2014

JUNIORS
BLOCK
PRIMER
Second Semester

Ateneo Law Student Council 2014-2015

ARMAND LOUIS DULAY
President

CYNDY DELA CRUZ

Internal Vice-President

MOHAMMAD MUKTADIR ESTRELLA

External Vice-President

ENRIQUE NITURA
Treasurer

HARVEY BILANG
Secretary-General

SHEENALYN TENGCO
4th Year Representative

JOHANNE MONICH BAUTISTA

3rd Year Representative

JOHN MICHAEL VILLANUEVA

2nd Year Representative

FRANCISCO ALBA
1st Year Representative

Table of Contents
Subject Descriptions...4
3-A6
Evidence
Labor Law II
Special Proceedings
Conflict of Laws
Legal Forms

3-B12
Labor Law II
Special Proceedings
Transportation
Conflict of Laws
Legal Forms

3-C18
Evidence
Labor Law II
Transportation
Conflict of Laws
Legal Forms
Thesis Writing II

3-D....25
Labor Law II
Special Proceedings
Transportation
Conflict of Laws
Legal Forms
Thesis Writing II

Evidence (4 units)
A course which looks into the rules of presentation,
admissibility, and weight and sufficiency of evidence, including
burden of proof and presumption.

Labor Law II (3 units)

Study of the General Principles in Book V of the Labor Code on
Labor Relations, specifically governing areas on government
machinery, labor organizations, unfair labor practices,
representation issue, collective bargaining and administration
agreements, grievance machinery and voluntary arbitration,
lockouts, strikes and other concerted activities; Book VI on
Post-Employment, covering areas such as classes of employees,
termination of employment and retirement; Book VII on penal
provisions of the Labor Code and prescription of actions and
claims.

Special Proceedings (2 units)

A study of Rules 72-109 of the Revised Rules of Court dealing
with the procedural rules on the settlement of estate of deceased
persons, escheats, guardianship, appointment of trustees,
adoption voluntary dissolution of corporations, judicial approval
of voluntary recognition of minor natural children, constitution
of family home, declaration of absence and death, cancellation
and correction of entries in the Civil Registry and appeals on
special proceedings. The course covers also the rules on
injunctive writs and temporary restraining orders, as well as the
special rule covering the writ of kalikasan.

Transportation (2 units)
A study of the general principles and basic regulations
governing common carriers by land, sea and air.

Conflict of Laws (2 units)

A course dealing with legal transactions or relationships
involving foreign elements with emphasis on the choice of law,
including problems in jurisdiction and the recognition and
enforcement of foreign judgments

Legal Forms (2 units)

A course which trains students in the drafting of various legal
documents and deeds, as well as judicial pleadings and briefs.
(Prerequisites: Obligations and Contracts, Property, Sales,
Credit Transactions, Negotiable Instruments, Agency, Trusts,
Partnerships and Joint Ventures, Land Titles, Insurance).

Fundamentals of Thesis Writing II (1 unit)

An instructional guide to the preparation and writing of a thesis,
with the objective of choosing a subject and drafting the outline
for the thesis to be submitted and defended by the student as
part of the requirement of the J.D. program.

*Descriptions taken from the Catalogue of the Ateneo de Manila

Law School (Issued: School Year 2012-2013).

Block 3-A
Second Semester

Evidence
Atty. Laurence Arroyo
Grade range: 80s
Materials used: Just read the cases and the codal, Riano book.
Teaching style: Cases. Hell ask you to recite a case.
Afterwards, he will ask you some questions to test if you
understood the case, the topic and the principle behind the
law/ruling. He sometimes ask you just the codal without the
case, ask you to explain it, ask you question to determine how
you interpret or understood the law. Hell say that recits are
not rounds, but he conduct recits in rounds. Occasionally,
though, hed call some students to recite twice in one round.
Sometimes voluntary recits if the class will ask. Use case
digests. Recite all relevant facts for the topic at hand.

