By Alexis Jen M. Narandan,
Intern

Bukidnon State University (BukSU) produced Mindanao’s lone topnotcher in the 2025 Bar Examinations, according to results released by the Supreme Court of the Philippines.

BukSU College of Law Batch 2025 graduate Gerilin Ano-os Gascon earned an 89.79% rating, placing 14th nationwide and making her the only topnotcher from Mindanao.

Gascon's journey was marked less by grand declarations than by consistency, showing up to work, taking care of her family, and committing to her studies day after day.

Contrary to earlier reports, Gascon grew up in Agusan del Sur, where limited access to legal help shaped her early interest in the law. She said the idea of becoming a lawyer did not come from ambition for titles, but from seeing how easily ordinary people could be ignored.

In 2008, she moved to Bukidnon to study Accountancy. What was meant to be temporary eventually became permanent. Bukidnon, she said, gave her stability—and later, the opportunity to pursue law at BukSU.

When she entered the BukSU College of Law, Gascon said she quickly learned that location was not a measure of capability. Her professors, she noted, demanded the same rigor expected in larger law schools, leaving little room for excuses.

Law school coincided with the most demanding years of her professional and family life. Banking deadlines did not adjust for exams or recitations. 

Parenting responsibilities did not pause for readings.

“The hardest part wasn’t the lessons,” she said. “It was missing moments with my children.”

That absence weighed heavily, but she stayed the course. Her work in banking, she added, helped ground legal concepts in real situations—contracts, obligations, and compliance were part of her daily routine.

Bar review tested her limits further. After graduating in June 2025, she began reviewing later than most examinees. Despite enrolling in a review program, time remained her biggest constraint.

She studied between 100 and 200 pages a day, often late into the night. Exhaustion was constant. Discipline became non-negotiable.

When the pressure mounted, Gascon turned to faith. Prayer, she said, helped her manage doubt and focus on what she could control—showing up prepared each day and doing the work.

Support from her family, church community, classmates, and friends sustained her through the final stretch.

Today, Gascon’s ranking stands as a reminder that top Bar results are not confined to traditional legal centers. For students from Mindanao and other provinces, her story reflects a reality shaped by persistence rather than privilege.

Asked what she would tell aspiring lawyers who feel intimidated by the system, Gascon kept her advice simple: trust your training, respect your professors, and stay disciplined.

When asked to sum up her Bar journey, she did not reach for grand words.