Jhenroniel Sanchez, who topped the 2025 Bar exam, has described the current Philippine legal landscape as “an eclectic mix of some laws long ago tried to fit to current considerations.”

From Zaldy Co fleeing the country to escape the flood control controversy, the anomalous bidding and procurement by government agencies, calls for the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte, and the Philippines’ link to the International Criminal Court through former president Rodrigo Duterte, the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Law graduate perfectly described the system.

Sanchez scored an impressive 92.70 percent to cement his place at the top of the new breed of Filipino lawyers, while Spinel Albert Allauigan Declaro from the University of Santo Tomas came in second with a score of 92.46 percent.

Coming in at third place was Alaiza Adviento also from UST, who got 91.91 percent, followed by fourth placer Angelica de Castro Mitra from De La Salle Lipa with 91.68 percent, and Marc Angelo Santos from UST at fifth with 91.58.

Meanwhile, Ateneo de Manila University was the top-performing school, producing 104 passers out of 106 examinees, posting a 98.11-percent passing rate.

UP followed with a 94.63-percent passing rate with 214 examinees passing out of 221, while UST ranked third with 104 passers out of 108 examinees for a 87.16-percent passing rate. The Dr. V. Orestes Romualdez Educational Foundation also made the list with an 80.19-percent passing rate, recording 85 passers out of 106 examinees.

For institutions with a maximum of 100 candidates, Ateneo de Davao achieved a perfect passing rate as all of its 80 candidates passed the exam, while De La Salle University had a 89.89-percent passing rate and Polytechnic University of the Philippines listed an 83.56 percent rating.

West Visayas State University topped the institutions with 11 to 50 examinees after posting a perfect passing rate, while San Beda University registered a 97.78-percent passing rate and University of Makati a 95.65-percent rate.

Every iteration of the Bar unveils different stories as examinees walk different paths in life, like 59-year-old Eduardo Regio who will finally get to sign the Roll of Attorneys after 11 attempts.

Regio, an employee at the Land Bank of the Philippines, first took the exam in 1993, falling short multiple times but always coming back to show that as long as he lived, he had a chance.

Among the 2025 passers were the sons of DAILY TRIBUNE columnists Atty. Joji Alonso and Atty. Eduardo Martinez — actor Jerico Alonso and Antonio Enrique Miguel Se Martinez, respectively.

The Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) also proudly announced that five of their personnel, namely, Charles Agraba, CSO1 Niño de Vera, CO1 Robin Garcia, CTSO1 Cherry Manago and CO3 Xerces Sebido are now part of the legal profession.

The 2025 batch will take their oath and sign the Roll of Attorneys on 6 February at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan.