BY DENNIS GORECHO
“TO TEACH law in the grand manner!” – a slogan that aptly describes the overall performance of the University of the Philippines College of Law (UP Law). It dominated this year’s bar exams with six alumni making it on the Top 20, including Rank One.
Kyle Christian Tutor placed first with a passing rate of 85.77% along with John Philippe Chua (4th, 84.28%), Jet Ryan Nicolas (5th place, 84.2650%), Maria Lovelyn Joyce Quebrar (6th, 84.06%), Reland Cuevas (17th, 82.87%), and Charles Kenneth Lijauco (20th, 82.7950%).
Tutor, a cum laude graduate who has worked in the Office of the Solicitor General as a legal assistant, said he would like to become an “abogado para sa bayan” (lawyer for the people).
UP Law is recognized as the second top-performing law school with a 93.09% passing rate for first-time takers and an overall rate of 90.51% (with more than 100 candidates).
UP has the biggest numbers of passers with 229 (202 of which are first takers), followed by Ateneo de Manila University with 169, University of Sto. Tomas (UST) with 139, San Beda with 131, and University of San Carlos (USC) with 117.
With a passing rate of 37.84 percent, a total of 3,962 passed this year’s Bar exams after the justices decided to lower the passing score from 75 to 74 percent, higher than 2023’s tally of 3,812. Nearly 1,000 new lawyers were added to the list as a result of the adjusted passing grade.
The other placers included six from Ateneo: Maria Christina Aniceto (2nd), Kyle Isaguirre (7th), Paolo Antonio Gerpacio (11th), Marielle Macarilay (13th), Therese Garcia (15th), and Betlee-Kyle Barraquias (18th).
There are two topnotchers from UST: Andrea Ambray (12th) and Pierre Reque (20th).
Schools with one topnotcher each included Angeles University Foundation (Gerald Roxas, 3rd), University of Mindanao (Joji Macadine, 8th), Western Mindanao State University (Greogorio Torres, 9th), San Beda (Raya Villacorta, 10th), University of San Carlos (John Daniel Hamoy, 14th), Jose Rizal Memorial State University (Recel Elumba, 16th), and University of St. Lasalle (Steve Barredo, 19th).
The 2024 Bar Exams were held on September 8, 11, and 15, 2024, in 13 local testing centers (LTCs) across the country, including six n Metro Manila, two in Luzon, three in the Visayas and two in Mindanao in a bid to reduce the logistical, financial and emotional burdens for examinees, particularly those from the provinces; 10,490 out of 10,504 applicants completed all three days.
The subjects on the first day (September 8) were Political and Public International Law (15%) and Commercial and Taxation (20%). On the second day (September 11), the subjects were Civil (20%) and Labor Law and Social Legislations (10%), while on the third day (September 15) the subjects were Criminal (10%) and Remedial, Legal and Judicial Ethics with Practical Exercises (25%).
As freshies in 1992 at UP Law, the imposing words of Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. welcomed us to Malcolm Hall: “The business of a law school is not sufficiently described when you merely say that it is to teach law or make lawyers. It is to teach law in the grand manner, and to make great lawyers.”
UP Law was among the first seven colleges established after the foundation of UP on June 18, 1908 through Act No.1870.
I entered UP Law in 1992 but I took the bar in 1998 since I opted to shift to the working student program as a reporter for a broadsheet and other international news agencies.
I made my coverage starting 9 a.m., until 4 p.m. then would rush to UP for my evening classes. I read my cases while inside the moving bus on the way home to Las Piñas from Diliman under the strongest light source.
I was among the lucky 1,465 examinees who passed the 1998 bar exams held in DLSU, or 39.63 percent out of the 3,697 examinees with three UP batchmates landing in the top 10 (2nd, 3rd and, 5th).
I failed in my Political law by three points but my final grade was pulled up by my score in Remedial law which was my highest. We celebrated our Silver (25th) jubilee in 2023.
Former Solicitor General Florin Hilbay was my bar buddy who topped the following year’s (1999) bar exam with one of the lowest passing rate of 16.59 percent, with three UP Law again in the top 10.
UP Law dean Atty. Darlene Berberabe stressed that the barristers’ “achievement is also UP Law’s pride and joy”.
“It is my hope that you will always remember to use our UP Law education to pursue truth and justice. Remember the idealism that you have now as a young person and carry it with you as you move to positions of responsibility and leadership. As you start your life as a lawyer, you will have the privilege and the challenge to give life and meaning to the values of Honor, Excellence and Service. Your UP Law family is rooting for you!” Berberabe said.
The 2024 Bar results were released December 13, two days before the UP Fighting Maroons Men’s Basketball team won on December 15 Game 3 of the Finals of Season 87 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP).
Mabuhay ang pag-asa ng bayan!
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“Peyups” is the moniker of the University of the Philippines.
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Atty. Dennis R. Gorecho is the Junior Partner of the Sapal Velez Bundang Bulilan Law Offices. For comments, e-mail info@sapalovelez.com, or call 09088665786./PN