Exams style: Some of the questions were based on previous

exams.
Other helpful comments: Be present for his class even though
he respects cuts. You can understand evidence better just by
listening with the discussion. Ask questions it would really
help you understand the subject. Avoid being absent in class.
Sir is really kind and understanding, but it would be better if
the class does its end of the bargain. Just study and prepare
for the class because he gives high recit grades for those who
prepare. Also, you will be able to learn A LOT from him, so
just enjoy the class. He does not like class parties.

Labor Law II
Atty. Cesario Azucena
Grade range: 70s to low 80s.
Materials used: Read his Red book. Get also a reviewer on
his Red book, its like a summary of the book.
Teaching style: Random recits and book-based recit, but
hell ask you for your opinions. Just read the book. He
expects a lot from the students.
Midterm style: Paper to be submitted one week after Final
exams.
Finals style: His finals exam is not samplex-based.
Other helpful comments: Ask question. Participate in the
discussions always. He likes it if students participate in the
discussion. He like it even better that regular law school
style recit. He loves class parties, so make him happy. The
class should be participating/engaging EVERY meeting. If
he asks for an opinion, at least 2 people should answer. He
likes debates during class.

Special Proceedings
Atty. Ronald Chua
Grade range: 70s to low 90s.
Materials used: Read the reviewer for his subject. If you
can, it would be better to read the cases he assigns. Devil's
notes. Rules of Court codal.
Teaching style: Recits are in random. Hell ask for cases.
Recits are based on the above-mentioned reviewers. Just
study well.
Exams style: Allows advance exams. Essay, MCQ, T/F, up
to the prof. They say its samplex-based, but not
completely.
Other helpful comments: Please him. Do not take this
subject for granted. Study or the class for he will know
whether the class prepared or not.

Conflict of Laws
Atty. Edzyl Magante
Grade Range: 80s
Materials used: IL readings, codal and cases.
Teaching style: Random recits. He expects too much from
the student. Very demanding when it comes to recitation.
Exams style: Essay type exams.
Other helpful comments: Do not cut in this class. It will pull
down your grade if you do because he gives a 50 if you get
called and youre not in class.

Legal Forms
Atty. Howard Calleja
Grade Range: High 80s to 90s.
Materials used: His book, Atty. Tes sample forms. Rules of
Court will help.
Teaching style: Recit of the discussion & the cases in his
book. Study. Hell ask you to draft a pleading, then calls
people to discuss the contents of the pleading.
Exams style: Make a pleading not during exam week.
Other helpful comments: If you want a higher grade, take the
class seriously. And he likes parties very much.

Block 3-B
Second Semester

Labor Law II
Atty. Liberador Villegas
Grade Range: High 70s to 90s.
Materials used: Azucenas red book for Labor II (hell tell
you most of the time which ones hell ask), assigned cases,
Lalay Abalas reviewer.
Teaching style: Same manner and style as in Insurance. For
the first round he might call people who got lower grades in
Insurance. He gets from the book, but sometimes he asks
seemingly unrelated things from different chapters or topics
(but they are related!).
Midterm style: Just like in Insurance. MCQ, 2-point essays
and real essays. He likes picking out terms from the book.
Check his previous exams.
Finals style: Same as midterms. Long exam, and he usually
asks everything.
Other helpful comments: Same deal with Insurance. Hes
nice so hes party-able. We did it for a two hour class, but he
still conducted recits for the first hour. Just always be ready
for recit. Be nice! J kaya naman siya, eh. Be confident
when you recite.

Special Proceedings
Atty. Jorge Melo
Grade range: 70s-90s, exactly what you get in your component
scores.
Materials used: cases and codal, no need to bother with much else
really. Take notes in class. Consider compiling case doctrines.
Teaching style: He does rounds for recits. Sometimes he conducts
lectures. Read cases in the original since its not that many. Hes
straight forward with recits and not particular about the facts. The
doctrines are important. He does one case per person, so even if
the person reciting a case is messing it up, he usually won't call
another person for the same case. Later in the sem, when hes
already catching up, he might agree to voluntary recits.
Midterm style: A few MCQ worth 4-5 points each. Then mostly
essays worth 5 and 10 points each, and are cases or application.
Theres always a bonus, usually something he mentions in class.
Finals style: Same as midterms. Comprehensive exam. It was his
first time teaching SpecPro last year, so really cant say if
samplex-based.
Other helpful comments: Atty. Melo is usually late, and
sometimes absent, but if hes there, he makes it count. But he is a
good teacher, so listen well and study hard. Listen to whatever he
says in class because those will come out in the exams. Make sure
you know important sets of requisites. You get what you give to
Atty. Melo, so study hard.

