so he curves the grades
but he can still fail students.
Memorize elements and provisions

Subject: Statutory Construction

Professor:
- Fr. Ferrer
Teaching Style
- Usually joint with block B
- assigns a case per person that you have to recite on (so thats two people, 1
from A and 1 from B)
- he will divide the questions between the two of you (like during what era it
happened, where in the map is the location, facts of the case, ruling)
- he will call from the class cards a person to recite the latin maxim applicable to
the case (latin maxim need not be memorized, he will give you a copy of it)
- if that person is wrong, he calls again from the deck
- make sure you always get the right latin maxim because you get called rarely
- prepare catchy phrases for your case that would make him/the class remember
the gist of your case
- its very hard to understand his teaching style and to guess the latin maxims per
case but you will get the hang of it
Recommended Books/Reviewers:
- Assigned chapters in the Agpalo book
- Latin Maxim List
- Reviewer from 2A or 3A
Grade Range:
- if 80s
- no breakdown of grades
Preparation for:
Recitations:
- prepare your case
- study the latin maxims
Midterms:
- practice using the maxims in the cases
- repeats cases assigned in class

Finals:
- practice using the maxims in the cases
- read the book
- repeats cases assigned in class

Subject: Legal Research

Professor:
- Atty. Sitaca and Atty. Libunao
Teaching Style:
- powerpoint
- usually joint with other blocks, it depends
- lots of free cuts
- recits are usually about the powerpoint
Recommended Books/Reviewers:
- no book, use the ppt
Grade Range:
- 80-90s
Preparation for:
Recitations:
- study assigned materials
- do not neglect this subject, even in recit only
Midterms:
- memorize powerpoints, handouts, readings
- midterms is fill in the blanks, modified T or F, modified matching type
and essay

Finals:
do well in your final project. This will raise your grade and qpi.

Subject: Legal Profession

Professor:
- Atty. Patricia Poco
Teaching Style:
- She assigns the readings in advance
- Socratic method
- Assigns cases for you to read but theyre not so heavy
Recommended Books/Reviewers:
- reading materials from her
Grade Range:
- mid 80s to 90
Preparation for:
Recitations:
- MEMORIZE THE LAWYERS OATH, you will recite it every meeting and
it will come out in the exam
- recite the case the same way you would recite a consti case but focus
on the lesson in legprof
- sometimes she makes you recite in groups so you must recite the
lawyers oath together, or if its a case, she picks who recites the facts,
stops her then lets the others continue
-she gives bonus questions usually about the world cup or current events
Midterms:
- memorize pertinent parts of the reading materials she assigned
- memorize ppt slides
- only 6 people passed her midterms last year, the mean was 62 but she
curved it
Finals:
- do well in the final report
- be as creative and effective
Subject: Philosophy of Law
Professor:

Atty. Eugenio Villareal

Teaching Style:
- Read his materials.
- Some of his questions might sound out of this world especially if you didnt read
the material. He gives you 5 seconds to answer his question then calls another
person.
- He usually gives group reports/projects
- Dont get on his bad side.
- Hes a very friendly teacher outside of class. He likes basketball/uaap!! Haha
Recommended Books/Reviewers:
- the reading materials that he will leave with your beadle
Grade Range:
- 75- 80
Preparation for:
Recitations:
- Read the readings.
- during recitation, if the person before you cant answer, control F for the
answer already in your laptop/ipad
Midterms/Finals:
- his written exams are impossible to pass. The usual grade is 40-50 but
dont worry, he curves. He picks 1 written exam and 1 project. So it will
depend if youll have written midterms or finals.
- the other exam is orals by group. The trick is to dissect the readings (get
from 2A beadle for sample) and compare the different theories and how
they apply to certain situations. Everyone must know how to answer
whatever question he has.

