By Ethel Monique Domingo
MUNTINLUPA, PH — This October 2025, the Counselling and Career Development Services (CCDS) and the School of Law Internship Development Group (SOLID) spearheaded the annual celebration of the Guidance and Well-being Empowerment Month, highlighting the Bedan spirit of hope, resilience, and growth in a series of student-focused initiatives.
The celebration included seminars on hopeful resilience and purposeful grit, casual dialogues, a screen-to-screen mini-concert, a chess tournament, and a two-episode sit-down talk with guest lawyers via Facebook, designed to advocate mental health, self-awareness, and holistic well-being among San Beda College Alabang-School of Law (SBCA-SOL) students.
Atty. Alloysius Yebra headlined the seminar for freshmen and sophomores at the Manny Reyes Hall, emphasizing the 4Ps to success in law school namely, perspective, practice, patience, and prayer.
Thereafter, Dr. James Philip Ray Pinggolio led the session for juniors and seniors in St. Maur Auditorium, where he conveyed the importance of grit and also provided mental health resources for law students.
Held on October 10, 2025 and October 15, 2025 respectively, both seminars were streamed on Zoom to also accommodate online students in and outside the country.
From October 16 to 18, the Collaborative Learning Hub of the Our Lady of Montserrat (OLM) Building served as a safe space for “Coffee and Conversations”, as participating students exchanged law school stories and experiences.
On October 22, the SOL community celebrated the Bedan spirit through an online musical reprieve offered by the SBCA-SOL Chorale. Hosted by Aubrey Tan and Niño Molina, the Music Festival 2025 sought to showcase creative expression and connection amid the rigors of legal studies.
Following a day of lyric and melody, chess enthusiasts engaged in friendly yet spirited head-to-head games in “Legal Chessmate.” Kim Abraham Ramos checkmated his way to victory, winning P1,000; Charm Maravilla placed second, taking home P750; and Eros Cabauatan came in third, receiving P500 in cash on top of in-kind prizes.
Finally, on October 28 and 29, the two-part Facebook interview series called “SOLful Connections: Lawyers in Dialogue” featured Atty. Juan Rufflo Chong and Atty. Maria Zarah Villanueva-Castro. The activity highlighted insights and inspiration from legal professionals, reaching a wider audience through an online platform.
“Three areas should be cultivated: mind, spirit, and body,” stated Atty. Chong as he reminded aspiring lawyers to aim to become well-rounded persons. In addition, Atty. Villanueva-Castro shared how the Bedan discipline and training matter in professional legal work. “Law is all about life and therefore, we have so many opportunities out there,” she noted.
SOL Guidance Counselor, Ms. Sylvia Atienza affirmed CCDS’ commitment to overall well-being and reassured students, “Even your struggles are shaping you into the kind of lawyer and person you’re meant to be.”
“It’s okay to slow down, to reflect, and to take care of your inner self,” Atienza added in one of her remarks throughout the month-long celebration.