The University of Negros Occidental Recoletos (UNO-R) School of Law conferred 392 law graduates the title of Juris Doctor held at the SMX Convention Center, SM Bacolod City on Saturday, May 21, 2022. This complies with the Legal Education Board Memorandum No. 19, series of 2018 which resolves to completely migrate the basic law degree to Juris Doctor by adopting the “Juris Doctor” as the universal academic degree for all graduates of the basic law course in the Philippines. Under the memorandum, Juris Doctor shall be the academic degree to be awarded or conferred by law schools to all graduating students in the basic law course beginning in the second semester of the Academic year 2018-2019 onwards. Fr. Don Besana, OAR, university president, Fr. Jose Alden Alipin, OAR, vice president for Academics/director of the Human Resource Management Department office, School of Law Dean Dodie Turla, and other school officials led the rites which were attended by law graduates from 1970s up to 2018. Among those who were conferred were lawyer Nelson Lo, former Dean of the College of Law who graduated in 1970, lawyer Gorgonio Ybañez from batch 1974, incumbent Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia who graduated in 1979, and many others who currently hold vital positions in the judiciary and the government. Judge Joseph Gedeoni Valencia, UNO-R Batch 2001 delivered his valedictory address. Those who migrated to the Juris Doctor were euphoric during the ceremonies, given the hard work in completing the rigorous study of law and in passing the Bar, being the most difficult examination in the Philippines. Aside from the rites, it became a memorable night because it was also when the law graduates of UNO-R reunited with their former classmates, professors, and schoolmates bringing them down memory lane. ( Ms. Carla Canet, Sunstar – Bacolod, May 23, 2022, photos courtesy of some UNO-R alumni)
