Smoke was yet billowing out of the pile of rubble that was Manila right after liberation when the young Ben Salvosa could no longer ignore the call to go north. In the United States the call was, Go west, young man. West, to the land of milk and honey. Here it was north. North, to the heartland of the “kuripots,” where he found a mining town ripe for education, and a climate that was just what the doctor ordered for his asthma.

To the North Ben brought his asthma and his dream. His dream — an educational center of the north — started to take shape in Baguio Colleges. It continues to grow, bringing the light of education to the Cordilleras and Northern Luzon.

To himself, a successful legal practitioner, it was just a matter of time beibre he started toying with the idea of a College of Law in the north, a college modeled his alma mater, the UP College of Law, or at least on his fond recollection of it.

More than anyone, Ben was aware that the BCF College of Law was an experiment, and a costly one at that Until the seventies, the College could not support itself, and had to depend on a subsidy from the school administration. It was only the College of Law north of Manila when it opened in 1952, to a lot of raised eyebrows. Could it hold its own in the bar examinations?

We owe it to the first batch of BCF law graduates for proving the experimenter, BCE founder Ben Salvosa, right Had the first batch done poorly in the bar, the founder might conceivably have succumbed to pressure to phrase out the college, as quietly as he had founded it.

As far as can be determined, all members of that intrepid group have since passed away, many ahead of the founder. Offhand, one remembers Atty. Guillermo de Guzman, Any. Alex Brillantes, Judge Tomas Macaranas, Judge Federico Cabato and Atty.Onofre Alabanza, who became a member of the faculty. As the pioneers, their memory will continue to be recalled whenever and wherever alumni meet together.

With the phenomenal success of the experimental first batch, the sluice gate was opened for vehicles of graduates with dreams that cannot be damned to cascade to this day. Rated by the Supreme Court as one of the top ten schools as early as 1970, the BCF College of Law has continued to dominate the bar in this part of the country.

Even under favorable circumstances the birthing of a college, especially a College of Law, is difficult. The main problem is putting together a faculty. For some time, the founder himself had to teach law and serve as the first Dean from 1952 to 1966.

It was only after 1966 that the founder started handling the reins to BCE law graduates: Victor Punzalan, Eaustino Basaen, Jose Cristobal, Edilberto B. Tenefrancia, Teopisto Rondez, Honorato V. Aquino. The present steward is Any. Reynaldo U. Agranzamendez.

The philosophy, vision, mission and objectives of the College of Law are in consonance with the purposes of the Legal education of the Philippines and with the vision, mission and goals of the University of the Cordilleras,

Philosophy: The UC College of Law believes that LAW forms the core of our social and oersonal lives. It is the linchpin, the amicus vitae of all government and society. The UC College of Law believes that the life of law is not logic; the life of law is experience, for law embodies the story of a nation’s development through the centuries.

The College of Law believes in the overriding principle that governs the practice of law and the administration of justice — the deep commitment and adherence to TRUTH and JUSTICE, values which have remained constant and immutable through the years. For without TRUTH there can never be JUSTICE.

“Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free”

Vision: The new Millennium will witness the dawning of the Age of the University in almost all phases of human activity. As people and nations slowly and irreversibly move towards borderless transactions in international trade and commerce, and towards increasing multilateral cooperation in the development of science and technology, health, medicine, education, diplomacy and all other human faculties, there will be an increasing demand for “global lawyers” who are attuned to these competitive times, and who will be learned in the contemporary discipline of brokering peace, understanding and cooperation among diverse societies.

The field of law will be one of the frontiers in this global march towards social oneness for it shall be the men and women of law who will lay down the new rules of engagement for all human intercourse in the 21 century — and beyond.

There will come in the future an international community of legal scholars whose wisdom and intercession shall become the fiber of the emerging global culture. Invariably, some of these legal scholars will be Filipinos, and most of them will be graduates of the University of the Cordilleras College of Law.

There will be others of course, and of these others, most of them will have been trained by graduates of the UC College of Law, for UC College of Law shall become a Center of Excellence in Global Understanding in Law.

Mission: The UC College of Law believes in its solemn duty to train men and women in the study of Law, who would be confronted with the challenges of the legal practice and will become part of the living canvass into which the stories of lives, impressions, prejudices, memories and fleeting passions are interwoven and transformed through them by the courts into judgments of a legal significance to be carried over into the future as regulatory precepts for the good ordering of society.

