Armand Hernandez, who passed the recent bar examinations, made a personal stop at the DAILY TRIBUNE office on Monday to purchase the 11 January 2026 issue, which carried the complete roster of new lawyers.

“I learned about the DAILY TRIBUNE list of passers by chance on X. One bar passer posted that it published the full list of passers in the paper,” Hernandez said.

“I understand that other papers no longer publish the full list, only the topnotchers. So I really wanted to get a copy for remembrance,” he added.

A graduate of the Far Eastern University (FEU) Institute of Law, Hernandez began his law school journey in 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when classes were conducted entirely online before gradually shifting to hybrid and eventually full face-to-face as he neared fourth year.

Although he comes from a family of lawyers, Hernandez stressed that pursuing the profession was ultimately a personal decision.

“Even if you have a background in law or people behind you who are lawyers, the decision should still be inherent. It should be a conscious decision,” he said, adding that he had wanted to become a lawyer since childhood.

Asked about his bar experience, Hernandez said the most difficult part came not during the examinations, but in the months that followed.

“Almost four months of waiting,” he said.

While the review process itself was rigorous, he said the uncertainty after the examinations weighed heavily.

“Everything was already out of your control – you’re just waiting. The anxiety was really real,” he said, noting that he chose not to work during the waiting period.

After enduring nearly four months of uncertainty, Hernandez finally passed the bar examinations.