CELEBRATING 21 YEARS of “illuminating lives and inspiring hope through service,” the Junior Bedan Law Circle (JBLC) honored the department’s 21st anniversary through the Legal Management Week 2025, at the Lydia Tan Sy Grounds beginning April 21.
Celebrated whilst bannering the theme, “Tanglaw,” the week-long event showcased the organization’s commitment to legal excellence, community engagement, and youth empowerment.
Day 1: Opening Ceremony
The opening ceremony officially kicked off at the Lydia Tan Sy ground floor with a time capsule ceremony to highlight past achievements while marking a symbolic celebration for the department.
JBLC Moderator Atty. Luis Voltair Formilleza graced the event, sharing his journey from a college student to a lawyer and professor.
In his talk, Atty. Formilleza gave advice to Legal Management students about “building their careers” both during and after college, also highlighting how JBLC has evolved “beyond the scope of an organization and became a family” to its members.
Students then participated in games such as Musical Chairs, which was won by sophomore student, Jamber Idulsa; Sack Race with a Twist, which was also claimed by sophomore students Abdul Dimaporo, Jan Ternura, John Payapag, and Darell Manlicon; and Twerk Pong which was prevailed upon by senior student Luigi Gellado.
In light of the overwhelming reception, Nico Delfin, the then Third Year-Level Representative and now the Vice President for Internal Affairs of JBLC as well as the Activity Chairperson of Juan Bedista, observed “greater participation from the previous academic year,” due to the involvement of other departments and colleges.
Day 2: Poster, Meme, and TikTok Competition
Testing the sense of humor of Legal Management students, JBLC launched the “Juan Bedista: Poster, Meme, and TikTok Compilation” as the second day’s activity. The participants’ works were posted on the official Facebook page of Juan Bedista, showcasing their comedic personalities.
The online materials mainly centered around the upcoming elections—some infused with personal satire, others offering humorous takes on Philippine politics.
Day 3: LAWdato Si
The third day of the legal management week hosted a Laudato Si’ oriented program with the theme “LAWdato Si’: Celebrating 21 Years with Environment in Mind” at the ground floor of the Lydia Tan Sy building.
Keynote speaker Prof. James Loreto C. Piscos highlighted the importance of “integrating environmental sustainability and social justice into the legal profession.”
Drawing from the late Pope Francis’ encyclicals: Laudato Si’ and Laudate Deum, he urged future law professionals to “challenge the prevailing technocratic mindset that prioritizes profit and progress over human dignity and ecological well-being.”
The event also included a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the official opening of the celebration, followed by a raffle draw that featured prizes aligned with the theme of sustainability.
Gift cards from Uniqlo and H&M gift cards were the prizes due to the companies’ commitments to eco-friendly practices.
Alongside this, plants were also given to the winners as a reminder to environmental stewardship and personal responsibility, echoing Pope Francis’ call to care for creation.
Day 4: Mobile Legends, Block Blast, and Dress to Impress Competition
During the fourth day of the Legal Management Week, An online competition was conducted for the students to exemplify their talents outside academics. Said games were Mobile Legends, Block Blast and Dress to Impress.
The Mobile Legends tournament was won by the group of Sorensen Sapuay, Shawn Tumagan, Ryan Claude Sedano, Gabriel Andrei Alacar, and Rafael Carlo Atienza. Leisha Medollar prevailed over the Block Blast competition. And Manssel Latonero claimed first place over the Dress to Impress competition.
Day 5: Symposium and Pulsong Bedista
Along with the launch of the student-led movement, Juan Bedista, and the celebration of the 21st Legal Management Week 2025, the Junior Bedan Law Circle (JBLC) rolled out a two-part civic initiative composed of “Pulsong Bedista,” the University-wide mock elections, and “Juan sa Halalan,” a colloquium on transparency and good governance in collaboration with the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), Junior Chamber International (JCI), and Hiraya PH.
Advocating for a transformative shift in Philippine politics, the Junior Bedan Law Circle (JBLC) spearheaded its ‘Juan sa Halalan Colloquium’ at the Jonathan Sy Auditorium to “empower students through voter education and advocacy for transparency in the electoral system.”
On the other hand, Pulsong Bedista opened at the Lydia Tan Sy ground floor, inviting all Bedans to vote using mock ballots, mirroring the actual electoral process with the help of COMELEC representatives who demonstrated the use of real vote-counting machines.
“Ituturo sa atin ng COMELEC kung paano talaga ‘yung mangyayari sa totoong botohan,” said Delfin. Moreover, he further emphasized that the student-led campaign was a means to engage the Bedan community in contributing to a more informed electorate ahead of the 2025 National and Local Elections that would take place this May 12.
The result of the mock elections was then posted last May 7. It was completed with 403 total votes, resulting in a plurality vote in favor of the Akbayan Partylist with a total of 108 votes, accounting to 27% of the total electorate. The Akbayan partylist followed with 38 votes, or 9% of the voters, and the Gabriela Women’s Party topped off 28 votes with 7%.
The frontrunners included Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan of the Liberal Party (LP) with 344 votes, totalling 85% of the voters, followed by Paolo “Bam” Aquino of the Katipunan ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino party with 333 votes or 83% of the electorate, and Luke Espiritu of the Partido Lakas ng Masa (PLM) party, finishing with 271 votes or 67%.
Ultimately, in light of the week-long conduct of activities, Delfin calls upon the Bedan community to continue contributing to the greater good, saying “Gusto natin na makapagambag sa society, sa bawat Bedista, at sa bawat Pilipino na iniimbita natin makapagbigay-alam o palawakin pa ang kanilang partisipasyon pagdating sa mga ganitong klaseng issue na kinakaharap ng ating bayan. Ayun ‘yung isa sa mga naging drive ng Junior Bedan Law Circle together with our partners.”
(with Maria Jamille Perolina & Joaquin Zacchary Tadeo)