ILOILO – Full of tears, heartaches and wasted money was how Atty. Candy Flor Barboza Talidano-Zambales of Carles town described her journey in hurdling the November 2022 Bar examinations.
Talidano-Zambales’ first took the Bar exams in 2018 – the year she graduated from the University of Iloilo-PHINMA’s College of Law.
She was focused and so prepared, yet she failed, she said.
Failure to pass it was a heartbreaker mainly because her parents were hopeful she would make it on first try.
The new lawyer remembered how they anxiously waited outside the gates of the University of Santo Tomas after the first day of the exam.
“No words could describe the heartache of that failure. A lot of people who knew me, of my academic track, expected me to pass. But it was not their expectations which broke my heart. It was the expectations of my family that I was not able to meet,” she said.
Talidano-Zambales experienced another heartbreak on her second unsuccessful Bar exams in 2019.
But despite this, Talidano-Zambales never doubted herself nor felt any less of a person. She never lost faith.
“I did not let failures define me… life goes on. I know I am made of sterner stuff. So, I took another chance,” she added.
She again applied to take the 2020/2021 “Best Bar Ever” exams scheduled initially on November 2021. It was during the height of the coronavirus pandemic; she dedicated her time studying.
But on October 2021, the Supreme Court rescheduled the exams to February 2022. That time, Talidano-Zambales was pregnant with her first child and coincidentally, the exam dates fell on her due date.
Still, she continued studying hoping for a postponement of the exams but it never came.
A week before the start of the exams, she tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), thus she was not able to take it.
She focused on her baby after she gave birth in February 2022.
In June 2022, another heartbreaking event came when her Tatay Nane passed away.
Talidano-Zambales resolved to take the November 2022 Bar exams.
“Taking the Bar exams in November that year may be considered by others as ill-timed. I just had a baby. I was still recovering from childbirth and adjusting as a new mother. Gapulaw-bugtaw ako kung gab-i. I was exhausted. Also, tatay just passed away. We were still mourning. However, I promised tatay, on his deathbed, that no matter what, I will take the November 2022 exams, for our family,” she said.
She reviewed again but unlike previous reviews, she did not apply for a long study leave since she just returned to her work as a government employee after her maternity leave.
“I worked in the day time. I studied at night. Sometimes due to exhaustion, gakatulugan ako while nursing my baby. I would wake up in the wee hours of the morning to study. It was exhausting…,” she shared.
This time, she made it. A promise to his Tatay Nane was fulfilled. She is now a lawyer.
“‘Tay Nane, ari na ang promisa ko. I hope I made you proud. Too late kay wala ka na para ma-witness ini. Pero I know you would have been happy. This is for our family,” she said.
Talidano-Zambales is very grateful to all the people and her family who supported her especially to her Nanay Lorly for all the encouragement and prayers.
“To those who cried with me during my failures, I hope I made you cry again – this time because of joy,” she added.
For her passing the Bar exams is just one step. Taking on the challenges of the legal profession is an entirely different matter.
“Along with joyous moments, bal-an ko nga madamo pa ‘ko sang maagyan nga failures kag heartaches sa amo ‘ni nga profession. I am ready to embrace them,” she said.
What are her takeaways after all the hardships and challenges in her Bar journey?
“Never give up. If you fail, don’t let your failure define you. Rise from the fall. Persevere. God will reward you in due time, in His own perfect time. Believe in Him. I did,” she said./PN
