SCHOOL PRIDE. Dean Nilo Divina (front, center) is flanked by the 2023 Bar topnotchers and other members of the University of Santo Tomas’ (UST) Faculty of Civil Law during Thanksgiving celebrations in the Manila campus on Tuesday evening (Dec. 5, 2023). The event was put together hastily after learning that Thomasians Ephraim Bie and Pio Buencamino ranked first and eighth in this year's Bar exams. (PNA photo by Pot Chavez)
MANILA – The Thomasian community has feted two of its members who topped the 2023 Bar examinations with a parade, a scrumptious supper, and even a fireworks display.
Ephraim Bie and Pio Buencamino, who ranked No. 1 and No. 8 among this year’s Bar passers, returned to their school late Tuesday evening amid the cheers of hundreds of students and professors of the University of Santo Tomas’ (UST) Faculty of Civil Law.
The new lawyers garnered scores of 89.2625 percent and 88.2500 percent, respectively.
In an interview on Wednesday, Dean Nilo Divina told the Philippine News Agency that the school’s exceptional performance this year in “the country’s most difficult licensure examination” is attributable to the whole-of-community support extended to the examinees.
He pointed out that "UST Law," the oldest law school in the Philippines, has given all the support the barristers needed such as free bar review and reviewer.
“Jubilant is the right word to describe my feeling [when the results came out]. At the same time, thankful to the Lord for making this happen. We had our fair share of topnotchers but this is very special,” he said.
Previously, UST had several Thomasian topnotchers who placed first including former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Roberto Concepcion (1924), former Philippine President Diosdado Macapagal (1936), former Senator Jose W. Diokno (1944), and Arlene Maneja (2002).
The dean emphasized to his students the time-tested formula, that is, “pray as if everything depends on prayer, and study as if everything depends on studying.”
Divina, the founding and managing partner of a top law firm in the country, is hopeful that the faculty can further improve in the coming years.
“To our future barristers, continue dreaming. We are already preparing another set of the reviewers that will be given for free [to our next barristers],” he said.
In a separate interview, lawyer Klinton Torralba, who ranked 9th in the 2017 Bar Examinations, is also looking forward to the next set of Bar topnotchers from the university in the years to come.
“I hope that you can prove that what happened this year did not happen by chance but because you worked hard for it, we deserve it… we can do it again,” said Torralba, a former professor of Bie.
The Supreme Court said 36.77 percent or 3,812 out of the 10,387 examinees passed the Bar examinations that were conducted on Sept. 17, 20, and 24 in 14 testing centers across the country.
The University of Santo Tomas was also among the top Law schools with more than 100 bar candidates with a passing rate of 85.25 percent.
The oathtaking and the roll signing ceremonies of the new lawyers will be held at the SMX Convention Center on Dec. 22. (PNA)
