A TOTAL of 3,747 out of the 6,344 examinees passed the 2016 Bar examinations, an official said Wednesday.
But the results were unprecedented in the history of the Philippine Bar exams because “not a single Metro Manila-based school placed in the top 10 and a law graduate from the University of San Carlos in Cebu topped the tests for aspiring lawyers.
Associate Justice Presbitero J. Velasco Jr., chairman of the Supreme Court Committee on the 2016 Bar Examinations, said the 3,747 takers who passed the 2016 Bar Exams constituted 59.06 percent of the total examinees.
The figure and percentage are higher than the 26.21 percent (1,731 out of 6,605) of the examinees who passed the 2015 Bar examinations, Velasco said.
Bar topnotcher Karen Mae Calam said she did not expect to top the exams but admitted she studied hard for what many regard as the toughest tests in the country.
Calam, who is working with the accounting firm SGV&Co, said she was on her way to the Bureau of Internal Revenue when one of her officemates informed her of the results of the tests.
“Initially I didn’t believe it, but when my officemates started calling and congratulating me, only then did I tell myself that it was true,” Calam said in a television interview.
Velasco said the oath-taking of the successful examinees will be held at 3 p.m. on May 22 at the Mall of Asia Arena. Registration will start at 11 in the morning.
Bar Confidant Christina Layusa said passers may secure their clearances from the Office of the Bar Confidant on May 8 up to May 21, 2017 from 8 in the morning.
“This was the first time that not a single Metro Manila school placed in the top 10,” Layusa said.
University of San Carlos had four graduates in the top 10 while Silliman University had three.
Alanna Gayle Ashley Khio from Silliman University took second place with a rating of 88.95 percent.
Fiona Cristy D. Lao of the University of San Carlos and Athalia B. Liong of Andres Bonifacio College shared third place with a rating of 88.8 percent.
Allana Mae A. Babayen-On of University of San Agustin took fourth place with a rating of 88.75 percent followed by Justin Ryan D. Morilla of Ateneo de Davao University with a rating of 88.4 percent.
Taking the sixth place was Mark Dave M. Camarao of Northwestern University with a rating of 88.1 percent, while Anne Margaret E. Momongan of the University of San Carlos landed on seventh place.
Jefferson L. Gomez of the University of San Carlos landed in ninth place along with Nia Rachelle M. Gonzales of University of Batangas with a rating of 87.7 percent.
Marie Chielo H. Ybio of Silliman University with rating of 87.5 percent and Andrew Stephen D. Liu of Silliman University with a rating of 87.45 percent took the ninth and 10th place, respectively.
