Who Run the World? Women top 2019 Philippine bar exams

2019 bar exam topnotcher Mae Diane Azores. Photo: Azores/FB
2019 bar exam topnotcher Mae Diane Azores. Photo: Azores/FB

Filipinas emerged on top of the 2019 Philippine bar exams, which was released today by the country’s Supreme Court.

Mae Diane Azores of University of Santo Tomas Legazpi (UST-Legazpi), a school in Albay province formerly known as Aquinas University, emerged as the year’s top notcher with an overall rating of 91.0490%.

Azores is one of the seven women who topped the bar, which was mostly dominated by schools outside of Metro Manila. Graduates of the University of the Philippines and Ateneo de Manila typically do very well in the exam, but none of their graduates appear in this year’s list of top notchers.

This year’s other top notchers were:

Second place: Princess Fatima Parahiman of the University of the East with a score of  89.5230%

Third place: Myra Baranda, also of UST-Legazpi, with a score of 88.8250%

Fourth place: Dawna Fya Bandiola of San Beda College Alabang with a score of 88.3360%

Fifth place: Jocelyn Fabello of Palawan State University with a score of 88.2630%

Sixth place: Kenneth Glenn Manuel of University of Santo Tomas with a score of 88.1730%

Seventh place: Rhowee Buergo of Jose Rizal University with a score of 87.8710%

Eighth place: Anton Luis Avila of Saint Louis University with a score of 87.5820%

Ninth place: Jun Dexter Rojas of Polytechnic University of the Philippines with a score of 87.5765%

Tenth place: Bebelan Madera of University of St. La Salle with a score of 87.3795%

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A total of 2,103 people passed the bar or 27.36% of the 7,685 examinees who took the test in November, Senior Associate Justice Estela Perlas-Bernabe told GMA News. The exam covers topics such as civil law, criminal law, labor law, legal ethics, practical exercises, mercantile law, political law, and remedial law.

The release of the bar exam’s results is always met with much fanfare in the Philippines, where lawyers are held in such high esteem. Students and parents even camp out outside the Supreme Court building in Ermita, Manila to wait for the exam results. Those who pass are sometimes welcomed by their parents with giant banners hanging outside their homes.

However, this year’s release of results is more somber, because of the enhanced community quarantine that was implemented in Metro Manila and other areas to curb the spread of COVID-19. The list of passers was uploaded online since examinees are not allowed to visit the Court.



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