Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 3) — Poverty did not stand in the way of Ramil Comendador’s dream of one day becoming a lawyer.
He worked his way from the bottom up, literally. For four years he swept and cleaned floors as a janitor. Later on, he became a clerk and eventually, an election assistant at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) office in Malabon. After his day job, Comendador shifts to his law study.
“We were really poor and I really wanted to break that cycle of poverty,” he related in Filipino while pointing to his worn-out pair of pants.
“I was saving my money for my tuition so I couldn’t afford to spend on clothes.”
Comendador recalled that he was terrified on the first day of the bar exams last year. He said his hand was shaking and he couldn’t write down his answers for half an hour.
“I prayed that the Lord would help me be able to write down my answers because I really want to hurdle the exams,” he recounted.
Comendador’s perseverance, and faith, finally paid off.
He is now one of the 3,747 students who passed the 2016 bar exams.
Related: 2016 Bar exam results released
His wife, Christy bore witness to how he strived hard for his studies. His co-workers were just as proud, commending him for his achievement and humility.
Aside from a better life, Comendador said he had another thing he’d want to accomplish.
“I hope my becoming a lawyer would also pave the way for me to meet my father. My mother said she was still pregnant with me when my father left us.”
Now that he passed the bar, Comendador said he planned to stay with his job at the Comelec.
His message to aspiring lawyers: Don’t give up on your dreams, no matter who or what you are.
CNN Philippines’ Anjo Alimario contributed to this report.