Objectives: Specifically, the College of Law aims:

1. to provide training, first and foremost to develop in the law students, a sound foundation in the fundamentals of basic legal knowledge so that they would not only practice and a lifetime of legal adventure;
2. to provide students with the knowledge, skills and attitudes of a lawyer who is oriented to the legal needs of the Filipino people in general and of the region in particular;
3. to prepare its law students to pass if not top the BAR examinations;
4. to develop in the students the critical thinking and problem solving skills, decision making and leadership abilities, communication and pedagogical skills, and the desire and capability of self learning;
5. to promote moral and spiritual values and ethical behavior essential to the practice of law to include love of country, social responsibility, competence, integrity, probity and independence, in order to assure the people of their right to speedy, honest and scholarly disposition of cases instituted by or against them before the courts;
6. to foster awareness of contemporary social issues, especially those relevant to the legal profession such as the dignity of the human person, violence against women and children, and human rights;
7. to contribute to national development through involvement in the various programs of the lOP in its Mandatory Continuing Education Program and Free Legal Aid to the indigent litigants;
8. to discover various aptitudes and interests of its students essential to their development as persons and future law practitioners through the various activities of the BARRISTERS’ CLUB such as but not limited to: BAR Operations, Testimonial Dinner for successful BAR passers, Group interaction seminars, sponsorship of debates between law students, etc.

• The College of Law Library located at the fifth floor of the New Building, is amply stacked with the latest law books and periodicals in the field. The Library is open from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM Monday — Friday and 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM Saturday to enable the students to make maximum use of the Library. During semestral I term and Christmas breaks (except during holidays) library hours are from 8:00 AM to 12:00 noon and from 1:00PM to 5:00 PM Changes in the service hours are posted in the Bulletin Board. The Library is CLOSED on Sundays and Holidays. Copies of library rules and policies on borrowing are available from the library staff.


• UC Post Office is located on the second floor of the science building, Room 121 — B. It is open from 8:00 AM to 12:00 Noon and 1:00PM to 6:00 PM, Monday through Friday. On Saturdays, it is open only in the moming.


• Guidance Center is at Room 222, Science Building. The office is open Monday Through Saturday from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM.


• Security Services. Security force is maintained on the campus to insure maximum safety and security of the academic community.


• College of Law Canteen is available on the fifth floor to serve take-out snacks for Law Students.


• Medical and Dental Clinics and Health facilities are available at the second floor Science Building where common medicines are available and necessary first aid is administered. They are open during school days from 7:30 AM to 7:00 PM and are manned by physicians, dentists, and registered nurses.


• The Barristers’ Club is an organization created to aid the Ut Bar Candidates for the Bar exams. It has grown to cater to the needs of law students. Handouts, pop sheets, mimeographed notes may be distributed by the Club. Barristers’ Club Office is located at the 5 floor of the New Building.

• Admission. A student desiring to enroll in the College of Law shall undergo the screening procedure.
  • A student who desires to enroll in the College of Law shall submit an original copy of his transcript of records for evaluation purposes;
  • He must have finished 18 units of English, 18 units Social Sciences, and 6 units of Mathematics;


• School Term
  1. The academic year consists of The number of school days per contained in the school calendar posted in the bulletin boards;
  2. Summer classes in the College of Law is allowed and permitted only on minor law subjects upon the request of at least 30 students who would signify their commitment to enroll in the specific subject.
  3. The CHED prescribes a minimum of 100 class days spread over 18 weeks per semester.


• Class Hours
  1. Students and faculty must attend classes on time. The regular class starts at 5:30 PM in order to accommodate working students and the last class would end at 8:30 pm daily;
  2. Students are not sent on errands during class periods;
  3. Suspension of classes is done only in exclusively by College Dean or higher school authorities.


• Academic Load
  1. Students should take all subjects as prescribed and sequentially arranged in the curriculum of the College of Law;
  2. No student shall be promoted to upper curriculum year if he has a deficiency in the lower curriculum year
  3. The Academic Retention policy:
  • If a student fails 30% of his/her .total semestral subjects enrolled, hehe will be re-admitted but with subject load reduction the following semester, however
  • If during the following semester, any one subject is FAILED, the student is considered DEBARRED and shall be dropped from the rolls of the College of Law;
  • Tile Policy on failing 30% of the subjects does not apply to fourth year students.