Transportation
Atty. Vivencio Abao
Grade Range: Mid 80s-mid 90s.
Materials used: Hell give you handouts and charts, and those
are all you need, plus his assigned cases. Some of those cases
have already been taken up in your Torts class. The handouts are
gold. When he lectures, note it down!
Teaching style: Rounds for recits. He asks cases and his charts.
If he assigned cases, then hell ask cases. If he gives you
handouts, hell ask about them. Hell usually tell you what what
the coverage will be. His questions are not very complicated, so
just read. He also gives quizzes that are equivalent to recits,
maybe 2 or 3 in the whole sem.
Exams style: Same as Land Titles. 10 MCQ, then a bunch of
essay questions. Essay questions may be based on cases. Check
his samplexes. Some questions repeat, especially in the MCQ
portion. He doesnt allow advanced exams.
Other helpful comments: Read his charts even one hour before.
He doesnt like it when students look at notes while they recite.
Hell call you out on it.
Hes a bit stricter with 3rd years as opposed to 2nd years, but
not that much. Dont make him hate you. Eat the handouts and
the case doctrines!

Conflict of Laws
Atty. Pilares
Grade Range: Mid 80s to low 90s.
Materials used: Cases, Sempio-Dy, Paras. Coquia if youre
feeling ambitious. For the first few sessions, a book or
reviewer might be helpful because he asked what the
elements of conflict of laws are, and how to distinguish it
from PIL.
Teaching style: Rounds for recits, but random for the first
round. The next round will be voluntary for anyone who
thinks they did bad. Very chill. Basic facts and doctrine, and
youre good to go. But do try to read the originals to get a
sense of the nuances.
Exams style: Some MCQs, but mostly essay applications
about jurisdiction, forum non conveniens, foregin
corporations license, stipulation on venue. 7 MCQs
accounted for 30 points, though. Kayang maka-94++, easy
really, and mabait siya mag-check.
Other helpful comments: Listen to him in class and study
well since he really doesnt mind giving crazy high grades if
you can get them. Hes super cool and chill. I bet you could
get him to agree to an advanced exam.

Legal Forms
Atty. Pilares
Grade Range: Mid 80s to low 90s.
Materials used: Hell assign the notarial law, then hell
make the groups report and give handouts, so use those.
Teaching style: Hell give quizzes, which count as recit.
Hell call recits when youre discussing the notarial law, but
not after that.
Midterm style: Group presentation. Be creative, but make
your handouts substantial. Make sure you know your forms,
and set up a good presentation. Research properly,
especially for Corporate forms! The SEC can be capricious.
Finals style: Hell ask you to make forms. He likes asking
people to do informations and captions of special
proceedings. You have to write up a few pleadings based on
some scenarios. Hell give you a list of forms he might
possibly ask. If he asks for an Information, plus props if you
can cite the article number of the crime ;)
Other helpful comments: Make really good handouts for
your presentation because youll also be studying them. For
finals, eat the forms he mentions, if you want perfection!

Block 3-C
Second Semester

Evidence
Atty. Francisco Lim
Grade Range: Low 80s.
Materials used: No book required, but you can use Riano.
Theres a case digest compilation prepared by his 2012
class, but best to make your own digests or read origs
(although theres A LOT of them) because he asks detailed
facts.
Teaching style: Random recits. Make sure to study,
memorize, understand the codal well.
Midterm style: Hard midterm exam. He never returned our
bluebooks.
Finals style: Hard finals. It was not samplex-based.
Other helpful comments: Memorize the codal provisions, it
will come in handy throughout the semester.