2nd SEM
Subject: Consti 2
Professor:
- Atty. Diana Wilwayco
Teaching Style:
- Socratic method
- Case load is heavy, you can recite up to 2 times in a meeting. The usual number
of cases covered in 1 hour classes is 15. 30-40 cases during 2 hour classes.
- She gives summary lectures for each Article. Take down notes!
- Sometimes she gives voluntary recit. Take advantage of this so you get an
automatic good recit.
- Make a block digest to help you remember the cases during recit.
- During voluntary recit, the person assigned to digest the case usually recites that
case.
Recommended Books/Reviewers:
- Primer
- CROMBONDS
Grade Range:
- 80s
Preparation for:
Recitations:
- Formula: FACTS, ISSUE, HELD
- She asks certain details from the case like, What was the name of the
restaurant where the fight took place? or What was the model of the
car?
- She grades high during recit so TAKE ADVANTAGE and RECITE WELL
- she shuffles recit cards and picks randomly so you never know if youre
next or not or how many times youll be able to recite. You can get called
every meeting or be called only 5 times the whole semester
Midterms:
- Cite provisions and cases to support your answer
- Remember ALAC in writing your answer: Answer, Law/Provision to
support your answer, Analysis (apply the law to the facts of the case),
Conclusion (Reiterate Yes/No, Valid/Invalid)
- memorize classification tests/requisites
- more doable than finals
- Essay questions

Finals:
- Stick to ALAC. Everything is purely essay.
- The final exam last year was departmental. A lot of questions were from
the latter part of the syllabus even if there was no thorough discussion on
it. Do not leave out anything, study everything.

Subject: Crim 2
Professor:
- Atty. Giovanni Vallente
Teaching Style:
- Same with Crim 1
Recommended Books/Reviewers:
- Criminal Law II by Reyes
- Criminal Law II by Estrada (for examples)
- San Beda Reviewer on Criminal Law
Grade Range:
- Same with Crim 1
Preparation for:
Recitations:
- same with Criminal Law I
- usually relates questions with current events
- at the latter part of the semester, he would ask you to compare some crimes
(even those not yet discussed)
Midterms:
- same with Criminal Law I
- essays questions are usually based on current events/ undecided or recently
decided criminal cases
- coverage is usually until Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act
Finals:
- like midterms but the coverage is until the end even if you did not finish the
whole Book Two of the RPC in class

Subject: Legal Writing

Professor:
- Atty. Diana Wilwayco
Teaching Style:
- Shell give a lecture on how to do citation, and everything you need for the sem
so take down notes
- Usually gives lots of free cuts and switches/uses sched with consti
- Theres always homework so make sure you do well in them
- Recitation is usually very light, consists of sharing experiences (ex: what did you
do for valentines day, what are commonly misspelled/misused words so recite a
lot during these times)
Recommended Books/Reviewers:
- No book, just notes from her lectures
Grade Range:
- High 80s
Preparation for:
Recitations:
- Be bibbo!
Midterms:
- A lot failed her midterms because of not following instructions, make
sure you READ carefully. Its relatively an easy exam. Just remember
how to cite and how to write a demand letter. Highest was 87. Lowest
was 48 due to failure to follow the instructions. But she curves.
Finals:
- It was a legal memorandum tied up with our legal technique class.
Basically you follow the format that youve been doing in assignments.
Shes generous with this. She gives high 80s-90s

Subject: Oblicon
Professor:
- Atty. Filray Javier
Teaching Style:
- Socratic method
- Recite by the book + assigned cases

Sometimes he does lectures

He appears to be very strict and intimidating at first but eventually throughout the
sem, you will see his good side and even develop a crush on him. HAHAHA
Hes very smart and he will make you second guess your answer during
recitation. Do not let it rattle you.
You can get called as much as 5 times in 1 meeting. Or you can get called only 3
times for the whole sem. Or 28 times if your card seems to his favorite to pick
randomly.
Usually, in a meeting you recite the assigned sections and then recite the cases
during the last 15 mins of the class. But he may also ask about a case in
between you reciting the provisions. Depends on his mood. But be ready.
Besides the case load isnt that heavy so make sure you read everything. Block
digest will suffice.
You have a fishbowl recit at the end of the sem. You have to memorize 100 +
provisions. (it sounds crazy but it IS doable and it will be good review for the
finals) You will pick an Article number from the fishbowl and recite it. Start
memorizing as early as you can. This is equivalent to 6 recit grades or 7,
whichever you choose. He will explain the mechanics to you.
This subject is 5 units to it will make or break you.

