LAW graduates from the provinces again topped the Bar examinations, whose 2017 edition saw only one out of every four examinees pass.
After special Supreme Court deliberations on Thursday, Associate Justice Lucas Bersamin, the exams chairman, announced that 1,724 out of 6,748 examinees who took the 2017 Bar examinations passed, or a passing rate of just 25.5 percent.
It was “back to normal” for the Bar exams after 2016’s high 59.06 percent passing rate (3,747 out of 6,344 examinees).
Mark John Simondo of the University of St. La Salle of Bacolod placed first with the highest overall rating of 91.05 percent.
In a departure from tradition, Bersamin announced the top 20 examinees, instead of just the top 10.
University of San Carlos law graduate Christianne Mae Balili took second place with 90.8 percent, followed by Camille Remoroza of Ateneo de Davao (third, 90.7 percent), Ivanne D’laureil I. Hisoler of University of San Carlos (fourth, 89.55 percent), and San Beda College Manila’s Monica Anne Yap (fifth, 89.45 percent).
UST ends five-year ‘drought’
Noticeably absent from the top 10 were top law schools University of the Philippines and Ateneo de Manila.
The University of Santo Tomas, embroiled in controversy after the death of a law freshman in hazing rites last year, saw three graduates in the top 10 of the 2017 Bar exams.
This ended a “five-year drought” as the last time a UST graduate made it to the top 10 was in 2011, according to The Varsitarian, the UST student paper. The UST Faculty of Civil Law cancelled classes to celebrate.
UST graduates Lorenzo Luigi Gayya, Klinton Toralba and Emma Ruby Aguilar placed sixth (89.1 percent), ninth (88.65 percent), and 10th (88.4 percent), respectively.
Others in the top 10 were Rheland Servacio of the University of San Carlos, (seventh, 89 percent) and Krizza Fe Alcantara-Bagni of St. Mary’s University and Algie Kwillon Mariacos of San Beda College Manila (eighth, 88.90 percent).
Parents, relatives, friends, fraternity brothers and sorority sisters of the Bar examinees squealed and jumped as Bersamin announced the names of top 20 and as soon as the names of the successful examinees were flashed on a huge monitor at the Supreme Court quadrangle.
Two Muslim women from Marawi City, Aquisah Salima Panda and Sittie Aiza Indardaya came to the announcement for their male professor, but he did not make it to the list.
Leslie Llagas, 42, who’s in outsourcing, succeeded after four tries.
“It is unfinished business because I took a vacation for 10 years and I wanted to do pro bono cases as there are a lot of people lacking the capacity to pay legal fees and get imprisoned despite innocence,” Llagas said.
Nelson Gopengco,44, cashier at LRT Line 2, made it to the list also after four tries. “There are factors that pushed me (to take the exams): my wife and two best friends.”
Highest number of examinees
The 2017 Bar examinations, the 116th to be held, were hosted by UST and administered by the Office of the Bar Confidant through Assistant Bar Confidant Amor Entila.
The number of examinees for 2017, 6,748,was the highest on record.
The oath taking of the successful Bar candidates will be held at 2:30 p.m. on June 1, Friday, at the Philippine International Convention Center. JOMAR CANLAS AND CATHERINE A. MODESTO