Labor Law II
Atty. Dante Cadiz
Grade range: 75 to 80s.
Materials used: Azucena green book and tons of cases.
Teaching style: Rounds for recits. Case based recitation.
Midterm style: Essay, situationer type exam.
Finals style: MCQ format. It was a very tricky exam.
Other helpful comments: Try to ace all your recitations for
better chance to get high final grade because his exams are
kind of hopeless, especially the finals MCQ, very tricky.

Transportation
Atty. Francis Ampil
Grade range: 80s to 90s
Materials used: Codal and case digests
Teaching style: Same as Nego class.
Exams style: Exams are samplex-based.
Other helpful comments: No curve, so study the samplex
and do well in the recitations.

Conflict of Laws
Atty. Eduardo Robles
Grade Range: 80s.
Materials used: Listen to his lecture. Hell ask you to make
case digests to be submitted after the finals week class
project.
Teaching style: Lecture only, no recit. Take down notes
especially the cases he would discuss in class. There is a high
probability that those cases will be the ones asked in the exam.
Exams style: Its really up to him. Ask for chismis from him
leading up to the date of the exam.
Other helpful comments: Hell ask you to make case digests,
both international and local cases. Start digesting cases at the
start of the sem, so that you wont be overwhelmed during
finals week. Make it a class effort. Make a compilation of all
the cases in the case list and then highlight all those cases he
would say during his lectures. Have drinking sessions with
him, preferably only boys no girl blockmates. It is during
this drinking session that you can get the Chismis for your
exams. You can ask him favors also during this time like
advance or take home exams. If you want to have a take home
exam, make sure you ask him before he makes the
questionnaires. Stop texting or playing with your phone and
talking to your seatmates; he hates it.

Legal Forms
Atty. Jess Lopez
Grade range: 80s to 90s.
Materials used: Codal and cases.
Teaching style: Random recits. Read the originals of the
cases and be sure to know the important codal provisions
covered in the syllabus. Spot the legal forms issues properly
during recitations.
Midterm style: Objective type of exams. Study cases and
codal. He does not repeat past exams.
Finals style: Same as midterms. You will also be asked to do
drafting of legal forms.
Other helpful comments: Do well in the recitations. He
gives premium to effort. He must see that you dont take his
class for granted. He gives incentive for complete
attendance so dont cut. You will be overwhelmed at first by
the workload of this class, but it will all be worth it in the
end. Do not drop the subject.

Thesis Writing II
Atty. Jill Lopez
Grade Range: 80s
Materials used: No book. You will be asked to prepare your
thesis outline, and defend it in front of a panel composed by
your peers in class.
Teaching style: No recit. Outline defense only.
Exams style:

Midterm the outline defense.

Finals Chapter 1 of your thesis.
Other helpful comments: It is best if the topic you will be
defending/presenting for this class is the topic that you will
be actually working on so that you can take advantage of the
comments of Atty. Lopez and your classmates.

Block 3-D
Second Semester

Labor Law II
Atty. Cesario Azucena
Grade Range: 75 to 85.
Materials used: His Red and Green books. Red book for
recits, Beda reviewer for Finals (the one who used this got a
92 in the final exam).
Teaching style: Socratic method, stick read codal, IRR and
relevant jurisprudence. Skip the international stuff in his
book. His recits are in random order, but he tries to even out
latter part of the sem. Questions are from the red book, so
make sure you read it. He also asks practical questions.
Midterm style: No midterm exam, only paper to be
submitted after finals.
Finals style: What he discusses in class will come out. His
exams are hard.
Other helpful comments: Read his Green book for
reviewing for finals, but Red book for recits. Be
participative! Dont hesitate to volunteer whenever he tries
to ask a difficult question. J

Special Proceedings
Judge Edgardo Caldona
Grade range: 80s to 90s.
Materials used: Regalado book, cases he will assign in
class. Beda reviewer.
Teaching style: Recits are not rounds, he will bore you
during the first half of the class with his stories and
discussions. He lectures first hour, then recit on cases. You
need not be too detailed in the facts when reciting. He wants
the student to focus on the relevant doctrine of the case.
Digests can do.
Exams style: His exams are samplex-based, but you still
need to study for some questions in the exam that are new.
MCQ (mostly codal) and essay (applications of procedures)
type exams.
Other helpful comments: Study his samplexes. He is very
nice. He lets his students pass but try not to annoy him.
Recite when you can, and read the cases because he usually
lectures on the provisions anyway.