• Curricular Program The UC College of Law embraces the mission of training men and women to become competent lawyers with high ethical behavior. For, in any society, lawyers are guardians and guarantors of justice.
  1. Civil Law
     The basic course on civil law includes the following subjects:
  • Persons and Family Relations
  • Obligations and Contracts
  • Property Land Registration
  • Partnership
  • Wills and Succession
  • Torts and Damages
  • Special Contracts
  • Common Carriers
  • Conflict of Laws
  2. Criminal Law
     This subject enables the students to have a full grasp of the characteristics of criminal law, the nature of felonies, the stages of execution, the circumstances affecting criminal liability, the persons who are criminally liable, the extent and extinction .of criminal liability, as well as the civil liability of the offender. The subject embraces the study of specific felonies, as well as crimes punishable under special laws, and their penalties.
  3. Remedial Law
     This course provides an extensive survey and integration of the rules and principles regarding the jurisdiction of courts, criminal and civil procedure, special civil actions, provisional remedies, appeals, special proceedings, and evidence.
  4. Commercial Law
     This subject offers a well-rounded study on the laws concerning private corporations, negotiable instruments, secured transactions, maritime transportation, insurance, insolvency, copyright, and other related laws.
  5. Labor Laws
     Students are taught the laws affecting labor standards, working conditions, employment benefits, right to self-organization and collective bargaining agreements, including the laws relating to strikes, pickets, and lockouts.
  6. Constitutional Law
     This subject include a comprehensive survey of the Constitution (with emphasis on the Bill of Rights), as well as administrative law, law on municipal corporation, law on public officers, and election law.
  7. Taxation
     In this course, the students will discuss and learn the general principles of taxation, the provisions on income taxation, transfer taxes, as well as specific, business, percentage, amusement, and miscellaneous taxes. They will also learn the general principles and laws on tariff and customs duties.
  8. Legal Ethics and Practical Exercises
     This course focuses on the canons of legal judicial ethics. More importantly, it dwells on the duties and responsibilities of the lawyer with respect to the client, the court, the bar, and the public. Tile practical exercises will teach the students to formulate and prepare contracts, pleadings, and other documents.


• Regulations on Sequence of Subjects.
  The UC College of Law embraces the mission of training men and women to become competent lawyers with high ethical behavior. For, in any society, lawyers are guardians and guarantors of justice.
  1. PERSONS AND FAMILY RELATIONS must be taken and passed before WILLS AND SUCCESSION;
  2. CONSTITUTIONAL LAW I must be taken and passed before CONSTITUTIONAL LAW II;
  3. OBLIGATIONS AND CONTRACTS must be taken and passed before PROPERTY, TORTS AND DAMAGES, 1NSURANCE, SALES, SECURED TRANSACTIONS, and BUSINESS ORGANIZATION (PAT);
  4. CRIMINAL LAW I must be taken and passed before CRIMINAL LAW II; CRIMINAL LAW II must be taken and passed before CRIMINAL LAW III;
  5. OBLIGATIONS AND CONTRACTS, PROPERTY, INSURANCE, SALES, NEGOTIABLE INSTRUMENTS LAW, SECURED TRANSACTIONS, BUSINESS ORGANIZATION (PAT), LAND TITLES AND DEEDS must be taken and passed before LEGAL FORMS.
  6. TAXATION is a prerequisite of TAXATION II;
  7. ALL SUBJECTS in the FIRST, SECOND and THIRD YEARS shall be taken and passed before the corresponding review course in the FOURTH YEAR.


• Residency Requirement
  1. Any student must successfully complete all the requirements leading to the degree of Law within seven (7) consecutive years. The seven-year residency is counted from the date he first entered law school and shall not be interrupted by dropping or failure to enroll in the College of law.
  2. Any transferee who desires to finish law course in UC must study in the College of Law for not less than two (2) years immediately preceding his graduation.


• Retention Policy
  1. Any student who has failed at least 30% of his unit load during a particular semester shall not be readmitted for the next semester
  2. If the student has failed less than 30% of his unit load during a particular semester:
  • He may be readmitted for the next semester but his load will be reduced. His readmission is subject to the condition that he will pass all his subjects during the succeeding semesters. The Dean or his duly-authorized representative may, in his discretion, refuse readmission of the student if, although he has failed less than 30% of his unit load, his grades in some of his other subjects are below 80%
  • If a student who has been conditionally readmitted fails in any subject during any of the succeeding semesters, he shall not anymore be readmitted

The Philippine Daily Inquirer

He topped the bar but didn’t know it
By Vincent Cabreza, Frank Cimatu (04/05/2007)

Bar topnotcher mentored by another ace from same school
By Vincent Cabreza, Frank Cimatu (04/04/2007)

Baguio boy tops 2006 bar exams; 1,893 make it
By Leila Salaverria, Vincent Cabreza (04/04/2007)

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