Recommended Books/Reviewers:
- De Leon
- Paras
- Read both books if you can
- Labitag/Karichi Reviewer
- 2A case digests
Grade Range:
- Spread out, he can give as high as 87 but he fails students too.
Preparation for:
Recitations:
- Understand the book. You dont have to memorize the provisions first.
But you must understand the provision and the examples
- He asks for requisites/elements
- You must also be ready to give your OWN examples that arent from the
book. Modify the examples in the book.
- At the beginning of class, he might ask you to wrap up the past lessons.
He does this more often in the middle of them or before midterms/finals to
test if you comprehensively understand the subject. You should be able to
do this!
- He gives high grades for recitations, 85 and above if you recite well and
even as high as a 100.
- Youll know you recited well if you hear a very good from him.
- He may or may not let you call a friend if you cant answer his question.
- Take note of his questions he asks every start of the meeting during
wrap up because these are the things he will always ask

- Listen to the person reciting, he will ask your opinion on the answer if
he/she is right or wrong.
- In the middle of the sem when the # of recits per person are far from
each other, he will segregate those with lots of recits with none. So this is
a break for those with lots of recits already. But in reciting the cases, he
shuffles them altogether again.
Midterms:
- Listen to his examples in class, he uses his examples in his class and
modifies them to be part of the exam.
- Purely essay
- Cite provision verbatim, and apply ALAC.
Finals:
- Stick to ALAC. Everything is purely essay.
- The final exam last year was departmental. A lot of questions were from
the latter part of the syllabus even if there was no thorough discussion on
it. Do not leave out anything, study everything.

Subject: Legal Technique and Logic

Professor:
- Atty. Tanya Lat
Teaching Style:
-

As early as now, choose an effective group for your Havrutah. Itll come in handy
when you start working in groups, especially for your finals.
Daily grind is not as demanding. Its because recitations are voluntary. But recite as
much as you can because this is how shell remember you. To score at least a 90,
you need to recite more than twice per meeting.
There are a lot of readings to be assigned per session but most of it will not be
discussed. As long as you listen and participate well in class, you dont need to
worry. Her questions usually ask for opinions or personal comments.
Dont worry, she has so much assigned readings but you dont really need to read
ALL of them. Better focus on your other subjects.
Her recit questions are pure subjective so you can answer them without reading
anything.

Grade Range: She releases grades very late. So up to now, we dont know! Haha
Midterms
- Take home exam.
- Essay
- Its advisable to divide the readings between a group to digest or summarize it then
share it with each other. Just make sure you dont plagiarize!!

Finals
- Moot court competition. DO WELL! Some panelists are really hard to please.
- The memorandum was also our final paper for Legal Writing.

Subject: Theology
Professor:
- Fr. IJ
Teaching Style:
- Socratic
- Recitations are based on the outlined reviewers he gives you
- Hes a very nice professor, hes also a student so he understands the demands
of law school while youre in it. Do not take advantage of his kindness.
- He will give a lot of free cuts in exchange for days to attend talk, film showing,
etc.
- Journals: You have a semi-diary with Fr. IJ. Everything will be kept confidential
because at the end of the sem, he shreds your journals. So do not be afraid to
talk to him about anything. Hes a priest afterall
Recommended Books/Reviewers:
- His readings, take down notes!
Grade Range:
- 85-93
Preparation for:
Recitations:
- Read the materials. Its relatively short. And all his questions come from it. I
- Be comfortable with sharing personal things in your life.
- Dont make bola, theres no need to.
-

Midterms:
You can get high as 90s in his midterms as long as you read, understand and
memorize the pertinent parts of his handouts
Finals:
Final project by group: You will be assigned to visit an institution and have a
program (jail, home for the elderly, etc)
Make your output as CREATIVE and REFLECTIVE as you can. It will pull up your
grades.