Transportation
Atty. Jose Claro Tesoro
Grade Range: 80s to 90s.
Materials used: His syllabus, just study the doctrines and
you will be fine. No need to memorize the cases at all.
Some of us in the block used Aquino for Transpo, but his
exams are still based on his case assignments.
Teaching style: Socratic method for recits, you will never
get the right answer. Two people are called per meeting. The
professor discusses the doctrines per case set, but he also
asks his students to recite particular cases. You should not
miss his class, or at least try to be present especially when
you have been called for the round. Since he is a trial
lawyer, the way he asks recit questions is somewhat
argumentative. So be sure to know the doctrines and even if
you are not sure about your answer, just try to give him
logical answers, argue your way out. He once said, there are
no right answers, only well-argued ones! :)
Exams style: His exams are in essay and are samplex-based.
Do not waste your time, and remember the important
doctrines. His exams require you to spot all issues and
resolve the same.
Other helpful comments: Study his samplexes. Make sure
you read the cases in full.

Conflict of Laws
Atty. Aris Gulapa
Grade Range: 80s
Materials used: His syllabus. Salonga, 1990s version.
Prepare handwritten notes. The subject is different so most
of us found a difficult time trying to find a technique to
study the subject.
Teaching style: No SCRA, handwritten notes only. No
coaching and no looking at notes during recitations. He
conducts recitations in rounds, but if you were absent the
previous meeting, I think you would be among the first ones
he will call. He respects cuts, but use them very wisely.
Exams style: For his exams, study the codals (verbatim),
doctrines in cases. Memorize the provisions he asked you to
memorize because it gets quite confusing for MCQs,
especially since the provisions are under different subjects
Poli, Comm, Civ, Rem, etc.
Other helpful comments: Dont freaking piss him off, hes a
diva during conflicts class. It is quite difficult to please Aris.
But dont fret if he seems disappointed with the class. That's
just how he is. J

Legal Forms
Atty. Pilares
Grade Range: 90s. She really gives high grades.
Materials used: She sends sample forms. You will find your
own materials for the topic that will be assigned to you.
Teaching style: Reporting only. The first part of the sem will
be on notarial practice. The rest of the sem will be devoted
to legal forms. She will assign groups to report on specific
forms (eg: Contracts, Informations, Pleadings, etc). Her
recitations are based on group reports. She asks you to
report on different types of legal forms criminal case
forms, civil case forms, corporate law forms, etc.
Midterm style: No midterm exam.
Midterm style: The final exam is based on the reports. She
asks you to write pleadings based on set of facts, and of
course your pleadings have to follow the form. Study well
the legal forms, she will reward you with wonderful scores
if you do.
Other helpful comments: Dont take for granted this class,
there will be good scores in store for those who take this
class seriously. Just be participative and dont abuse her
kindness J

Thesis Writing II
Atty. Sarah Arriola
Grade Range: 80s to 90s.
Materials used: None, only her powerpoint presentations.
Teaching style: She conducts lectures, so take note of those
because there will be a quiz on those. No recits, but youll
have quizzes.
Midterm style: No midterm exam. Midterm grade is based
on your presentation of your thesis form December to
March.
Finals style: She will ask you to write your chapter 1.
Before, it was 20 pages for us, excluding bibliography and
table of contents. However, she might ask you to submit a
first chapter that meets a certain number of words.
Other helpful comments: Be in good terms with her. She
conducts mock defenses for the students. Very helpful
especially if you want to test out your legal issue. Students
from the block will serve as panelists during the mock
defenses.