3,992 pass Bar exam; UP, Ateneo dominate

MANILA, Philippines — The University of the Philippines and Ateneo de Manila University dominated the top 30 of the 3,992 newly minted lawyers who passed the 2022 Bar exams.

The top three Bar exam passers – Czar Matthew Dayday, Erickson Cayabyab Mariñas, Christiane Claire Cregencia – are colleagues in the same Makati-based law firm as well as law batchmates who graduated from UP Diliman last year.

“We’re actually all floormates (in the law firm),” Mariñas, who got a grade of 88.7666 percent, said in a Zoom interview with justice reporters yesterday.

Dayday said he was at home with family when he saw his name emerge first in the list of Bar passers livestreamed in the Supreme Court YouTube account.

“Honestly, when I heard Justice (Alfredo Benjamin) Caguioa saying the first place was Dayday, my first thought was that there was another Dayday Bar taker. And then I realized, oh my gosh, that’s my name,” said Dayday, who got 88.8083 percent. He said he had only wanted to pass the exam.

In a Twitter post, President Marcos congratulated the Bar passers and exhorted them to “always serve our nation with integrity and compassion.”

Mariñas, meanwhile, said he kept to himself in his condominium unit while waiting for the announcement of the Bar results. Much to his surprise, he emerged second.

Dayday was their class valedictorian, while top four passer Andrea Jasmine Yu – who got 87.7750 percent – was their class salutatorian.

Third placer Cregencia got 87.9667 percent. Another UP law school graduate, Kim Gia Gatapia, landed in fifth place with 87.4250 percent.

Dayday and Mariñas asked not to mention the Makati law firm where they work. They said nine of the top 30 Bar passers work in this firm.

They advised Bar takers to surround themselves with supportive people and be organized in their study sessions so that they can cover all lessons and get enough sleep.

While the previous Bar exam results only named “excellent passers,” this year’s results included the top 30 passers.

Of the top 30, 11 were from UP and 10 from the Ateneo de Manila, Zamboanga and Davao.

Those who got the sixth to 10th places were Gabriel Baes (University of San Carlos, 87.25 percent), Luigi Reyes (San Beda College Alabang, 87.1917 percent), Rio Mei Uy (Ateneo De Manila University, 87.0582 percent), Mark David Vergara (ADMU, 87.0083 percent) and Jaims Gabriel Orencia (ADMU, 86.9001 percent).

Don’t give up

In his speech before the release of the results, Bar chair Justice Caguioa congratulated the passers “who successfully scaled what time and again has proven to be a herculean battery of exams.”

He also encouraged those who did not pass not to give up, nor let their failure become a “measure of your convictions and height of your dreams.”

“For those who may not find their names on the awaited list for now, I call on each of you to recall how the Bar examinations can never approximate what you are worth. Allow this setback to be temporary, but your will to pass the examinations unchanged,” Caguioa said.

The Bar was held for four days in November last year and was the country’s second digitized and regionalized exams.

At least 3,992 of the 9,183 takers passed the 2022 Bar, or a passing rate of 43.47 percent.

Speaker Martin Romualdez, for his part, called on the Bar passers to be “good lawyers in service to the country.”

In his message, Romualdez said the new lawyers should “handle and prosecute cases without fear or favor.” He said being a good lawyer means readiness to serve the poor and underprivileged.

He also asked them to be “catalysts for change” and that they should “uphold the standards of public service excellence in the practice of our noble profession.”

Himself a lawyer and an alumnus of the UP College of Law and president of the Philippine Constitution Association, Romualdez stressed that new entrants to the law profession should help improve the judicial system by representing those who cannot afford legal services.

“They should contribute to the delivery of fair, impartial and speedy justice,” he added.

Meanwhile, Sen. Bong Revilla said his eldest daughter Inah Felicia Bautista del Rosario was one of the Bar passers. “I now have a lawyer! I am so proud of you, Atty. Inah, my anak (daughter)! Congratulations on achieving one of your dreams,” Revilla said on Instagram.

“I could not help but cry with joy and I can’t put into words how proud I am as a father. I know that you did this partly because of me and for me,” the senator said partly in Filipino.

He said his daughter managed to juggle motherhood and law school.

“All the hard work has paid off! Awesome! Now that you have reached your dream of becoming a lawyer, always remember why God has blessed you with this – to help and bless others. Remember I will always be here to support you and be your number one cheerleader. I love you Inah!” he said. — Sheila Crisostomo, Paolo Romero, Helen Flores